By Vernon Sandel
Internet hosting service providers often provide a free domain name as an incentive to sign up for a hosting account. What they don't tell you is that the domain name may be registered in the web hosting company's name in stead of your own. While there is no problem as long as you host your web site with them, things become a bit sticky if for some reason you have to move your web site to another host.
When I first put up a web site I used a internet hosting service provider that charged $80 per month. In addition to providing a free domain name, they promised to provide search engine optimization, drive traffic to my web site, etc. I found that all the extra services were provided on a "do it yourself" basis, they gave instructions and I carried them out. After several month of paying for hosting at that rate I decided that I was not getting good value for my money. I asked about transferring my web site to another host, and was told that I could not since I used their proprietary web building software to build my site, and they owned my domain name. I was charged $99 to transfer the domain name to me, which is about a five minute process for them.
If you are using a domain name registered in the internet hosting service provider's name, any effort you expend and any cost incurred to drive traffic to your site is really adding value to the hosting company, not you. Domain names of successful businesses often worth thousands of dollars. While some web hosting companies may give up a valuable domain name for a nominal fee, you shouldn't count on it. The host owns the domain name and they can charge whatever they choose to transfer it into your name, nor are they even obligated to do so. Also, what happens to your domain name if the web hosting company should go out of business? The folly of this situation is not widely known.
If the domain name of your web site came free with a hosting package, please check the Whois data base to find out. This can be checked at http://whois.domaintools.com/. You should immediately request that the domain name be transferred to you if it is in the internet hosting service provider's name. If you are considering a hosting plan, the site http://www.hostingplanscompared.com lists complete information on fourteen hosting plans of ten top rated internet hosting service providers, including whose name the free domain names are registered.
About the Author
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University. An active (74) senior trying to remain relevant. New interests: Inventing (one recent patent, working on another), internet marketing, web building.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 2 สิงหาคม พ.ศ. 2550
Choosing Domain Names - Hyphens or Not?
By Daniel Moro
Choosing a good domain name is one of most important steps in setting up your online business, but it's getting harder and harder to find good names that are still available. You could use a domain name with hyphens, but is that really a good idea?
Let's quickly review what makes a good domain name. A domain name needs to be relevant, easy to remember, keyword optimized, and free from trademark conflicts. It should also be shorter. Although seven characters or less is ideal, you may have to settle for a domain name that's a little longer.
So you've just set up your new barbecue grills business and now you discover that barbecuegrills.com is already taken. Should you consider hyphenating the domain name to barbecue-grills.com or should you go back to the drawing board?
The first choice should always be to take the name without a hyphen. Having established that, there are some exceptions. Let's look at hyphenated domain names and when they are might be good to use.
Domains with hyphens can sometimes be a good idea if you really want certain words in your domain name but all the domains without hyphens are already taken.
Another reason to use a hyphen is when the words you plan to use are harder to read without the hyphen. The domain hotellamps.com is harder to read than hotel-lamps.com. That is not necessarily a great domain name but it does serve to illustrate the point that some domains are easier to read with a hyphen.
You might also consider using hyphens for search engine optimization. Some people suggest that using hyphens helps the search engines to distinguish your keywords better. This may be a good option for webmasters whose primary goal is to optimize their sites for traffic from natural search engine rankings. The only catch here is that this could change over time since search engines are constantly adjusting their search algorithms.
Incidentally, if you decide not to use hyphens in your domain name, watch out for any unintended double meanings that might be embarrassing. To illustrate this point a couple of fairly suspicious domain names are therapistfinder.com and molestationnursery.com. In case you are wondering the latter was reportedly the domain for the Mole Station Native Nursery based in New South Wales, Australia, although it seems, fortunately, to have moved.
Whatever reason you have for using a hyphen in your domain name, it would be good to remember one thing. Some people will forget the hyphen when they type your domain name. So whenever you invest in promoting your site, some lucky webmaster who owns the un-hyphenated version of your domain is going to get some free traffic, courtesy of your hard work.
