Domain Name Registration: Why Register a Domain Name?

A question that commonly appears in domain name related discussion is essentially "why register a domain name at all?". The following article aims to point out the primary reasons why acquiring a domain name is paramount for your online prescence.

The key points to remember:

Registering a domain name will help brand your image

Branding is your unique identity. It is a combination of several factors, including but not limited to your company name, your logo and the products you sell. By registering your brand name as a domain name, your company's online image will benefit - each time your domain name appears on-screen in a search result, link page or similar, your brand name will gain exposure.

Offline marketing can also be aided by registering a domain name. You can use your domain name on business cards, letterheads, mailshots, press releases, advertisements - the possibilities are vast. In short, by registering a domain name you are increasing the number of way in which your company's brand name can be pushed in front of the public eye.

Registering a domain name will make it easier for visitors to recall your site address

Websites thrive on repeat visitors. Indeed, it is commonly accepted that it often takes visitors six or seven repeat views of your product before they are convinced to buy. A short, non-complex and easy to spell domain name will increase the chances of a visitor returning to the site because a) they can easily recall the domain name after their browsing session is over and b) the domain name is simple and not a chore to type into the browser address bar.

A domain name will add a level of trust and integrity to your site

When you register a domain name, you are making a financial investment in your web prescence. This does not go unnoticed by the site visitor. The sight of an appropriate domain name in the address bar suggests that you are serious about your website, you believe in the content and it is not just another fly-by-night project that will be here today and gone the next.

Registering a domain name can help your site climb in search engine rankings

Keyword intensive domain names are made up of the keywords for which the webmaster desires high search engine rankings. This is based on the fact that some of the more advanced search engines - such as Google - break these domains down into their component keywords and use the words therein when deciding how prominently placed the web site should be in their search results.

For example, a domain name registration company based in the UK might register the domain http://www.uk-domain-name-registration-company.co.uk. Depending on this and other factors (such as how search engine friendly the site behind the domain name is as a whole), the site may rank highly when surfers search for a combination of the keywords in the domain.

Registering a domain name will prevent others from registering the name you want

It should be your aim to register a domain name that is easily remember and brands your desired image well. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of domain names registered each day, this task is not so easy! Once a domain name has been registered, it is no longer available for others to register, which means as time progresses most of the popular and easily recallable domain names will be reserved. By registering your desired domain name as soon as you see it is available, you prevent others from doing the same and using your brand name for their own ends!

Registering a domain name will keep you ISP independent

It is fairly common to see companies and individuals using the default domain name provided by their Internet Service Providers. Whilst having the email address yourname@hotmail.com or the website address http://www.geocities.com/mysitehere/ is acceptable for the short term, there is always the potential issue of moving to a new ISP and having to operate under a new domain name. If all your literature, advertisements and press releases identify you as david12314@compuserve.com, but you are now david12314@aol.com then you have a very obvious problem! By registering a domain name, you can always be you@yourdomain.com, regardless of who provides your internet access.