Make it Memorable

A domain name that is easy to remember, spell, and type is ideal.  You want your visitors to be able to return to your website with little effort.  Branding can help immensely with the memorability of a domain name, but can take a long time to establish.  The following are some tips for an easier to remember domain name.

1. Keep it Short – A short domain name is much easier to remember, spell, and type than a long one.
2. Related to your Site – Keep the name related to the content or business of your site.
3. Unique – Do some research to make sure your domain name has few to no similarly named active websites.  You do not want your visitors to confuse your site with another site.
4. Avoid Hyphens – Sure, hyphens can look like a premium name, but your visitors will not remember it.
5. Make it a .COM – Many people believe a .com top-level domain is the only reputable choice out there.  A memorable website should always be a .com wherever possible.
6. Avoid Copyrights and Trademarks – It is never a good idea to leave your site open to lawsuits by copyright and trademark holders.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Considerations

Your domain name can be a major factor in search engine rankings.  By selecting a domain name which is related to your site content, you will create a better user experience and search rankings.  If possible, try to include a popular keyword in your domain name.  I chose to include the keyword “webmaster” in the domain name for this website because it is popular and related to the content of this site.

Resources

The following websites are an excellent resource for help in finding and selecting an available domain name for your site.

Nameboy – This site will help you select a domain name by using one or two keywords you input to find potential matches.  This is one of my favorite sites to use when looking for a new domain name.

MakeWords – Here is another great tool for finding domain names using keywords to generate a list of potential names.

StuckDomains – The site keeps a database of previously registered domain names accessible by a simple keyword search.  Try using a few different keywords related to your idea for a website and see what other people have thought of.

Where to Register a Domain Name

GoDaddy – This site is by far one of the most popular domain name registrars.  This is the registrar I use for my domain names and I highly recommend them.

Network Solutions – Here is another popular choice for registering a domain name.  They have a good set of tools available to manage your domains.

1&1 – This is a popular site for cheap domain registration and hosting.

A Content Management System, or CMS for short, is an application designed to facilitate the creation and management of content.

So, do you need a CMS?

Whether or not you may need a CMS solution depends on the size of your website, the amount of traffic you receive, your skills as a webmaster, the number of users who will be adding content to the website, and many other factors.

Website Size

The content of a large website can be very difficult and tedious to maintain if a content management system is not used. Most CMS solutions will store the content in a database in an organized fashion. The administration interface of the CMS should provide an easy way to manage the content.

On the other hand, a CMS solution for a small website may be overkill. A website with a small number of pages is easy to maintain, but may need a content management system solution as it grows.

Website Traffic

The amount of traffic a website receives can be a significant factor in deciding whether or not to use a CMS. Static html pages have always been the fastest loading, whereas dynamic pages need to be compiled or pull information from a database. The processing behind these operations can add time to the loading of the page. It is important to consider the amount of processing that takes place behind the scenes in a content management system. Fortunately, there are many lightweight CMS solutions for high traffic websites.

Webmaster Technical Skills

A content management system can be an easy solution for a webmaster who lacks the necessary skill set to create their own website. Most CMS solutions contain a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. The editor allows for the creation of website content without HTML or other website specific knowledge.

There are many templates available which can be easily installed in many content management systems. Some of these templates are free and some come with a small cost. Another solution to creating the look for your website would be to hire a website designer. This can come with a significant cost, but you’d be getting the exact look and feel you want for your website.

Website Users

In many situations, a website will have more than one content provider. In this case, it may be beneficial to consider a content management solution, as a good CMS system will have the ability check content in and outt. The purpose of check in and check out is to prevent more than one user from editing the same content at the same time. Multiple users on a static website can create many problems with content updates without the help of a CMS system.

Conclusions

There are certainly other factors to consider in whether or not to use a content management system, but hopefully the information contained above will help you in making an informed decision.