How to Find the Perfect Domain Name For Your Internet Business

Let's face it -- finding a good domain name is tough these days. Over 100 million domains have already been registered, and from all accounts, the trend is not likely to stop soon. So what's an aspiring internet entrepreneur to do? While not a guarantee, these eight and a half steps will go a long ways towards landing that perfect domain name without breaking the bank.

1. Start the search

The best place I've found to locate domain names is DomainTools.com (formerly WhoIs.sc) They can tell you if the .com is taken, and by whom, as well as offering other variations of the name that are available. They can also look up the history of the domain name, if it's been registered in the past, as well as providing information about the domain's current traffic, where it's hosted and who it's hosted with. When you come across a name that you might want, open an account at GoDaddy.com or eNom.com so that you can purchase the name affordably (generally $7 to $8 to register a new domain name.)

Other sites to search for pre-owned names are Afternic.com, Sedo.com, and BuyDomains.com. Each has a large inventory of names that can be searched by category. Unlike finding an unregistered name, these names will often run in the hundreds to thousands of dollars, so determine ahead of time how much you are willing to invest in a good name. Lastly, look at sites such as SnapNames.com for names that will be "dropping" or expiring soon. If you find a name you like, and you have the time to wait, you can pick up some good names from domain owners that let their names expire. Now that you know where to search for a domain name, let's take a look at how to do it effectively and successfully.

2. Get the .com extension

This is the number one mistake I encounter when dealing with naming disasters. In a hurry to go to market, eager entrepreneurs decide to take the available .net or a hyphenated version of their name. You will likely regret this decision as future customers default to the .com address. You may even find your emails going to the .com domain address, which is even more frightening if the .com version is a competitor. This can be a costly mistake in terms of customer confusion. And you will spend valuable time in explaining the .net or hyphen to each new client you encounter. Be patient and get a name that's unique, distinguishable and memorable - and one that's a .com.

3. Be creative

Here's another cold, hard reality - the simple one-word domain names are either gone or tremendously expensive. So if you think the name Paradigm or Pinnacle is cool, those names were probably registered about the time Al Gore invented the internet. You will have to do better than this. If you insist on using a common name of this type, then look for endings to go with these names such as...

o Group

o Inc

o Agency

o Systems

o Global

o Solutions

You may also try adding an industry specific modifier such as...

o Media

o Medical

o Tech

o Capital

Even if these endings are available as a .com domain name, be aware that a competitor might have used the same strategy and have a very similar name. Generally it's better to go one step further and create a truly unique domain name that won't show up with a slew of others. Here's one way to do just that.

4. Combine evergreen words

One of the best domain name creation strategies I've discovered is combining simple, positive words in a unique fashion. To accomplish this, create a list of basic words that describe your business or industry. Then try adding a positive connotation/evergreen word that will give the name that little extra twist to make it stand out. An example of this is a company that came to us that specialized in embossing and promotional goods. We took the basic word "Boss" (from emboss) and combined it with the evergreen word "Mark." The result was BossMark.com, a name that resonated well and was available as a .com domain. Other examples we have found using this method are KoreOne.com, TeamLogicIT.com and BrightHire.com. Even though 100 million domain names have been registered, it doesn't touch the number of names available if you take every known word and combine it with every other possible word. The more basic dictionaries contain 60,000 words. So combining 60,000 words with a possible 60,000 other words results in 3,600,000,000 possibilities. So yes, there are still good domain names available. Some good evergreen words are...

o Star

o Mark

o Point

o First

Not only will this open up possibilities, it will allow you to track your company's success online, since you will have a unique name. When we created the name Coghead.com, there were few, if any, references to that name on Google. The client was then able to monitor their exposure simply by looking at the number of matches on a search of their name. As of this writing, Coghead brings up345,000 hits, a good indication the word is getting out. A search of the word "summit" brings in 73,000,000 unrelated matches, so imagine trying to get noticed using that name.

5. Think of phrases

This is another strategy that is often overlooked. In a rush to come up with short domain names, memorable phrases get overlooked. An example of this was an online jewelry company we named SeaOfDiamonds.com By using the metaphor of an ocean, we created a thirteen letter domain name that is still easy to say and recall. And the name was just sitting there available. Does this require a lot of thinking and digging? Yes! But if you hit upon the right name, it's worth it. Another client with the name Harbour House Crabs, found the phrase ilovecrabs.com, and secured that domain as their primary ecommerce site. If you can't find a word, then try a phrase that pays.

