about Simplicity

Simplicity is a small creative marketing & web design company. The concept behind Simplicity is to provide hands-on, practical and creative marketing support for your business to get you up and running; give you a competitive edge, and let you concentrate on your business.

To find out more about us, please click here; or call us to discuss how we can help.

simplify, edition #11

What's in a name? How to choose your domain name.

If you are looking to create an online presence... one of the first steps you should take in order to create your online appearance is to choose a domain name for your website. In business, branding is the representation of what a company stands for. This is no different for a website, the domain name is an essential part of any website. There are approximately 120-130 million domain names registered worldwide and choosing the right domain name can be a tricky business. Do not get discouraged from that fact, but rather try to be creative!

What is a domain name? The domain name itself is an alphanumeric unique name that identifies individual web sites on the Internet. The domain can be of any length up to 67 characters, which includes the 26 letters of the English alphabet, numbers 0-9, and hyphens (-). The domain names have a suffix or extention, also called TLD (Top Level Domain), which is based on the type of organisation it is associated with. Common suffixes include: .com (commercial business), .net (commercial network), .org (non-profit organisations), .edu (educational institutions), .gov (government agency), .mil (military). Additional domain name extentions can include: .biz, .mobi, .info, .eu; and there are many more to choose from… Also, you will have noticed that there are country specific extensions such as: .co.uk (UK), .de (Germany), etc.

What should you really consider when choosing your domain name?

• Choose a name that suits your business. Keep in mind your brand, what you offer, your unique selling point and the implications of being alphabetically listed.
• Make it memorable. The easier people remember your site, the better.
• If possible, go with a .com domain name. People tend to assume that a website always has a .com or if you are in the UK, a .co.uk extension.
• Have keywords in your domain name. Try to register a domain which contains a popular keyword applicable for your industry. Having your exact keywords in your domain name will help with search engine optimisation.
• Country specific domain extensions. If you are targeting a country specific audience it would be safe to register a country specific domain name (yourname.co.uk) along with the domain name with the yourname.com extension.
• Hyphenated domain names. The non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. By inserting a hyphen, at least this way, you still get the domain name you want. Disadvantage: It's easy to forget a hyphen when typing a name. Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for keywords occurring in your domain name.
• Easy to spell. Make sure it passes the phone test: if you were to say the domain name of your website to a customer over the phone, would your customer be able to spell it correctly?
• Long or Short Domain Names? Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. Shorter domain names are easier to remember and type, and far less susceptible to mistakes.
• Confusion with "0" or is it an "O"? Don't register a domain containing the digit "0" in it, unless it is going to be part of a recognizable word (like 1000 or 2000). This is because the digit "0" is often confused with the vowel "O". Also, try to avoid using domains that contain "2" for "to", "4" for "four", "u" for "you". Your customers will easily get confused.
• Same letter combinations. If you use more than one word, do not end and start words with the same character. For example, www.intelligenttelephones.com.

When setting up in business... it is important to think of your domain name availability early on. Don't attempt to 'retro-fit' your domain name to your business or website. If your preferred choice is not available, do not discourage and try the next combination! If you really have your heart set on a particular name which has already been registered by someone else, you could try buying it from the current registrant. There's no guarantee you will be able to acquire the domain, and even if the current registrant is willing to sell, it could cost you anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of pounds.

Check if your ideal domain name is still available. Click here to perform your check.

To learn more about Simplicity: View our services; or simply contact us to discuss how we can help with the design of your website.

Who? Simplicity is a small web design and creative marketing company. For whom? We specialise in working with small, medium and start-up businesses. Why? Small feet, big shoes; just because you’re a small business does not mean you don’t need to get your message out there in a big way. What’s it all about? We help make your marketing and design matter, be known, be heard, be found; and make the pieces fit. It's not just about your products and sevices, it's about the whole experience. What’s the difference? Personal. We strongly believe in the personal approach to doing business. Creative. We fuse strategy & creativity into one compelling voice. No fuzz. We are practical & hands-on; passionate about what we do; and practice what we preach. Focus. We specialise in working with small companies and start-ups. Ideas. Ideas are the currency of our business. Ideas can have the power to change minds, transform brands and even make a difference to the bottom line. How much? Because we’re a small company without the high set-up costs of larger marketing firms and the fancy London postcode, we don’t charge London rates and are able to pass on some cost savings to our clients. What’s in the mix? [The Roadmap] Marketing Planning & Strategy: Get your marketing up and running. [Image Works] Branding & Brand Identity: Define who you are, what you can see, touch, feel, hear and watch. [A Box Of Chocolates] Demand Generation & Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Integrated marketing in harmony & style. The ideal blend of marketing initiatives. [The Bigger Picture] Website Design: Every website tells a story. Let your website do the work for you. [A Refreshing Change] Website Re-Design: Give your website an inspiring facelift. [The Perfect Pitch] Collateral Design: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. What is the concept? Simplexity. The concept behind Simplicity is to simplify complex matters and make the pieces fit. Simplicity, where ideas come to life.

special feature - small business start-up kits

Kick-start your business by selecting one of our small business starter packages ranging from S, M, L and XL in size... Find out more, click here.