To create a profitable business website, it is essential to choose a memorable name that reflects your brand and vision. With millions of other businesses battling for customers' attention, it's important to carefully think about your brand's URL.
Having a catchy URL will help your business rise in the search engine rankings and attract people who are looking for services like yours. It also lets you save plenty of time by avoiding the need to transfer domain name.
In this article, we will explain how to choose a domain title for your web address. To pick a domain name that will attract site traffic, here are the six steps you should follow.
#1. Use Names Associated With Your Brand
The importance of branding cannot be overstated. Having a recognizable name is a great way to instantly explain what you do. Having an exact domain name is vital if you want your visitors to recognize what products you're selling and what services you're offering.
Your web name should be linked to your social media usernames as well. Your customers will identify you wherever they find you online thanks to this.
#2. Insert Relevant Keywords
Yes, keywords are still necessary in 2022!
Keywords are the terms and phrases that prospective buyers typically use to find your products or services on a search engine. Therefore, it's important that your custom name includes keywords that accurately reflect the nature of your business or the services you provide. You'll see a boost in traffic to your site because the brand name will be at the top of the search engine results.
For instance, you may want to select words like "home," "supplies," and "tools" if you're selling home goods online.
Avoid choosing keywords that are difficult to remember: if potential customers can't say them correctly, they'll likely have a tough time entering them into the search engine. Avoid using slang terms in your name because they can make it more difficult for people to find you. Choose a website name without digits or hyphens, as well. All these things divert traffic from your website.
#3. Use Easy-to-Understand Criteria
Once you've narrowed down your list, you're ready to move on to the next stage in the picking a name process. The decision-making process can be sped up, though, by employing a few basic criteria.
If you want the best results, you'll want to choose a name that is:
- Short and to the point - long and complicated names are more difficult to remember and more likely to be entered incorrectly.
- Innovative - the more distinctive your webpage name is, the easier it will be to remember.
#4. Pick the Correct Extension
It's also vital to pay attention to the Top-Level Domain (TLD ). It refers to the part at the end: .com, .org, .net, and so on. As .com is what most people expect and is easy to recollect, it is the ideal option for most web addresses.
However, extensions for domain names are becoming increasingly hard to come by. Therefore, many people have adapted to using different extensions instead. In the end, the litmus test for an extension to boost traffic for your site will depend on how closely your domain name corresponds to other parameters such as brandable, memorable, and typable. In other words, go forward and purchase the name you want, even if it doesn't end in a .com.
#5. Make Sure the Domain Name You Choose Is Original
When choosing a name, be sure the one you're considering isn't already taken before wasting time and money on fighting a legal dispute. Although some scandals can attract occasional visitors to your website, they'll ruin your business reputation, which is a more valuable asset.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office's website can be used to see if a website is already registered for use in the United States. By doing this, you'll be able to use the name you've chosen without any restrictions.
With regards to copyrights, if your webpage is going to function outside of the USA now or in the foreseeable future, you should familiarize yourself with national copyright legislation as well.
Consumer confusion is another factor to consider when evaluating names for your domain. If your domain name is easily confused with the name of a rival company's website, you may find yourself in a losing dispute. Although it may increase site traffic in the short term, you will lose customers in the long run.
#6. Register Your Name Immediately
As stated earlier, a good domain name is critical in increasing the number of visitors to your website. Hence, purchasing it right away from an established provider will provide you with an advantage over your rivals. The cost will vary and is influenced by the type of extension and the name availability. However, consider the cost as an investment in your website's digital visibility.
Conclusion
Implement the steps mentioned above to select a name that successfully represents your venture, establishes a solid and trustworthy online footprint, and drives traffic to your webpage.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).