You might think that a domain names search is a simple thing to do and you will quickly select and register a domain name for your website or blog. But actually there is quite a lot to think about. Assuming that you want the site to rank in the search engines you will need to consider:

Registering a new domain name vs buying an existing one

Generally, registering a new domain name will be cheaper and you have a lot more scope to get exactly what you want but an existing domain will be easier and quicker to get ranked. If buying an existing domain make sure it is indexed (i.e. already appearing on the search results).

GoDaddy are one of the top domain registrars where you can obtain both types of domain names.

The best suffix to use
If you are aiming at a worldwide audience you are still best using a .com domain. If this is not possible the normal advice has been to use .net or .org but people have reported good results with others such as .biz and .info. So if you can’t get a .com go for whatever allows you to register the best domain name.

If you are aiming at a geographically limited market you are best to use a local suffix such as .au or .co.uk as these are preferred in the local search engines such as Google UK.

If you are going to have a separate mobile version of your site you might think about registering a .mobi domain as well. There is a debate as to whether it is better to do this or put your mobile site on a sub domain of your main domain e.g. m.yourdomain.com. At present it is best to see how others in your market have done it and do the same.

Content and format of Domain name
Ideally a domain name should be:

• As short as possible – preferably no more than 20 characters.
• Have no hyphens or underscores – If you are having trouble getting the name you want it is preferable to add a prefix (e.g tips, key, secrets, top, hot, fast, etc) or suffix (now, today, review, info, advice, guide, tool, etc). Although the search engines won’t mind a couple of hyphens, they will cause confusion for human visitors.
• Indicate what the site is about – When your site is listed on the search results it is helpful for the searcher (and they are more likely to click) if your domain name indicates that the site is relevant to their query.
• Include a primary keyword – For a small tightly focused site it will probably be quicker to rank if the domain name includes a keyword. If you do include a keyword it is better to have it at the beginning of the domain name.

It should not:

• Include any trade marks – It is not advisable to include anyone else’s name or trademark in your domain name without their permission. If you are forced to change it later you will have wasted all your efforts to promote your site.
• Be open to misinterpretation – If it can be read more than one way then this is a case when a hyphen is justified.

Once you have completed your domain names search you will then need hosting and our present recommended hosting supplier is HostGator