6. Invent new names

Another method is to invent names, but be careful. Totally invented names such as Xerox or Kodak, start off with no inherent meaning. So if you invent a domain name, still try to use familiar parts of speech that contain some sense of feeling or emotion upon which to build your brand. An all-natural bug spray company we named Skedattle.com. A web based IT company we branded Graynium.com to underscore their intelligence and insights. A knowledge management firm we named Claricent.com, for bringing clarity, insight and understanding to their clients. If you go this route, make sure the name you invent can only be spelled one way, or on a minimum, capture all possible misspellings of the name and redirect them to the main domain name.

7. Run a legal search

Once you locate an available domain name, be sure to check and see if you can trademark it. The best place to start is Uspto.gov. There you will find a database of trademarks you can search to see if your new name might conflict with a similar existing business. Just because it doesn't show up does not mean you are in the clear. There might be a business that operates on a state or local level that doesn't appear in the uspto.gov database. So do a Google search as well. This will generally provide a good indication if someone is using the name or something similar to it. To make sure you have a clear name, check your list of available domain names with your attorney or an online trademark company such as Tmexpress.com.

8. Hire a specialist

If your time is valuable or you can only find domain names with huge price tags, consider hiring a naming firm. They can provide the experience and expertise to devise names, often for less than the cost of purchasing a mediocre domain name. I've encountered more than one instance where a client was prepared to pay upwards of $20,000 for a domain name that was bland at best, when they could have a custom created domain name with a matching tag line, and matching logo artwork for abut half that price. Instead of a just domain name, you'll have an entire brand identity. Granted, not everyone can afford this type of help, but for those looking to build a substantial internet presence, the expense is often well worth the price.

8.5 Make the decision

This really doesn't warrant a full step since it seems obvious. But in the end it simply comes down to a choice. And to move forward in business you have to make choices. Don't be paralyzed by indecision. Review the steps above and ask the opinions of those who have your best interest at heart, (i.e. your best clients, trusted employees, a spouse.) Limit the feedback to those whose opinions you value, otherwise you will get overwhelmed and confused. In the end, it must be a name that you believe in and about which you can tell a story and feel passionate. And once you find that perfect domain name, all that's left is making a name for yourself!

Phil Davis is president and owner of Tungsten Branding, company naming consultants specializing in brand creation, product naming, tag line development, corporate identity and comprehensive brand repositioning. Phil's client list includes PODS, Team Logic IT and Sea Of Diamonds to name a few. His complete client list and company naming philosophy can be viewed at http://PureTungsten.com

Do You Make These Common Email Mistakes?

Are These Common Email Mistakes Costing You Business?

I hope that you have already learned not to type your email in ALL CAPS as that is considered YELLING. Also, if you are doing business, I hope you are not one of those that types in all small case letters - no CAPS!

When I get an email like that it tells me the person is too lazy to hit the shift key, and is probably not the type of person I would want to do business with. Those are just some basic points about email, but we wanted to cover a few others that could make or break your online business.

Here is one of my pet peeves. You see something that you like, perhaps you may want to get it later, so you file it away in your email program. When you are ready to purchase the item or service, you email the person to tell them that you are ready to buy, and guess what? The email bounces back at you faster than a hot check.

You carefully investigate to see that you have not made a mistake, or that there has been some kind of mail server problem. Maybe you send the email from a different account or method. Maybe you have more than one ISP so you try another one. Sure enough, the email comes right back at you.

What does all this have to do with your biz? Here is the tip, and this is HUGE if you want to build a biz on the net:

Get A Business Email Address & Never Change It - NEVER!

We have done business with some folks who seem to change email addresses every week. One man bragged that he had over 20 email addresses (and you could never get him to answer you at any of them).

Changing your business email address is like moving your brick-n-mortar biz. What if your favorite store moved every week, and never told you where they were going? Or worse yet, you notice a new shop or store of some kind that you had not yet had the chance to visit, but were planning to. By the time you get ready to go, the thing has packed up and moved to a new location and left no forwarding address.