As you can see, there are some situations when using a hyphen in your domain name may be a good decision.
About the Author
Daniel Moro has been successfully building online businesses for ten years. Download your free report on '10 Remarkably Effective Traffic Building Techniques' at http://www.DanielMoro.com/domains.htm
Choosing a good domain name is one of most important steps in setting up your online business, but it's getting harder and harder to find good names that are still available. You could use a domain name with hyphens, but is that really a good idea?
Let's quickly review what makes a good domain name. A domain name needs to be relevant, easy to remember, keyword optimized, and free from trademark conflicts. It should also be shorter. Although seven characters or less is ideal, you may have to settle for a domain name that's a little longer.
So you've just set up your new barbecue grills business and now you discover that barbecuegrills.com is already taken. Should you consider hyphenating the domain name to barbecue-grills.com or should you go back to the drawing board?
The first choice should always be to take the name without a hyphen. Having established that, there are some exceptions. Let's look at hyphenated domain names and when they are might be good to use.
Domains with hyphens can sometimes be a good idea if you really want certain words in your domain name but all the domains without hyphens are already taken.
Another reason to use a hyphen is when the words you plan to use are harder to read without the hyphen. The domain hotellamps.com is harder to read than hotel-lamps.com. That is not necessarily a great domain name but it does serve to illustrate the point that some domains are easier to read with a hyphen.
You might also consider using hyphens for search engine optimization. Some people suggest that using hyphens helps the search engines to distinguish your keywords better. This may be a good option for webmasters whose primary goal is to optimize their sites for traffic from natural search engine rankings. The only catch here is that this could change over time since search engines are constantly adjusting their search algorithms.
Incidentally, if you decide not to use hyphens in your domain name, watch out for any unintended double meanings that might be embarrassing. To illustrate this point a couple of fairly suspicious domain names are therapistfinder.com and molestationnursery.com. In case you are wondering the latter was reportedly the domain for the Mole Station Native Nursery based in New South Wales, Australia, although it seems, fortunately, to have moved.
Whatever reason you have for using a hyphen in your domain name, it would be good to remember one thing. Some people will forget the hyphen when they type your domain name. So whenever you invest in promoting your site, some lucky webmaster who owns the un-hyphenated version of your domain is going to get some free traffic, courtesy of your hard work.
As you can see, there are some situations when using a hyphen in your domain name may be a good decision.
About the Author
Daniel Moro has been successfully building online businesses for ten years. Download your free report on '10 Remarkably Effective Traffic Building Techniques' at http://www.DanielMoro.com/domains.htm
Cheap Domain Names
By Zhang Xiao Hong
A lot of places advertise the prices of domain name registration very cheaply, however once you go through the process of registration and onto checkout you may well find that the initial price has increased slightly, this is not uncommon and many of the big domain name registrars are known for this. In the majority of cases there are some legitimate reasons for this such as tax being added or V.A.T if you purchase your domain name registration in the UK. In other cases you may acquire the domain name for a very low price only to find other hidden costs after registration, these often include administration fees for changing the DNS records (Domain Name System). The DNS is a record, at the registry that converts IP addresses from numbers into names, i.e. 123.456.789.0 to www.yourdomain.com). This is needed when you come to host your site, the server that your site is hosted on will have a unique IP address, this address needs to be associated with your domain name in the nameservers section of the DNS setting. The most common hidden charges you will likely come across are the transfer out fees, this becomes relevant when you want to move your domain name to another company for whatever reason, this can be very excessive and I have seen cases where this fee is as high as $100.
What to look for when registering a domain name?
Not all companies have such hidden charges, there are some registrars that adhere to the price you see on the registration page, and there are many companies that will register domain names quite cheaply in the hope that you will take up some of their other services such as hosting or other additional services, this is fair practice, What you need to look out for when buying a cheap domain name registration is that you have complete control over it, a lot of companies will register your domain name and that is it the end of it, however there are companies that will give you a control panel where you have complete control over your domain name once registered, this is a vital feature as a domain name control panel will make it very easy for you to change the DNS settings, your registration and contact details, privacy options and a whole list of other services quite easy.
