Domain Names

Step 1: Be Smart

Do not be discouraged if your initial domain choices are already registered to someone else. This is very common. It is better to find out right away if your ideas are already in use than to register your company at the local business registration office, only to discover someone in the next state over has been operating under the name for the last 30 years. It is imperative to have some kind of advantage so that customers think of you first, as with a unique domain name. If you call your company “Super Widgets” but your competitor has already registered SuperWidgets.com, the advantage of course may be theirs. It is absolutely possible to go for superwidgets.us or .biz and so on, provided you are not simply putting up an identical business on a slightly different domain name. However, generally speaking, we recommend against utilizing names already in use within your own industry, for obvious legal reasons. Take advantage of the domain search tool and try to find a unique name.

Step 2: Be Objective

Be careful not to be overly emotional about finding an available domain, immediately proceeding to registration. Ask yourself why nobody has registered that name. It certainly could be because you were the first to think of it, or could it be that the name is not a very good one. Make a list of available domain names as you search through the registry. Swivel provides fast domain searches and maintains a list of domains searched while simultaneously providing alternative name options. Once you have built a list of numerous available domain names, you can select your candidates, registering the best one, or acquiring multiple good ones.

Step 3: Protect Your Brand

Once you determine the domain which will become your primary website address, it is often beneficial to buy up other top level domains (TLDs) with the same name. For instance, if you will be branding your company as, “Import Auto Company” and will use importautocompany.com as your primary address, an inexpensive way to protect that brand is to register importautocompany.net, .org, and other available extensions. This prevents later companies from using the name on the web under other popular TLDs, and may sometimes discourage copycats. The other reason to buy additional TLDs is if you foresee that you will operate under additional countries in the future, it will save you a lot of time and money later to buy the country code TLDs (ccTLDs), such as for the UK- www.name.co.uk or Israel- www.name.co.il, Italy- www.name.it, and so forth.

Step 4: Think Long-Term

Register domain names for products and services and for search engine optimization. As a multiple registration example, Swivel owns dozens of domain names, some based on step #3 and some which are in holding for future products or services to be announced. It is critical to think ahead of where you are now and plan for future expansion. Domain names registered for products and services allows you to easily build brands as your company grows. The additional benefit of such domains is that search engines often prioritize websites where their domain names include the names or terms of the products users search for.

Step 5: Options

Names registered to other people may be available for sale. Should you decide there is a perfect name for your company which is taken, it does not necessarily mean you cannot acquire it. Generally this is a far more expensive option, however, sometimes it is a great option. There are thousands of domain names for sale at bargain prices, of the kind which are no longer available today, as with single word domains. Swivel has engaged in negotiations with domain name holders and won domains for the company or for a customer. This option is always available to you.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Have fun in the process! This is not a school project. This is for your business success. Domain name holding can be a lot of fun, and for the pricing can provide very reasonable investment opportunities with lower risk than many stock market investments. The bottom line however, is that the value of a domain name in most cases will be the value you assign to it as an address or epithet for your business. If you find domain names you believe are going to be useful in the long-term for your needs, that is the single most important determiner at the time of purchase. Do not buy domain names you cannot use or reasonably sell in the future, but enjoy the search as you look for those untapped gems.

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