This is SUICIDE for a business! Don't do it!

Some online entrepreneurs think they can beat this rule by sending everyone their new address each time they move. But what about potential customers that are not yet on any of your lists? Those that have been thinking about contacting you.

We get orders and business from ads that we have ran YEARS ago. Not every day, but they do trickle in, and every bit helps your business to stay in business.

DON'T DO IT! Don't try to beat the system. Get one address and keep it forever for your business. Sure, you can have a separate address for your personal email, and it is OK to change that one (just be sure to let your friends and family members - at least the ones you want to have it- know where you moved to) if you want - BUT - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NO - NOT EVER do you want to change your business email address - Just DON'T DO IT!

So how do you get one that you can keep forever? The best one is at a domain you own. You@yourdomain. Sales at your domain dot com.

If you own the domain name, you can keep it for as long as you live or longer (as long as you pay the bill).

If you change ISPs just forward the email to a new address or box so that you still get all the mail that goes to your biz email address. Most servers have pop boxes that you can set up to catch your email (and most of them have limits to how much email they will hold so you better download your email fairly often).

There are even services out there where you can set up a pop box once you buy a domain name (don't worry if you're not a techie, all you have to do normally is fill out a form or something and your pop email box is up and working for you -ready to catch your email). You don't even have to have a web site hosted anywhere, just buy the name and many domain name registrars will Give you a pop email box and/or email forwarding.

When you own YOURDOMAIN.COM you can move as many times as you want and folks will still be able to find you via email at SALES@domain or whatever Permanent address you choose.

BUT I DON'T WANT OR NEED A DOMAIN

Domains names are so cheap anymore I can not imagine anyone trying to run their biz from a hotmail account or an AOL (the worst dial up ISP by the way) account, or any other account that may close them down, or close down altogether.

There are even many places today that will give you free web space. Do a search and you will find somewhere to set up shop for little or no money out of pocket.

Don't Use Funky Backgrounds Or Stationary In Your Biz Emails

If you want to impress Grandma or Mom with your ability to add a color or image to the background of your email, I guess that is OK. BUT, Never use a color, ANY Color or image as a back ground in your business emails. Those Funky background colors that make email SOOOO hard to read. DON'T DO IT!

Plain black type on a standard white (no color) background works best. Many folks (especially outside of the US) are still not able to read html or color email, so you will be losing them. Even if they can read html email, your funky colors and/or stationary images may impede them from seeing your whole message. SO DON'T DO IT! Not in your business.

Fancy will lose customers for you when it comes to email. If you do send something in html, always give the option to read it online where they can look at your message through their browser (which can see html), but still you need to have a color scheme that does not hide your message, or make it hard to read. Funky looking web pages are a whole other topic that is a subject for another article.

One last thing on email. There are starting to be a lot of these Spam killer type service that block all your email until someone clicks here or goes there and fills out a form or some such thing. DON'T USE IT - not with your business email account. You will lose business.

Learn to use your email program to filter out SPAM for your business account. You want the option to look at it all anyway, but you sure don't want anyone else having control over what email comes through to your business. It will cost you sales.

Put these simple rules to use and watch your online biz grow as more and more customers can not only find you, but can understand what you are telling them, and can easily make their purchases from you - now and for years to come!

Doug West has worked in Financial Planning and Investment training for over 15 years. Get his No-Cost report and affiliate plan that can help you save your home & finances, become debt-free, and more:

http://theamericandreamisdead.org/

West is editor of OPPORTUNITY INVESTIGATOR ONLINE Subscribe free to OIO and get information at:

http://kosoma.com

Discover how to Build your home biz online & create several additional income streams at the same time!

Setting Up a Blog is Not Costly

The other day I was talking to a friend about setting up a blog on the internet. We found out that blogging could be an interesting way of expressing our selves and communicating a good news message to people around the world.

We are both christian and musicians, and as a matter of fact he is the assistant pastor of my church. So we thought about many different subjects for our new blog idea, like addressing family values, youth counseling, music, people and relationships, and some other topics of our interest. So while trying to hit ground for this ideas, we thought that actually doing this would be costly and would require some technical skills in the fields of programming and designing websites.

