How To Choose and Register New Domain Names

Posted by Denise Griffitts on Feb 14, 2009 in Internet Mastery | 0 comments

You have spent a good deal of time deciding what your online presence is going to look like. You know what your niche is, you have decided on a business name and a tag line.  You may even have your artwork and logo complete. But, did you spend much time deciding what your domain name is going to convey to visitors and search engines? Your domain name is a critical part of your web presence and the choosing of your domain name is more important than it may seem at first.

Here are some basics to consider:

Definition: A domain name, also known as a web address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the alpha-numeric representation for your website that allows people and search engines to easily locate you on the internet.

Parts: A domain is broken into several different parts. The http:// is not part of the domain itself; rather it is part of the URL, or Uniform Resource Locator. The www (World Wide Web) is the subdomain which appears before the domain name that you ultimately choose.  The .com is called the top level domain, of which there are only about 200 or so. The most common top level domains are of course, .com, .org, and .net.

Case: A domain name is case insensitive. If you register “mydomain.com” in lower case, someone else cannot come along behind you and register the same domain in upper or mixed case. This means that people can get to your site using upper, lower, or mixed case. It is important to note that the current version of the Safari browser sometimes has difficulties setting up cookies due to mixed case domain names, so it is a good habit to purchase all of your domain names in lower case.

Choosing Your Domain Name – Or, Getting the Most Bang for the Buck

Domain names are not expensive these days, but what will ultimately cost you is choosing a domain name that really means nothing. If your visitors don’t know what abc.com means, how can a search engine possible figure it out?  We recommend GoDaddy as your domain registrar and hosting because we like the simplicity of their platform and the feature rich applications can get you up and running on the web very quickly.

All that being said, good (and short) domain names are getting harder and harder to come by as people begin to utilize the power of the web. With a little thought and some digging around, you can find what you need.

• Avoid dashes in your domain name if possible.
• Consider the plural singular issue. Will people commonly confuse your domain by adding an “s” or removing the ending “s”? If so, considering registering both and re-directing the one that you don’t use to the one that you do use.
• Go for the “.com” extension whenever possible as your primary domain. This is still the most popular to level domain for businesses. For non-profits or other organizations, you will be best served by the “.org” extension. I always suggest that you purchase as many extensions as possible (.net, .org, .biz, etc.) to keep your brand safe and to also allow you to have other extensions to use for different products or services within your brand.
• Make your domain make sense and be easy to pronounce. If your domain name is a nonsensical word  or combination of words that don’t make much sense to people, they are not going to be able to remember the. If people feel silly pronouncing a poorly chosen domain name, they are unlikely to discuss it with other people. By making your domain name both easy to remember and easy to say, you will have a much easier time getting it found in the search engines and promoting it among people who eventually form part of your online community.
• Consider purchasing variations or mis-spellings of your domain name. You can use these as re-directs to make sure you pick up as much traffic as possible.

And lastly, if your aim is to become an online entrepreneur, and to ultimately have people doing keyword searches on your own name, be absolutely sure to purchase at least the top level extensions of your name. You do not want somebody with evil intentions purchasing your name. Your name is your brand and should be managed by you. Even if you don’t have any intentions of building a website or blog under your own name, be sure to make sure you own it.

Google Toolbar Blocks Popups

Posted by Denise Griffitts on Jan 24, 2009 in Internet Mastery | 1 comment

Once installed, the Google Toolbar is an extremely effective tool for stopping and virtually eliminating all pop-ups. The toolbar even includes a counter so you are aware at all times just how many pop-ups were blocked from your system.

In addition to the pop-up blocker included with the Google Toolbar, there are many other tools included:

• Search the web with Google from any site
• Fill in forms with one click
• Highlight search terms on a page
• Blog This (a free account with Blogger.com is required)
• View all Google Toolbar features here

System Requirements:

• Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/NT/2000/XP
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later
• The pop-up blocker feature requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later

We realize that sites sometimes communicate useful information with popups. The Google Pop-up blocker can remember these sites so that popups are allowed to launch. This information is stored on your computer in what’s known as a “whitelist.” The Pop-up blocker uses the whitelist to turn itself off when you visit sites with popups you want to see. Be sure to visit the Google Toolbar’s FAQ’s page before you install this toolbar.

Stay On Top Of Google

Posted by Denise Griffitts on Oct 17, 2008 in Internet Mastery | 0 comments

Even the smallest changes in results for a key word or phrase can affect your Google ranking so it is best to know when changes are taking place as Google updates its algorithms.

The Google Search for Multiple Datacenter tool can help you do this. Just enter a key word, and it’ll search up to 12 datacenters at a time; compare the results, and if they’re different, an update is taking place.

Use this information to stay informed and maintain search engine success.

Free Search Engine Saturation Tool

Posted by Denise Griffitts on Feb 17, 2008 in Internet Mastery | 0 comments

There’s a lot to say for carefully targeted campaigns, but another strategy involves saturation. After all, in just about any drawing or contest, the person with the most entries has the best shot at winning, and online campaigns can work in a similar fashion.

The Search Engine Saturation Tool will let you know how many pages you (and your competitors) have indexed with the leading search engines. Just input the URLs, and you’ll be on your way to understanding the odds and achieving /search engine success.