Finally you need to make sure that the domain name company is trustworthy, many of the top domain name companies will charge your credit card on a recurring basis, this is to be avoided, you really should have a registrar that reminds you of your domain name renewal and gives you the option on whether to renew the domain name or to leave it lapse. The resource box below will recommend a domain name registration company that ticks all the right boxes.
About the Author
For the cheapest domain names that tick all the right boxes go to BusinessHostingPlus.com or for cheap UK domain names Brython.com
Load >>>
A lot of places advertise the prices of domain name registration very cheaply, however once you go through the process of registration and onto checkout you may well find that the initial price has increased slightly, this is not uncommon and many of the big domain name registrars are known for this. In the majority of cases there are some legitimate reasons for this such as tax being added or V.A.T if you purchase your domain name registration in the UK. In other cases you may acquire the domain name for a very low price only to find other hidden costs after registration, these often include administration fees for changing the DNS records (Domain Name System). The DNS is a record, at the registry that converts IP addresses from numbers into names, i.e. 123.456.789.0 to www.yourdomain.com). This is needed when you come to host your site, the server that your site is hosted on will have a unique IP address, this address needs to be associated with your domain name in the nameservers section of the DNS setting. The most common hidden charges you will likely come across are the transfer out fees, this becomes relevant when you want to move your domain name to another company for whatever reason, this can be very excessive and I have seen cases where this fee is as high as $100.
What to look for when registering a domain name?
Not all companies have such hidden charges, there are some registrars that adhere to the price you see on the registration page, and there are many companies that will register domain names quite cheaply in the hope that you will take up some of their other services such as hosting or other additional services, this is fair practice, What you need to look out for when buying a cheap domain name registration is that you have complete control over it, a lot of companies will register your domain name and that is it the end of it, however there are companies that will give you a control panel where you have complete control over your domain name once registered, this is a vital feature as a domain name control panel will make it very easy for you to change the DNS settings, your registration and contact details, privacy options and a whole list of other services quite easy.
Finally you need to make sure that the domain name company is trustworthy, many of the top domain name companies will charge your credit card on a recurring basis, this is to be avoided, you really should have a registrar that reminds you of your domain name renewal and gives you the option on whether to renew the domain name or to leave it lapse. The resource box below will recommend a domain name registration company that ticks all the right boxes.
About the Author
For the cheapest domain names that tick all the right boxes go to BusinessHostingPlus.com or for cheap UK domain names Brython.com
Load >>>
Internet Marketing Tips - How To Choose A Domain Name
By Simon Akers
Once you have decided that you want to have your own website on the internet its important that you choose a domain name that accurately represents what you plan to use it for and what extra features you need to get the most out of it.
With over 80 million registered domains on the internet its becoming harder and harder to find relevant names that are available which are related to the topic you want to target, especially for .com domain names which are by far the most popular. For this reason there are now many other types of domain which you can choose from such as .net and .info.
The first thing you will need to do is visit a website such as Go Daddy and start searching for available .com domain names using the search feature on their home page. As most names are already taken you will probably need to use three or more words to find one that is available (you can also use hyphens between each word to find available names).
Because people are familiar with .com domains you should start searching for them first but its not absolutely necessary and you can find a much shorter name using a different extension such as .net or .info. The extension of your domain will not effect the performance of your website or how well it operates.
If you want to generate free traffic from the search engines and achieve top rankings you should try to use keywords that you want to target in your domain name. So if you want to start a website about losing weight you should try to use words like "weight loss" or "diet" in the domain name to help your rankings in the search engines for those keywords.
Just having a popular keyword in your domain name is not enough to achieve top rankings but it will help the search engines identify what your website is about so its important that you include at least one keyword that relates to the market you want to target if you want to generate free traffic in the future.