My friend called me a couple of hours after we talked about all of this, and told me that he looked for a website that offers free blog setup, and opened a new account on this site and now he had his own blog site. As easy as 1-2-3, I mean he just signed up for this free service, filled up a simple contact form and that was it, in a matter of minutes he was posting his thoughts in a new blog of his own.

So if you are also thinking of expressing your self like we were, you can take advantage of many free blog services available on the internet. You don't have to spent even one dollar, it is free!

Well... now I know, that if you want something more professional you have to register a domain name, and setup a paid account for hosting your website. That would also require some web designing work in order to setup (as I said...) a more professional blog. But even that wont cost you more than $20 or $30.

I don't have more time for continue writing this article, but in the near future I will post some more information about how you can either setup a free blog, or spend only a few dollars for a more professional site.

My wife likes good recipes or as we say in spanish buenas recetas. For more information about it, and also to know more about a new blog we are setting up you may visit this webpage: http://buenasrecetas.net

M. Sorto

Keyword Rich Vs Branded Domain Names - Which is Better For SEO?

Keyword Rich/Targeted Domain Names

One belief is that you should have generic keywords you want to target in your domain name. For example, if you are a web designer in Sydney you might choose a domain name such as qualitywebdesigninsydney.com.

Branded Domain Names

The second belief is that your domain name should represent your brand. You might run a company called Whicked Reality Inc, so your domain name would then be whickedreality.com or something along those lines.

Keyword vs Branded Domain Names - Which is better?

So which is better for SEO, the keyword or the branded domain name? Branded domain names are the cleaner, safer bet.

Sure, search engines analyse URLs for keywords, but they clearly filter out questionable domain names. In the two examples above, qualitywebdesignsydney.com looks horrible to the human eye, so chances are it will look horrible to the search engine algorithms. That is, it will look horrible unless the page contains some great quality content.

You only have to look up a popular search term in Google for proof that long, wordy domain names aren't generally the way to go. SEO is a term that would certainly come up with sites that have been optimized to the nth degree. Put it in Google and you won't find any mega-long-silly-domain-names.com. It's a similar story when you search for the term search engine optimization.

Some of the sites in the SERPs do contain the term seo but it is always used within a branding context and not simply to boost a search engine ranking.

Keywords in Page Names

If you really feel the need to have some keywords in your URL, then I suggest putting those keywords in either directory or page names. For example, if you run a web hosting and web design company you might structure your pages as so:

www.companyname.com/web-design/quote.html

www.companyname.com/web-hosting/packages.html

As you can see, we've hit the target keywords of web design and web hosting without compromising a simple and classy looking companyname.com.

Conclusion

• Choose a simple, relevant, branded domain name. The one exception is if you manage to pick up a nice one or two word generic keyword domain name, but most are taken already.


• Structure your site/URLs so that you hit the most important 1 or 2 keywords in your directory or page structure.


• Keep optimizing your site with other SEO tips and tricks.


• Always remember - content is king - so make your pages useful and informative for people.

Scott is an active author at Goo Theory, a site dedicated to helping you market your web sites and maximize profits.

Green Data Centers Are A New Hit

Green data centers are the latest trend in the world of IT and web hosting Infrastructure. They generally contain redundant power supplies, backup data communications connections, environmental controls, datat storage and computer systems. These data facilities play a major role in ensuring data continuity. The simplest data centers are Tier1 types while Tier4 are the ones with strictest levels of quality and storage systems.

A green data center is a repository for the storing, managing, and distributing data in which electrical, mechanical, lighting & computer systems are designed for greatest energy efficiency & minimum environmental impact. Some of the key initiative involved in setting up a green data centerinclude steps:

Installation of catalytic converters on backup generators

Minimizing the footprints of buildings

Use of low-emission building materials, paints, & carpets

Recycling of Waste

Sustainable landscaping

Use of alternative energy technologies such as heat pumps, Photo-voltaics, & Evaporative cooling

Though a good step towards environmental conservation, setting up a green data center for web hosting operations and certification of the same is really expensive affair. Nevertheless a green data center actually goes a long way in cost savings both on maintenance and operations. One of the added gains of such green storage facility is that a healthy & comfortable working environment is provided to employees.

