Do Your Homework
Decide the purpose:
Are you ready for a business or organization website? Start by thinking what purpose you want your website to serve. Also see the “Why Build?” page for more ideas.
- Use as a communication tool or information base that is available 24/7?
- Want to sell your products or services online or direct customers to your established sales process using the phone, mail, or fax?
- Know your audience — how do they use the web to find your business or conduct business with you? Smartphone? Tablet? Desktop? What do they want online?
- Does your competition use the web? If so, how?
What’s your plan to promote your website?
Is your company name easy to remember or type or say if verbally directing people to your website?
You can use phrases or a product name to help promote your website – as your domain name, if it is available.
The domain name is the text typed into the web browser and ends with dot com, org, or net, for instance – nealresources.com
- Generate ideas for possible domain names. You can have more than one and direct it to the same web address (URL) or to special sections of your website.
- Do you have a product name that is easier to find your website as a domain name?
- How easily can you market your domain name?
- Will it fit on business cards, brochures or other marketing tools?
- Use your domain in all your printed and digital marketing.
- Are TYPOS a problem? Consider buying the typo version if this is a common issue
Review the Domain Responsibility and Protection page for more domain details.
When Ready with Domain(s):
Got a purpose/why of your future website, selected what domain(s) you want to use. You should own/buy your domains – don’t risk someone else or another company having control of your domain. Not worth that risk!