When you have found a domain name for your website you should seriously consider adding the private registration option to your order. This will protect your domain from unwanted attention by hiding your personal details such as your email address which could be collected by spammers.
After you have purchased a domain name you will need to find a website hosting plan that suits your needs and meets your requirements depending on how much disk space and data transfer you need. Once you have a hosting account you can set up your website and have it up and running within a matter of hours.
About the Author
This article was written by Simon Akers who is the editor of the Marketing Oasis newsletter, a free internet marketing ezine packed with tips to help you succeed and increase your profits: http://www.MarketingOasis.com
Once you have decided that you want to have your own website on the internet its important that you choose a domain name that accurately represents what you plan to use it for and what extra features you need to get the most out of it.
With over 80 million registered domains on the internet its becoming harder and harder to find relevant names that are available which are related to the topic you want to target, especially for .com domain names which are by far the most popular. For this reason there are now many other types of domain which you can choose from such as .net and .info.
The first thing you will need to do is visit a website such as Go Daddy and start searching for available .com domain names using the search feature on their home page. As most names are already taken you will probably need to use three or more words to find one that is available (you can also use hyphens between each word to find available names).
Because people are familiar with .com domains you should start searching for them first but its not absolutely necessary and you can find a much shorter name using a different extension such as .net or .info. The extension of your domain will not effect the performance of your website or how well it operates.
If you want to generate free traffic from the search engines and achieve top rankings you should try to use keywords that you want to target in your domain name. So if you want to start a website about losing weight you should try to use words like "weight loss" or "diet" in the domain name to help your rankings in the search engines for those keywords.
Just having a popular keyword in your domain name is not enough to achieve top rankings but it will help the search engines identify what your website is about so its important that you include at least one keyword that relates to the market you want to target if you want to generate free traffic in the future.
When you have found a domain name for your website you should seriously consider adding the private registration option to your order. This will protect your domain from unwanted attention by hiding your personal details such as your email address which could be collected by spammers.
After you have purchased a domain name you will need to find a website hosting plan that suits your needs and meets your requirements depending on how much disk space and data transfer you need. Once you have a hosting account you can set up your website and have it up and running within a matter of hours.
About the Author
This article was written by Simon Akers who is the editor of the Marketing Oasis newsletter, a free internet marketing ezine packed with tips to help you succeed and increase your profits: http://www.MarketingOasis.com
Buying Expired Domain Names
By Ronald Firquain
Whenever you encounter a popular name online, attached to a dot com or dot net, you might be wondering when you can one day get enough financial clout to put up your own immensely famous web company. With a dot com or dot net address that is easy to recall, you can have visitors flocking to your website easily, potential customers looking for a good deal on your products and services, and ordinary, run of the mill Internet surfers just curious to see what you are all about.
Not all dot com or dot net addresses last forever. When companies move out of the Internet and find new business opportunities to sink their teeth into, they can leave their domain name hanging. Along with this domain name is a built in market: because a large number of people have been going to the domain name and its adjoining website for so long, an expired domain name literally has its own market hanging on to it. With a lot of traffic, you can have a potential website waiting for you to create it.
Note, however, that domains do not simply expire and run into the next highest bidder arms. When a domain name passes its expiration date, it rests in a forty day static period, where the current owner of the domain name can still re enter it into a domain name registry. After forty days of not being touched, the domain then goes into a thirty five day period where the owner can still re enter it into a domain name registry, but for a much higher fee than when it was offered. After all these grace periods, the domain has finally expired, and the next owner can be you.
You can look for expired, or soon to expire domain names in domain registries online, which can advertise which domain names may soon be up for grabs. When you finally get that expired domain name, you have to get down to business. Because you have a constantly flowing market that goes with the domain name, you are pressed for time to create a new website that this market will go to when they type the old domain name into their web browser address bar. If the domain name is related to a site that you already maintain, then you can redirect it to your site and have all the traffic run over to your side of the Web universe.