In view of the latest policy changes towards environmental preservation there is an increasing pressure from various environmentalists & masses to set up such facilities and incentivize their establishment. Governments are being persuaded to offer financial support for the creation and maintenance of ecologically responsible IT infrastructures for a greener world tomorrow.

Munesh Singh Jadoun
CEO, ZNet India
ZNET Technologies Private Limited (formerly ZNET India) is a Jaipur, India-based leading Web hosting and IT infrastructure company founded in 1999 by techpreneur Munesh Singh Jadoun. The core of the company is to provide domain name registration, Web hosting services (Windows, Linux and Java), business email hosting, SSL certificates, dedicated and Hyper-V powered VPS servers and reseller hosting services to global and local clients. Visit http://www.znetindia.com.

10 Simple Steps to Start Internet Marketing Your Show

You're probably smart enough to know that the internet is where you're supposed to be if you're trying to market your show.

But are you smart enough to have started?

If you are one of those Producers or Playwrights who always meant to get around to understanding the internet but haven't quite got around to it, don't worry, you're not alone. I know a bunch of players in the Broadway arena who still haven't picked up the ball yet.

To help you get into the game, I consulted with my web-guru, Jamie Lynn Ballard (who makes all of my sites so pretty), and we came up with the following 10 Simple Steps to Start Internet Marketing Your Show. These tips work for Broadway shows, Off-Broadway show, Off-Off Broadway shows and everything in between. In fact, this list is even more helpful for the smaller shows. Apply the majority of these tips and you can make your show seem a lot bigger than it is.

Ready? Here we go.

10 Simple Ways to Start Internet Marketing Your Show

1. Buy Your Domain Name
You've heard me say this before, but this is the most important thing you can do when you start plans for a show. As soon as you have an idea, make sure you snatch up the domain, because if you don't, someone else will. Use a site like GoDaddy that sells domains and hosts websites, so you can buy and build in the same place. And get a starter site for your show up as fast as you can. It doesn't matter if you don't have all the relevant info yet. The sooner you can put up your site, the sooner it will show up in search engines, and that means free traffic.

2. Know SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is one of the most important things you can learn about internet marketing. Do it right, and you'll stand out like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput. Ignore it, and you'll fall to the bottom of the web sea. What you should know is that as technical as it sounds (why are all acronyms scary?), there are basic strategies that are very simple, so don't be scared. Pick up a book and get started.

3. Build Your List
I've spoken on three internet marketing panels in the last six months and in the wrap up section one panelist always said, "The most important thing a web marketer can do is increase the quantity and the quality of his/her opt-in list." Email Marketing allows you to build relationships with fans, promote your show, sell tickets and more. Put a sign-up box on your website to collect email addresses, and send occasional emails to your list with information and updates about your show to keep them engaged. Use a company like Benchmark to make it easier for you (Constant Contact is so 2005).

4. Invest in PPC
PPC, or Pay-Per-Click Advertising, is one of the most economical and low-risk ways for you to reach customers. If you aren't yet ranking high in Google organic search results (and even if you are), pay-per-click advertising gives you a way to appear alongside the sites that are. Don't have a lot of cash to spend? Don't worry, Google AdWords and other PPCers let you set a cap on how much you want to spend per day. Tip: PPC works best when you have a very specific target demographic (e.g. bachelorette parties for The Awesome 80s Prom). PPC can get pretty involved when you start talking Quality Scores, etc., but it's worth learning, because it can put butts in the seats and bucks in the box office fast.

5. Be Social.
Create profiles for your show on social networking sites, like BroadwaySpace, Facebook, and Youtube (if you have video content). Your presence on social media sites may or may not help you sell tickets right away, but if that's where your audience hangs out, your show should, too. Make sure you keep these sites filled with content. No one likes an outdated social networking page. It's like the guy on your block who never cuts his lawn.

6. Tie Your Sites Together With Twitter.
Twitter is the twine of social media. By using this microblogging site you can quickly communicate with all your fans. You can also find new ones by prowling the Twitterverse searching for keywords that fit your show (doing Romeo and Juliet? Look for people tweeting "Shakespeare"). Once you have them in your world, use Twitter to point people to your website, social networking pages, or blog posts.

