WOW! Women On Writing Blog: domain name

Friday, June 24, 2016

by Karen Cioffi

As an online marketing instructor and ghostwriter, I get students and clients who are just starting out. Just beginning their marketing journey. And, they don’t know the very basics of an effective website or what actions to take to get started.

The very first thing to do, when you’re first thinking about creating your own website or having one created for you, is get a domain name.

The domain name is your online address. It’s where people can find you online.

For example, my content writing site is Article Writing Doctor – that’s the domain name and the website title. The URL (actual online address) is http://articlewritingdoctor.com.

The Key Elements of a Domain Name

1. You want your domain name to be reflective of what your site is about.

Still using my Article Writing Doctor site, the reason I chose that name is because it’s highly relevant to my site’s niche.

If your site is about cooking, you'll want a domain name that reflects that. If I had a cooking site, I might use something like Cooking with Karen. Or, maybe zoom in closer on the niche, Karen Cooks Italian or Italian Cooking with Karen.

Make it as specific and keyword effective as possible. The reason I added "with Karen" is because "Cooking" and "Italian Cooking" are very popular keywords. Chances are the domain name wouldn't be available.

2. You want it to be keyword optimized.

The keywords for my domain name are: article / article writing / writing.

3. Keep it short and clear.

Keep your domain name short and to the point. This is best for both readers, search engines, and your marketing efforts. Shorter works better.

4. Think unique.

Try to make your name unique. Make a list of 5-10 names, possibly using variations. Find one that works and that’s available to use.

5. Choose the most popular ‘ending’ if possible.

There are a number of name extensions or endings for URLs: .com / .net / .org, and so on.

You might think of the URL endings as the same as using Street / Avenue / Drive / Road, and so on. Your home address might be:

123 Smith Street
123 Smith Avenue
123 Smith Drive

Get the idea? And, the most popular domain name extension is .com.

Summing It Up

So, there you have it, five of the basic elements to creating an optimized domain name. If you’re getting ready to take the website plunge, use these tips to create a search engine and reader friendly name.

***

Karen Cioffi is a former accountant who is now a multi-award-winning author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, editor, and author-writer online platform marketing instructor. She founded and manages Writers on the Move (a marketing group), and presents online writing and marketing workshops and webinars.

Karen has published 12 writing and marketing eBooks, the most recent, Article Marketing: Increase Website Traffic with Properly Formatted and Search Engine Optimized Content.

In addition to this, Karen’s website, Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing, was named Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012.

>>>Do you have a writer's website? Check out Karen's 5-day online class: CREATE YOUR WORDPRESS WEBSITE TODAY: No Code, No Technical Stuff, No Fuss . Visit our classroom page for details and enrollment.

5 comments author marketing, author websites, choosing a domain name, domain name, Karen Cioffi, online class, WOW class, WOW instructor

Why Should I Keep My Domain Name and Hosting Separate?

Thursday, April 16, 2009

I received this email today from a WOW! reader in reference to my article, Get a Blog, Get a Job. I thought I'd post it here in case others have the same question.

Ally writes:

Dear Angela:

I really enjoyed your article about blogging in the April issue of WOW!. However, you gave a bit of advice that I’ve never heard before and I’m very curious as to your reasoning. Unfortunately, you didn’t provide an explanation. You wrote:

Get Yourself a Host:

This can be done when you register your domain name, but honestly, it’s better to have your domain name registered with one company, and your hosting with another.

Why is that? It seems like an unnecessary step—isn’t it easier to just have everything with one provider? I assume you had a specific reason why it’s worth the inconvenience, and I would very much like to know what it is. I bet your other readers would, too.

Best,
Ally

My answer:

Dear Ally,

Thank you for your question! My editor wondered if readers would have a question about that, so I'm glad you asked. I did mention that it's "standard practice for webmasters and highly recommended." I didn't get into the why of it because it would take a few paragraphs of explanation, and my article was long enough--topping out at around 4,000 words, LOL. I appreciate your keen eye to detail! Okay, here goes:

Webmasters can't stress this enough, and is often their first rule: Don't buy your domain and hosting from the same company. Why? Because in the course of your website's life you will probably change your web hosting at least 2-3 times for a variety of reasons, and this could cause a problem, which I explain below. WOW! has changed our host twice in 3 1/2 years, which is fairly common.

Some reasons you may want to change hosts:

Customer service isn't good, and it takes them a long time to reply to you.
Your website suddenly gets popular and you need to upgrade to a dedicated server (that's what happened in WOW's case).
You find out you're paying too much for hosting with one company and you found a better deal with another.
Your website is too slow and your readers are getting frustrated with its loading time.
You want to redesign your website and find a better package somewhere else that has the tools you need for your upgrade.
etc...

Matt of bg Theory writes, "Hosts and registrars have different responsibilities. They both have supreme control over your visibility online, and one should not use the same company for both--ever.

"A host’s duties are to make sure your website is up, running, responsive, and give you support when something goes wrong.

"A registrar’s duties are to keep your domain name safe, alert you when there are problems, and keep you in the loop on anything strange going on with your domain names. We’ve all heard stories about hosts who suddenly turn off a site and put the domain name on hold. If you host with the same company as is your registrar, you can lose both in a single moment."

When you decide to look for another host, since your domain name is also registered with your host, switching them to another host will most likely be a painful process. For instance, if you were having trouble with customer service before, imagine trying to get them to help you change your DNS (Domain name settings)! If you keep a separate service provider for your domain name and a separate service provider for your hosting, it will be a lot easier to redirect your domain name to your new hosting. You will also have the peace of mind that you can change your host any time you want without having to jump through their hoops.

Your domain name is your most important asset. Safeguard it!

When you switch hosts, you will need to change your DNS settings, as well as your username and password associated with that account. You will need to point your domain name to your new host. If you are using the same company for both, most likely you will need them to help you switch since you need to have the old IP and the new IP active for at least 48 hours, which is usually a headache, and sometimes a problem. (Switching DNS settings is another article in itself.)

For instance, a lot of companies offer a hosting package that includes a free domain name. It's a common marketing offer, and a lot of newbies will consider this a great deal. But what happens when you want to change hosts? Who owns that free domain name? Many times, they do, because it was free.

I've also heard from website owners that their host would not release their domain name, or the domain name that was "free" suddenly comes with a hefty price. And what if your domain/host company goes out of business? I've heard of that happening to others.

Now, I know what you may be thinking...that won't happen to me! Well, most likely it won't. But why take a chance when you're starting off? I know it may seem like an unnecessary step, but really, it won't take you that much extra time and may just save you time and money in the future.

Remember what Momma used to say, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." That saying applies here. ;)

Good luck!