What is a URL and how do you find one that attracts clients to your site. This is an important first step to your success online
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of contents
What is your URL?
Your URL is your unique identifier on the web. It's how people find you online, and it's an important part of your brand identity. Your URL is also known as your domain name.
Think of your URL as your street address, just like your home or office has a specific address that people can use to find it, your website has a unique address that people can use to find your site. That unique address is your URL.
Domain names
Your domain name is the part of your URL that comes after the “www.” For example, in the URL www.example.com, “example” is the domain name. You can use any domain name you want as long as it's not already being used by someone else.
The original .com meant COMMERCIAL, however that related to the US and World. You can now get all sorts of attachments that represent what you do.
You can use a domain name that's related to your business or brand name, or you can use a keyword that describes what your site is about. For example, if you're a plumber, you might want to use the domain name www.plumbers.com. or, if you're a real estate agent, you might want to use the domain name www.realestate.com.
You can also use a generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) like .com, .net or .org. These are the most common gTLDs, but there are many others to choose from.
Further to this is adding a country code for those that want to remain local. .UK or. AU
so the address becomes www.sample.com.uk
If you're not sure what domain name to use, you can use a domain name generator to help you come up with ideas. Once you've found a domain name that you like, you can register it with a domain name registrar.
Chose a domain based on the value you wish to promote
First of all, you should consider avoiding hyphens and colons, etc in your domain.
- A personal domain with your name or nickname in it
- An extension of your business name.
- relating to a product or trade
- Including a location that is ideal for the local trader
- About your charity
- A unique and sticky name for a shop front, eg; broken zipper dress repairs.com
Branding will become essential for your success.
As you build your business you will need to grow your brand so that people recognize you quickly in any material they see. Your domain is a large part of the process so consider it carefully at the start of the journey.
Once you have a domain name, you'll need to set up web hosting. Web hosting is where your website's files are stored and it's what makes your site accessible to people on the web. You'll need to choose a web host that offers the features and services that you need.
What is a URL and how do you find one before creating a website
Creating a website
You can hire a web designer to create a custom website, or you can use a website builder to create a simple site yourself.
Once your website is created, you'll need to promote it to get traffic. You can do this by optimizing your site for search engines, advertising your site online, and using social media to spread the word about your site.
Creating a website can be a lot of work, but it's worth it if you want to build an online presence for your business or brand. Your URL is an important part of your online identity, so choose it carefully. Once you have it make sure to promote your site so people can find it.
Different types of websites
There are a lot of things you can do on the Internet
- Your Business websites. A business website is a website designed to represent the business as a shopfront
- A blog site. Stand-alone or part of a business site
- eCommerce Websites. …Online shopping
- Non-profit websites. ..Charity
- Educational websites. ..Training.
- Business directory websites.
- Product reviews
- Crowdfunding websites.
Your domain should reflect the plan for the future
Let me repeat that your domain is with you for the whole journey so choose correctly at the start of the journey.
Think about tying together your Domain name, and business name including colors and font used as one harmonious group that will bring instant recognition.
Certainly short is always better and try to be something that will stick in the mind of the readers.
What is a URL and how do you find one without getting cheated.
Buying a domain name warnings
Whilst every Domain name is individual it can be the same by using a different gTLD extension. Sample.com and sample .net or .org are all the same but different.
Do an extensive Google search before making a selection.
Many names are protected by a trade registration. For instance, you could not use Nike or they would sue you.
Carefully consider your trading area and if all activity is in one country use a country code.
Again if you are a local business using your area can really help. eg; SampleNewyork.com.
Use just a part of your trading name as a domain name. My business Verdi business messaging has a domain Verdi.com.au.
Finally, always check the costing of your domain and particularly the second and subsequent years' costing. Many hosts start out cheap but make it up down the line.
Yes, you can generally transfer between hosts if you are not happy and not in a contract.
However, your material may not follow you.
Conclusion
I hope these few tips help in a very important name selection game. Yes, you will get to love your name no matter what but you will love it even more if you spent that extra half hour in the decision process.
What is a URL and how do you find one by Peter Hanley
