How to Choose a Domain Name

Published 6 May 10 | By Aisling

You can learn how to choose a domain name. It’s easy, even for a beginner, if you know a few basic rules.

WHY YOU NEED A DOMAIN NAME

Every professional artist — and any artist who hopes to earn fame and fortune from his or her art — needs a website.

You can start with a free website from sites such as Blogger.com and WordPress.com. However, check their terms of use. Often, free sites don’t allow commercial websites of any kind… and they can be picky about that.

It’s really annoying to put a lot of time into a website, and then have the entire account shut down without warning.

To look professional, you need at least one website that has your own domain name and is professionally hosted. In this article, we’ll talk about domain names.

CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME

Your first domain name should be your own name.

For example, if your name is Jane Doe, you’ll want the domain name JaneDoe.com.

If that’s not available, JaneDoe.net or JaneDoe.org is okay… but not as good. Dot-com domain names are by far the best. (Obviously, Aisling.com was already in use by the time I wanted an art website. So, I have Aisling.net — my best-known art website — and AislingDart.com.)

Don’t think about using a .info domain name, or a .me or a .tv, etc. First of all, people won’t remember it.

Secondly, most search engines don’t rank those extensions very well… and if people can’t find you easily at Google, Yahoo, etc., your website may receive few visitors.

Though mine is “just” a dot-net domain name and it’s “just” my first name, Aisling, I still rank well at Google. This morning, I searched at Google for just the name, “aisling.” I’m in the #3 spot.

Usually, I’m in the top three, and I can show you how to do the same with your website… but we’ll talk about that in a later article. Your first step is to get a good domain name. Start with your own name… usually, your full name.

Aisling

If you have your heart set on a dot-com domain name, but your professional name is popular, the dot-com version may already be in use.

Consider adding a descriptive word. For example, JaneDoeArtist.com, JaneDoeSculptor.com, or JaneDoeDollmaker.com.

SYNONYMS

Need more ideas? Here are some wide-ranging synonyms for artist:

Creator, maker, master, craftsman, artisan, illustrator, calligrapher, sketcher, crayonist, pastelist, cartoonist, painter, colorist, oil painter, watercolorist, landscapist, portraitist, photographer, shutterbug, sculptor, figurer, modeler, carver, whittler, ceramist, ceramicist, potter, printmaker, graphic artist, enameler, lithographer, silk screener, silk screen artist, lipidary, designer, stylist, styler, decorator, ornamentalist, and decorator.

HYPHENATED NAMES

You can also consider hyphenated names: Jane-Doe.com or JaneDoe-Artist.com, or, if all else fails, Jane-Doe-Artist.com.

Keep in mind that one hyphen can be okay; two or more starts looking “spammy” (like junky advertising) to the search engine robots.

Some people say that even one hyphen is a bad idea.

In my experience with hyphenated domain names, it’s okay to have one hyphen, but it slightly increases the difficulty of achieving a good spot at Google and other search engines.

So, decide on your first and second choices for a domain name. It should be your own name (or your pen name, if you use one professionally) or your own name and a descriptive word.

You may have a business name. It’s important to own that as a domain name, too. However, your very first domain name should be your own name, dot com, or something similar.

If you’re new to this, start with just your own name. Go through the simple steps of registering the domain name and setting up a simple website. After that, you’ll have the confidence to repeat the process with your business name.

REGISTERING A DOMAIN

First of all, no one “owns” a domain name, though we may use that expression. In fact, people only own the rights to use the domain name for however long they’ve signed up for it.

You will register the domain name for one year or more. At the end of that term, you’ll renew the domain name, extending your registration of it.

There are three important things to know when choosing a registrar. We’ll talk about that in the next article, How to Register a Domain Name.