7. Blog.
In addition to providing you with another channel to interact with your audience, blogs are search engine magnets. Pick a topic, sign up to a blog site like Typepad, and start blogging. Keep SEO strategies in mind as you go. Oh, and remember one thing. Before you start, eat your fiber. Your blog doesn't have to be updated hourly or daily, but it does have to be regular. Think of it like a daytime talk show. Every day, same time, same network... yours.

8. Be Your Own Press Agent.
Write and publish articles and press releases about your own shows. Publish your stuff with sites like GoArticles or EzineArticles, and take it to the next level with a site like PRWEB. PRWEB allows you to submit your news releases to search engines, news sites, content syndicators, and RSS feeds. This is one of the fastest ways to increase incoming links (or 'link population'), which will improve your credibility with the search engines.

9. Analyze This!
The #1 rule of marketing is to test and then test again. Just like in grade school, you didn't know how you were doing until you saw your report card, right? Get your web report card by signing up for Google Analytics. Analytics is a free service that allows you to track and analyze your web traffic so that you can judge the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives and understand how visitors found you, what they like about your site, what they don't like about your site, and what you can do to keep them coming back. If you're not looking at your metrics, it's like going through school without ever knowing if you passed or failed. You can't get better without someone telling you how you're doing. Let Google school you.

10. Be Submissive.
Search engines can be old-fashioned, and sometimes they like a formal introduction. If you've got a new site, take the time to submit it to search engines. Hit the major ones (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.), of course, but take the time to look for specialized link directories and niche sites to submit your website for indexing.

http://kendavenport.typepad.com/about.html

The Secret to Surviving After Your Webmaster Disappears

There's been a few clients over the years who called me for the first time somewhat panicked. For some reason or another, the person who had been running their website has disappeared. They may have been hit by a bus, run off with the maid, or perhaps they're just watching all 624 commercial-free hours of Star Trek. Regardless of what is going on, the person calling me can no longer make any changes to their website.

Preventative Measures

If you're lucky and you're reading this, you're not yet in that situation. The key thing to get to avoid this circumstance in the future is information. Even if you don't know exactly what to do with the information, when you call me (or someone else) with desperation in your voice, we will know what to do.

There are two things you'll need to get information about. The domain name (whatever.com) and the actual web hosting (the computer your website is actually sitting on).

With the domain name, there are a few pieces of information you need.

1. The registrar's website address. The registrar is who the domain name was registered with. To make any changes, you'll need to know who it was registered with. There are ways to determine it later, but it's a little more difficult. Not much, but a little.

2. Your login information for that registrar's website. Most likely that's just a username and password.

With a web host, there's not really much more information.

1. Your FTP address.

2. Your FTP username and password.

3. The website address of your control panel. This will allow you to do things like add, remove and modify email addresses, among other things.

4. The username and password for your control panel. This could be the same as the FTP username, but that isn't always the case.

That's pretty much it. If you have that information, you'll be fine if your webmaster decides to become Amish. You will be able to find any other web developer/designer, and they can use that information.

It's Too Late For All That!

So all the things we talked about are fine and good if your webmaster is still around, but what if it's too late? What possibilities exist then?

Well, you will still need the same information. All you really need to start with, however, is the registrar's phone number.

So how do you get that? There are numerous websites where you can look up information about your website, including information about the registrar. Just use a search engine and enter the word 'whois' and make sure it's just one word. Go through a few of the websites that come up and see what information they have about your website.

They should have some information on what company the name was registered through. Not who it was registered by, but who it was registered through. This company is also be listed as your registrar. They will, most likely, have a website address. If not, just do a quick search on your favorite search engine for the company, and a website should come up.

Now you just need to contact that company. Hopefully you'll be able to find phone contact information, but if not, feel free to use their contact form or contact email. Let them know the situation. Your webmaster has disappeared. Do not, however, simply ask them for your login information. You can tell them that you are wanting that information, but the important thing to ask is how you can prove you are the owner of that domain without having the login information.

The methods for proving who you are vary greatly from registrar to registrar. The one that my clients (after their old webmaster disappeared) seem to run into most often is that they need to fax some form of identification to the company. They will then tell you how to proceed from there.

