Choosing and Registering a Website

•Should be based on the purpose of a website

•Should be original

•Will be associated with your organization for a long period of time

−choosing domain names is a long-term decision

•Once established, become confusing to users if changed

•Reflect the nature of your organization

•Should be versatile

−also specific enough to allow users to come to conclusions from just the name

•Should be based on purpose

−businesses should choose domain names primarily consisting of their company name

•if this domain name is already in use, try adding “company” or some unique characteristic

•if your company name is already taken, check for copyright or trademark information

•Should be based on purpose

−individuals creating domain names and websites should use either their name or a name pertaining to the content of the site

−organizations and non-profit organizations such as churches or charities usually choose a domain name ending in .org

•Should be original

−picking names similar to other website names can create confusion among users

−if the name is not original, the similarity could possibly direct traffic away from a site and toward another

−the easiest way to research a domain name online to see if it is in use is to type it into a search engine and investigate the results

•Example:

−Choosing a domain name such as www.eatpeanuts.com for a website selling organic peanuts could create a problem for users. When the word peanuts is typed in the Google® search bar, the first website appearing is dedicated to the characters of Peanuts® the cartoon featuring Snoopy. This could easily cause viewers to get distracted and direct traffic away from your web page. 

•Begins after the user has chosen the correct domain name

−once the correct, unique domain name is established, a user should establish the proper Top-Level Domain (TLD) to use

•also referred to as extension

registrar: person assisting registrants in registering domain names with the registry

registrant: person or organization accountable for the website being registered

registry: organization or entity responsible for the domain names and information contained on them 

Top Level Domain Use

.com

short

for commercial; intended originally for commercial use but used for other

common purposes

.net

short

for network; used by ISPs and for other random uses

.org

short

for organization; used by organizations and individuals

.edu

short

for educational; used by educational institutions

.gov

short

for government; used by government institutions

.mil

short

for military; used exclusively by military organizations

.name

intended

for personal use

.info

short

for information;

used by organizations strictly for information on a subject

.biz

short

for business;

used by businesses

.museum

intended use exclusively for museums