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there's an unforgettable dot-com with your name written all over it

when you consider that your web address is the world's pipeline to you and your business, doesn't it make sense that your domain should be as unforgettable as possible?

now, let me ask you a question:  did you name your domain after your own name -- or the name of your business (example: yourname.com or yourbusinessname.com)?

if you're like 99% of website owners, chances are, you did.  that's a good move in a small sense, but it's cyber-suicide in so many ways.  how so?

unless you have a highly recognizable name or brand, having a domain that is named after you or your business might serve to reinforce your identity -- but will web surfers remember it long enough to type it into their browsers?  getting a domain name that is neither catchy nor memorable can cost you more lost business than you realize.

remember that domain names are just convenient and easy ways of entering ip addresses into browsers.  obviously, typing www.monicalopez.com, for instance, doesn't offer much of a convenience to a web surfer since it is only marginally easier than typing in monica's ip address of http://216.33.170.43.  why would monica settle for marginal performance from a domain name when she can have a high-performance domain name like www.hothothot.com, which is a terrific way of conveying the product she sells - that is, bottled hot sauce?

here's why most web owners choose to settle for the safe, "can't-go-wrong-with-my own-name" domain: 

it takes time to think of imaginative, catchy words or phrases.  you've probably experienced this yourself - you've sat there for hours trying to come up with a simple and memorable domain name.  then when you went to www.networksolutions.com or a domain registrar's site, like www.needa.com ($10 to register new names) to check its availability - chances are, it was already taken.  after you did this a few times, you gave up -- and you decided to "settle" for the domain you already have.

i've found a solution to this lethargy that goes hand-in-hand with what is probably the most important decision you can make in your internet business. 

www.discoverynic.com is a cool, interactive online naming tool that will help you come up with great ideas for your site's name. simply type in your keywords, and discoverynic cranks out domain name ideas in eye-blink speed. it's like having a tireless wizard that does nothing but brainstorm intelligent variations of domain names for you. 

www.SubmitItRight.com - FREE Meta Tag Generator
 Steps 1, 2, 3... to Web Site Development & Search Engine Promotion

there's an unforgettable domain out there with your name written all over it, and discoverynic will find it for you.

the invasion of the domain snatchers

believe it or not, memorable domain names are being "snatched up" virtually faster than the speed of thought.  you no longer have the luxury of taking your sweet time because a domain name that's available today may no longer be available next week - or tomorrow, for that matter.

here's proof:  the present top-level domains (.com, .net and .org) are in such short supply that new commercial domain name extensions (".pro," ".biz," ".info," ".name," and new international tlds) have been opened up to make more names available.

why should you care about this?  because "dot-com" has become synonymous with websites, much like 800 numbers have become synonymous with toll-free phone numbers (even though 888 and 877 are now also toll-free area codes).  there is an enormous difference between using a ".com" address and a ".net," ".org" - or even a ".biz" or ".info," for that matter.  people remember ".com" before they remember any other extension, the same way they would remember an 800 number before they would an 888 or 877 number.

even if you already have a "dot-com" domain name for your business, you need to register another one because it's absolutely imperative that you have more than one. in the past, it was enough to have one domain name for your business -- those days are over.  today, in order to have a competitive edge over the 13.2 million active websites on the internet, you must leverage your identity through domain names.  face it, if your domain name isn't catchy or memorable, it's dead on the water -- you're losing business.  if you don't have multiple domain names pointing to your main website, you're also losing business.

top reasons why you must register new domains for your business immediately: 

dot-com domain names are running out - prove it to yourself

i know that it's hard to believe that domain names are getting scarce, but just take a moment and prove it to yourself.  check the availability of as many generic (i.e., memorable) domains as you can.

that's what i did, and i was astonished that most of the names that i could think of were already taken.  top-level domains are going fast.  you must register your name now before they are all gone.

your domain name could be worth a million-dollars in increased traffic

if you're not yet convinced that your domain name is absolutely crucial to your business, consider this: premier dot-com's are worth millions of dollars. business.com recently sold for $7.5 million and bingo.com for $1,000,000. why? those who purchased these domains recognized the importance of a memorable name that can translate into increased traffic, additional customers and big profits for their companies.

i do not advocate buying domain names for speculative purposes - i.e., in anticipation that they can be sold for millions of dollars. i believe it is unlikely that you could sell your domain name for a million dollars, but i'm convinced that a catchy dot-com domain could translate into millions of dollars worth of business for you.

maximize your website's visibility with multiple domain names

you may already have a domain name. if you do, you must consider registering more. registering multiple domains is a good way to increase your website's visibility because:

• it multiplies the number of ways people can find you; and

• domains that are rich in keywords or key phrases give you a much higher ranking in the search engines 

important:  even if you've already bagged your memorable dot-com domain, you must also grab its .net and .org counterparts in order to fully maximize your visibility on the web. don't let others steal your identity. take it before they do.

additionally, since domain names can now contain up to 63 characters, this opens the door for you to register catchy phrases.  while all of the good one-word ".com" domains are already taken, catchy phrases are still up for grabs if you act soon.

register as many domain names as are advantageous to your business, and point all of your new domains to your main url -- and you will see an increase in hits to your site. 

getting a good name is a no-brainer

i'm sure that you already know that a good domain is:  easy to pronounce, hard to misspell, short, easy to remember, and creative.  but if that is too much information for you to remember, and you are not a right-brained, creative person, now there is an interactive online naming tool called discoverynic that will help you think of a memorable domain.  this cool tool is also valuable in finding variations of your current domain ideas.

don't spend hours racking your brain. click here to let discoverynic find your million-dollar domain name.

cheers,

brian taylor
webmaster, web site developer, search engine promoter