Once you have that information, you may need to get the login information for your web host. In that 'whois' record that you looked up earlier, look for your Name Servers or Domain Servers. These will look like a web address, but will have something other than www in front of them. Simply take that address, replace the beginning part with www, and see if that is their website address.

If it is, contact them in the same way you did your registrar. You should then be able to log in and edit or download your website.

If you can't get ahold of your current web hosting company, there's no need to fret. As long as you can log in on your registrar's site, you can ditch that web host (one way is to just deny the credit card charges) and sign up for a new web host. Once you've done that, your new web host will give your DNS Servers. These are the Domain Servers or Name Servers you looked at earlier.

Once you have those DNS Server names, you can log into your account on your registrar's website with the login information they supplied you, and change your server names there. Every registrar has a different control panel, or I would tell you exactly how to edit it. When you call your registrar to get your login information, you might also ask them how to change your DNS Server in your record.

That's it! I've had this take a couple of weeks with some clients, but others have had their site back up and going in just a couple of days. Hopefully it will be the latter with you.

Tim is the author of Webifiable - Plan, create and maintain your web site the right way and is owner and senior web designer at T&S Web Design. He also maintains a blog with free website advice for small business owners, GetASiteOnline.com.

Why Keyword Research is Better Than Sex

I have all my websites and affiliate sites all set up for the festive season so I thought I would have a crack at micro niche AdSense sites which are going off like gangbusters at the minute.

6 days ago I crank up Google AdWords keyword tool (GAKT) and start throwing in any old niche and start drilling down. I already have my criteria set out that the keyword phrase has to meet and you go through quite a few before you hit a nugget.

I am sitting here clicking away when my daughter walks in the room and tells her mother that she just bought a popular brand of perfume for herself. Now my family accuse me of turning off when I am on the computer but when my wife asked what brand of perfume, and my daughter told her, my ears stood to attention immediately.

Bang!! I whack my term into GAKT and while the little coloured balls are jiggling across the screen deciding my fate I tell my 18" screen how much I love her and to please be good to me. ( I don't really...)

YES!! She comes back and tells me that 6,600 other people are searching for her exactly every month and that there are numerous people paying money to advertise her assets.

SAFE AT FIRST BASE

I am fairly excited at this stage but have to tell myself to calm down, go reeeeal slow, there is a lot more boxes to tick before we snatch up this little hummer. Right now all I want to do is go hammer and tong at this to find out if I have a winner but I decide to pull back and simply admire my technique so far.

At this stage I invite GAKT's sister to join in the act. Google Search is going to tell me about the competition I have for this little beauty. Once again, I have criteria that have to be met in terms of my competitors. I will only be successful if I am on top. After all, top 5 on page 1 is vital.

I JUST STOLE 2 BASES

The competition is quite low. I will not go into figures etc, that is for a different post, but I am delighted so far. High searches and low competition on a term that, especially with xmas coming up, is going to be more popular than the queen of the prom.

Right now I am sweating profusely. I can feel the excitement building up as I am getting closer to utopia. My muscles start to tighten. My keyboard strokes are getting faster and faster with more intent in each one. My only hurdle between climbing Everest or certain doom is the domain name. I have recently come to the conclusion that exact name domains are the way to go. No dashes or hyphens.

Please, don't stop now. I grab one of my favorite tools, ajaxwhois.com, to check availability. For those that don't know this tool tells you if the domain is available as you are typing in your keyword. I begin typing in the 3 word phrase. I am checking.com,.net and.org. The pressure I am feeling is enormous. I am going to explode soon.

Firstly,.com is gone. I sigh but push on relentlessly. Soon I am told that.net is a no-no too. It cannot be happening. All the ground work has been laid. I can't fail now. I refuse to accept defeat.

STOP RIGHT THERE.. I GOTTA KNOW RIGHT NOW

It all hinges on.org. Whats it gunna be boy. Yes or No, Whats it gunna be boy.

YEEES OR NOOOO

I couldn't take it any longer..... (you know the rest)

YES....YES....YESSSSS (Think Meg Ryan here)

I have done it. It is available. A sense of relief envelops me as I have reached my climactic end of research. I jump wildly up from my chair, pumping the air with my fists and yelling in rapture when it finally hits me.

