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Kalorlo
28-09-2009, 09:00 AM
I'm thinking of getting my domain name registered so that it's there when I need it and so that I can slowly start designing a website. Question is, do I go for .com or .co.uk? The first is more universal (and probably the first thing people try if they can't quite remember the URL) and the second makes it obvious I'm UK-based. I don't know which would be better!

(I'm not considering the cost difference - over a year it's negligible anyway).

The other question is whether to go for www.kalorlo.com or something like www.jewellerybykalorlo.com. I think I'll register a variant with just my nickname anyway, but I don't know if I need an obvious jewellery URL for a jewellery site.

Aaaand then there's subdomains. If I just got www.kalorlo.com, I could have the jewellery pages at jewellery.kalorlo.com and not worry about registering a second domain...

Complications!

amazingbabe
28-09-2009, 09:08 AM
I like jewellerybykalorlo.com....... I think you are right in saying if people don't remember they just put .com xxx My website is created at mrsite.com and i found it very good and easy to use and it is just the basic one xxx :cool:

Trudy
28-09-2009, 09:16 AM
I decided to buy both .co.uk and com and then have forwarded people to same place if they type in either...it was only an extra £6 I think

Di Sandland
28-09-2009, 09:30 AM
I've got both - it prevents others ripping you off when you become the biggest name in jewellery ;)

From a personal point of view, I tend to look for .co.uk because so many of the dot coms are American.

As for your domain name - its important that it contains the word jewellery because that is the keyword most people will put into the search engine when looking for - well - jewellery!

Many authorities say you should use your own name as your domain name because then you're not limited to what you sell. That's fine if you have a recognisable name. Who on earth would consider looking for Dianne Sandland (mind you I do come up with a couple of pages if you Google me!).

Atelier Ava
28-09-2009, 09:31 AM
You should go for both .co.uk and .com if you can and the shorter name is always better its easier for people to remember. One tip though when you go to check if its available buy it straight away I checked a name for .co.uk and .com and it was available when I went to register it a week later the .com was gone and has someone sitting on it, that is its not being used and months late it still is'nt.:(
If you have jewellery in the name it does help but with thousands of jewellery sites its what you do to your site that raises you up on the search engines.

Trudy
28-09-2009, 09:35 AM
I checked a name for .co.uk and .com and it was available when I went to register it a week later the .com was gone and has someone sitting on it, that is its not being used and months late it still is'nt.:(


This is so annoying! I checked so many names that I wanted but they had the same thing...no one using it but someone sitting on it...very frustrating :mad:

snow_imp
28-09-2009, 10:06 AM
This is so annoying! I checked so many names that I wanted but they had the same thing...no one using it but someone sitting on it...very frustrating :mad:

I know exactly what you mean - I was checking out some ideas last week and I do NOT want to have pay someone to give up something they aren't actually using! I don't think it should be allowed, but that's not easy I guess. Ho hum, back to the drawing board.

Atelier Ava
28-09-2009, 10:07 AM
They are just waiting for someone to cough up loads a money[-X

Kalorlo
28-09-2009, 11:06 AM
Thanks all - I think I'll go with kalorlo.com and .co.uk, and use jewellery as a subdomain, so it'll be in the URLs for the jewellery section once you go past the front page. Plan is to get them registered once I get back home tonight.

Di Sandland
28-09-2009, 11:28 AM
Don't forget that you don't have to call your site what the domain name is. Its titles and headings that get picked up by the robots. My site name is mooncottagejewellery but the title of the site is Jewellery at Moon Cottage. I know there's not much difference there but I'm trying (badly I think) to explain that you're not limited by your domain name and you don't have to have Jewellery by Karlolo as a subdomain.

Kalorlo
28-09-2009, 11:42 AM
Hi Di - yes, I know this, but thanks! :cool:

I think it would keep things nice and neat to use subdomains, particularly if I have a section for art as well (not that I've had time to do any recently!)

agent_44
28-09-2009, 06:10 PM
Hi Di - yes, I know this, but thanks! :cool:

I think it would keep things nice and neat to use subdomains, particularly if I have a section for art as well (not that I've had time to do any recently!)

If thats the case then kalorlo.com would make sense. Though you could do it quite easily without subdomains, just by having the sections in different folders for example kaorlo.com/jewellery and kalorlo.com/art. You could create as many as needed for rfree and woudl be able to do it yourself.

