Having a business Web site these days is as at least as important as having business promotional materials or business collateral. For many it is as critical as any other aspect of their business. However, in order for a Web site to be effective, bring in new business, and keep exisiting business, a Web site needs very specific crucial elements in order to succeed. This is the first in a ten part series on building a successful business website.
The first step is the planning. The level of planning is determined by the role of the website in your business plan, your goals and your budget. Whether you are starting a new business or have an established company, in this part we will assume that the websites role is mainly to provide information on your company, products and services. Your goal is to attract new prospects via the search engines.
Choosing a Domain Name
The very first decision you should be making is choosing a domain name.You should not delay is registering your domain as domains can quickly become unavailable or registered. If your business name is a name used in other cities or countries, or has generic terms then it may already be registered.
What should you consider in selecting a domain for your business?
- Domain should be as short as possible and represent exactly or as close as possible your business name. For example: if your business is Quality Painting Inc. and qualitypainting.com is taken, try qualitypaintinginc.com.
- Dot com is the best choice. People are most familiar with this extension. If a dot com is not available, you can consider your country’s extension (.ca for Canada, .us for United States, .co.uk for United Kingdom, etc.) especially if your customers come from a specific geographical area.
- Avoid dashes. Dashes are confusing and people usually don’t remember to include them when they type in your domain after hearing it.
What if the domain is not available and neither is anything remotely close?
Don’t fret. There are a couple of things you can do. First, see what the purpose the owner is using the domain for. If it is ‘parked’ or, in other words, only showing ads, then try contacting the owner of the domain asking what price he’d be willing to let go of the domain. There are also many domain marketplaces where you can purchase a good alternative at a reasonable price. Here are a few of them:
eBusinessDomains.com
Genedo.com
Sedo.com
Aftermarket.com