If you must create a new website, do so within twenty four to forty eight hours of purchasing the expired domain name. You do not have to create a site heavy with graphics or animation: you need five or more pages of useful content that can contain information relevant to the domain name, and useful to the website visitor. Prepare to meet this incoming traffic head on by enrolling in affiliate programs and posting your AdSense ads in strategic places in your new website.
When creating a new website, follow all the rules of good web design. Make sure that your text contrasts well with your background without straining the eyes of your visitors. Avoid putting too many graphics or animation that can slow your site down when it loads into the browsers of your website visitors. Make sure that your site is secure enough to accept payments from your buyers should you offer products or services online. Lastly, make sure that you have well-written content that you can update regularly, keeping your readers coming back for more.
These are only a few tips in correctly using expired domain names. Be on the lookout for expired domain names by updating yourself constantly. Do research on popular domain names and web content that you can work on. You, too, can earn money, web traffic, and online fame, if you have enough mettle and know how.
Ronald Firquain is a writer, marketer, entrepreneur, webmaster and has 16 years of computer knowledge. You can download e-books for making money online, building a website, improve your golf game, playing guitar and much more. For more information go to: ebooks
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_Firquain
Whenever you encounter a popular name online, attached to a dot com or dot net, you might be wondering when you can one day get enough financial clout to put up your own immensely famous web company. With a dot com or dot net address that is easy to recall, you can have visitors flocking to your website easily, potential customers looking for a good deal on your products and services, and ordinary, run of the mill Internet surfers just curious to see what you are all about.
Not all dot com or dot net addresses last forever. When companies move out of the Internet and find new business opportunities to sink their teeth into, they can leave their domain name hanging. Along with this domain name is a built in market: because a large number of people have been going to the domain name and its adjoining website for so long, an expired domain name literally has its own market hanging on to it. With a lot of traffic, you can have a potential website waiting for you to create it.
Note, however, that domains do not simply expire and run into the next highest bidder arms. When a domain name passes its expiration date, it rests in a forty day static period, where the current owner of the domain name can still re enter it into a domain name registry. After forty days of not being touched, the domain then goes into a thirty five day period where the owner can still re enter it into a domain name registry, but for a much higher fee than when it was offered. After all these grace periods, the domain has finally expired, and the next owner can be you.
You can look for expired, or soon to expire domain names in domain registries online, which can advertise which domain names may soon be up for grabs. When you finally get that expired domain name, you have to get down to business. Because you have a constantly flowing market that goes with the domain name, you are pressed for time to create a new website that this market will go to when they type the old domain name into their web browser address bar. If the domain name is related to a site that you already maintain, then you can redirect it to your site and have all the traffic run over to your side of the Web universe.
If you must create a new website, do so within twenty four to forty eight hours of purchasing the expired domain name. You do not have to create a site heavy with graphics or animation: you need five or more pages of useful content that can contain information relevant to the domain name, and useful to the website visitor. Prepare to meet this incoming traffic head on by enrolling in affiliate programs and posting your AdSense ads in strategic places in your new website.
When creating a new website, follow all the rules of good web design. Make sure that your text contrasts well with your background without straining the eyes of your visitors. Avoid putting too many graphics or animation that can slow your site down when it loads into the browsers of your website visitors. Make sure that your site is secure enough to accept payments from your buyers should you offer products or services online. Lastly, make sure that you have well-written content that you can update regularly, keeping your readers coming back for more.
These are only a few tips in correctly using expired domain names. Be on the lookout for expired domain names by updating yourself constantly. Do research on popular domain names and web content that you can work on. You, too, can earn money, web traffic, and online fame, if you have enough mettle and know how.
Ronald Firquain is a writer, marketer, entrepreneur, webmaster and has 16 years of computer knowledge. You can download e-books for making money online, building a website, improve your golf game, playing guitar and much more. For more information go to: ebooks
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_Firquain
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