Kalorlo
28-09-2009, 07:13 PM
Yeah, I know - but I have 5 at a minimum anyway and possibly more depending on what hosting I end up getting. So I may as well use them :)

geti-titanium
28-09-2009, 09:43 PM
As for your domain name - its important that it contains the word jewellery because that is the keyword most people will put into the search engine when looking for - well - jewellery!

I wouldn't agree with that completely. Choosing a domain name with the keyword 'jewellery' in it, and expecting it to rank highly for such a competitive word as 'jewellery' on its own would be extremely difficult and time consuming to achieve. You would get better results quicker and easier by being more specific eg. glassbeadbracelets.co.uk/.com

You could build your site on a keyword rich domain name for search engine optimistation but also have a brand name domain name (kalorlo.com/.co.uk) pointing to the example domain (glassbeadbracelets.co.uk) for your printed stationary and adverts.

I always think it is a pointless exercise trying to buy every extension you can just to try and stop somebody else getting it - they are constantly bringing out new extensions which would make it a costly experience - .com and .co.uk would be the ideal first choices.

Keeping the name short is the ideal but impractical when trying to use keywords.

This is an article I wrote concerning choosing a domain name:

Choosing A Domain Name

Obtaining a domain name is a relatively easy process, but the choice of your name can have a major impact on your placing with the search engines.

Choosing a name that gives the public an idea of your business and what your site is all about makes it a lot easier to find.

The name should be kept short, memorable and easy to spell. Non traditional spellings of words should be avoided as they could make it difficult for your future visitors to find you. Keywords within the name are of benefit because search engines give preference to the words within a domain name and a '.com' extension is still preferable to '.net' or '.co.uk' as it is more easily remembered.

If you have a long established business it is always a good idea to register the original company name as your main address and also to have a few other names registered with keywords specific to your industry, you can then have visitors redirected to your main site.

Try as well to be original with your choice of domain name. Registering a name that has a slight variation on an already registered name may be a tempting thing to do but it can have a negative effect on the image of your company. This technique is commonly known as 'domain squatting' and as such is frowned upon by all but the practitioners of this technique.

If you register a domain with the sole intention of making money from reselling it or getting revenue from people typing in the domain name then that is domain squatting.

In summary - a good effective domain name is essential when setting up your website.

To be taken seriously it is essential to own your own domain name so do not use 'free' domains.

Try to use keywords within the name that your potential visitors will be searching for with a '.com' or '.co.uk' extension as your ideal choices to improve your search engine results.

ben b
17-10-2009, 08:17 PM
Originally Posted by Atelier Ava http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/business-marketing-jewellery-industry/1032-domain-name-choices.html#post14557)
"I checked a name for .co.uk and .com and it was available when I went to register it a week later the .com was gone and has someone sitting on it, that is its not being used and months late it still is'nt.:(" (quote)

BE very careful WHERE you check your domain name. A LOT of Domain Name checking Websites are dubious, and with either 'hold' the name (inconvieniencing you) automatiaclly for a short period of days, at no cost to them, so you have to go back there to buy, or else just buy it, and hope to sell it, because now they know someone wants it.

A 'good' site to use is "UKREG" or "FASTHOSTS" which are the same company. They are reputable. Uk reg is also a good domain registra to use, in terms of price, reliability, and, more importantly what you can 'do' with the domain, such as point it elswhere, set up simple cheap email, etc.
I often register with ukreg but then not use the sister company for hosting, as they are so easy to re direct anywhere using uk reg. Other domain registratin sites are more difficult to 'host' the actual site somewhere else.

As to the 'domain' itself you should register both uk and .com, and forward the com TO the uk so the site says'.co.uk' but anyone entering com, will have the uk one appear seamlessly. Again, this is easy to do with the UKREG user interface, moreso than others ive tried.

Sparkle Designer
27-10-2009, 11:50 PM
I'd go for .com and the .co.uk and anything that sounds like it, couple of dashes to break the names up?? costs a few quid but when you get popular somebody can not come along with a similar name. Looking for "the white house" is the most famous of all these name pinching, you don't find the president of the USA there! There's 3 things to consider, shop around for 1)buying and 2)keeping hold of your domain names and 3)your website host. All your domains can point to your main site so you don't need 20 websites.
I went to fasthosts recently as they are offering a free .co.uk's, transfer them over to 123reg for renewals and use "your name here" for hosting as you always get somebody from the UK on the phone. This is like shopping for the essentials cheaply and quality for the important stuff.
If you are really fancy and depends upon your product and want to cover mobile phones possibly make a 800x600 resolution .mobi site, as how many young women have iphones etc now?