When you want to start with any website, you need a Domain name. Domain name represents your website, thus before purchasing any domain name it is important that you keep few myths off your mind. Many times such myths force you to select wrong domain name. Thus, check out few myths before selecting any domain name.
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Here are 5 myths uncovered about domain names:
Only .com version is important
This is the biggest myth when it comes to domain name registration. Many bloggers think that they should only select domain name with extension .com. There are so many successful blogs having .net, .org, .us extension and they are working great. In fact if you are going to have a business and want to promote it in your country then it would be best to have a country specific version like .in, .us etc.
Can’t use dashes in Domain name
This is another myth related to naming of Domain name. Just like .com version myth, many bloggers avoid using dash in domain name. You can use dash in your domain name. The main reason others don’t use dash in their domain name is that it becomes bit tough to remember by others.
Once Registered, that domain name is yours forever
You need to keep renewing your domain name. If you forget to register your domain name then others can use it in coming years. That domain name can be registered by someone else. Thus, make sure that you keep renewing your domain name. Make sure you put registar lock after buying your domain. On Domain service like Namecheap and Godaddy it’s easy to achieve it with single click.
If you register for Domain name you get trademark automatically
Registering Domain name and having a trademark is two different things. It’s a myth that if you have domain registration you automatically obtain the trademark for that domain name. In fact, it’s important to check about trademark before selecting any domain name and if you are purchasing any domain name then get its trademark also. read: 5 tips to consider before selecting a domain name.
You can change the domain name easily later
When bloggers are in hurry they feel that let’s register any domain name and later they will change it. But changing or modifying domain name is not an easy task. One of the major problem which comes with changing domain name for your Website is search engine ranking. If you site is ranking well in search engine, despite of 301 redirection, it will be hard for you to achieve the same results.
Extra points added by Abey John
The .com in the domain name while technically not a limiting factor it is nevertheless a truism that the default domain extension that pings on everyone’s mind is .com irrespective of what TLD or ccLD you use. So in the real world it is always advisable to have the .com version and redirect it to your preferred extension. You can of course ignore the .com provided you have oodles of brand building cash to build up mind share for your choice of extension. Or some extremely specific functional app that can hold its own without the .com. eg bit.ly but even they own bitly.com and redirect it to .com. Thusly… you can have any domain extension as long as you secure the .com and redirect it to your fancy domain.
Dashes again while technically not limiting should be avoided from a usability point of view. The dash or hyphen is phonetically unwieldy and gets lost in word of mouth translation and even if you do see the domain name in print especially if the site is lesser known the dash interferes with top of mind recall. Likewise numerals in the domain name should be avoided.
Of course, the caveat here again is your savviness in engaging your audience and ramming home the name irrespective of extension Then you can have a site name in leet and a icelandic domain extension and hungry rabid fans will still flock to it. From the SEO point of view it is always advisable to have your main ‘money’ keyword in the domain name itself.
There are many such myths are affixed with domain name but you must not get confused with such myths and try to ignore then while selecting domain name. If you are aware of any such domain name myth, do share with us.