My wife's feather duster that is. Smack in the back of the scone. She is so over my rantings for the last 10 minutes and had an explosion of her own. I bet the Earth didn't move for her.

I sprint over to GoDaddy and pick up my beautiful .org and race her back to our cozy little C Panel. While tucking her in to her new home I spoil her rotten. I give her optimisation like you have never seen. I lavish her with the most beautiful jpg's and I give her a title and description that any search engine would fall in love with.

I introduce her to the world in all her splendor. She is radiant and I stare at her, mesmorised by her beauty and elegance. But will the rest of the world have the same feelings as I?

I go to a few neighbours houses and introduce her. I even dropped her name to people I didn't know. Important people, like Mr and Mrs PR7 and above and it worked, for within 5 days she makes her debut to the world at #10

I am so proud of her. Such a rapid riser and a hard worker for since debuting 2 days ago she has earnt me $3.85. Now, I am going down the pub for a beer and brag to my mates about my latest conquest.

Craig has been researching and writing articles for over 6 years. You can view his latest work at www.pcroleplayinggames.org or head over now to red door perfume

Search for Business Traffic

Finding a business on the web can be made easier for some people by using search. Most people type in some syllables of the name of the business, hit the search button, then click on the business website. The reason that this is done is that most people don't remember the URL, just the business name.

This is especially so for first time visitors who haven't bookmarked the business website. The same experience holds true for nonbusiness listings like governmental and non-profits.

For well-known, large, national businesses this search is accomplished easily. Yet, some search engine writers and SEO service sellers use this simple example to sell services to some businesses who don't even need the help.

Smaller local or regional businesses may actually need help in the search engine results, but the best help may not come from SEO consultants. If the company name and URL contains only highly competitive keywords then their SEO could be a problem. If the company name and URL rely on a very original name that does not contain keywords then the search should be easy.

Ultimately, the best URL contains the main keyword and the unique syllables that would make it both easily searched for originality and easily listed for keywords. In this case the length of the URL could become a hindrance.

An example can be made for the current SEO algorithms in mind. Let's take the example of a coin shop. Let's say this coin shop sells antique and collectible coins. The most searches for this business could use keywords and phrases like "coins", "coinshop", "collectible coins", "coin collection", "numismatics" (coins), "antique coins", "coin trade", etc.

Although I don't know which keywords combination would be best for this particular shop there are several things to consider besides keeping the length of the URL down. Some keywords may be used more often or appear in more SERPs, but they may not deliver much in clicks or sales.

After these factors are negotiated then you must find short and unique syllable(s) from your business name or logo that can be added to "coins". Some examples for this are: "nut", "cave", "paradise", "haven", "central", "poop", "owl", "dealer", "king".

What about these example? "Paradise" and "central" may be too long. "Central" or "dealer" may not be unique enough. "King" may find you behind a laudromat with a URL lik coinking.com or kingcoin.com. "Nut", "cave", "owl" or "poop" may fill the bill, but taste and professionalism may not be served - although some are more memorable.

Punctuation and order of sylablles can be important. If you use coincave.com (or) coin-cave.com (or) coin_cave.com (or) coin.cave.com (or) cave-coin.com there may be some minor advantages ro one or another. The SEO algorithms aren't understood well enough to make an absolute distinction, but a dash seems to have the most all-around appeal for esthetics, memorability and spider perception.

The idea that Wal-Mart's website was inundated by the traffic from Thanksgiving holiday visitors is not a selling point for SEO. Search traffic may have been too high to meet all the demands of that shopping press, but those website visitors were of two major groups. 1) Price/brand comparisn shoppers who would buy instore, and 2) Internet shoppers ordering for delivery from the Wal-Mart shippers. This may have helped instore sales by forcing buyers into local Wal-Mart stores.

So, when you start worrying about improving your presence in searches, remember that for your particular business the SEO contractors may have less help than you can do yourself.

Arthur Browning

It's Only Art?

Art Now

Arthur Browning began his career teaching technical writing in a small mid-western university for 15 years. He later edited and published a national professional journal for some ten years. He is now an investor. His interests include art collecting, web marketing, art writing.