How to Choose a Good Domain Name for an Artist Website

 

Having a domain name is an important part of online recognition for artists work. Most people overlook this when they choose to place their art portfolio online. I am guilty of this too. I created many blogs and sites on free servers in the past without bothering with a domain name. Now, since I began working on this website, I am feeling the many benefits of creating the unique web address www.ArtProMotivate.com.

 

 

What is so different about this word? Well, for starters, it is not a word at all, but a combination of 3: art, promote, and motivate. This creates a portmanteau word, one that is unique, but still understandable. It is easy to remember, and is mine.. at least the .COM domain is, because I had it registered.

In this article, I will explain a little about domain names and how they can benefit you. This will benefit both artists who already have artist websites on free services, and those who are planning on their own web hosting.

 

Creating a Domain Name for your Artist Website, Portfolio, or ArtBlog

 
A domain can be beneficial in building credibility, and growing your visibility. Visitors are much more likely to remember your own personal internet address than a long domain from a free host.

If your site is hosted on the free Wordpress or Blogger, your link is actually a subdomain. A subdomain not only looks unprofessional, but is sometimes difficult to remember. Lets take Blogger as an example. I have a blog there, and the url is grahammatthewsart.blogspot.com. Of course that url is very easy for myself to memorize, but for surfers it may not be. Most will only remember the blogspot part, because it is very common.

 

I have not bothered with a domain here because I am planning on building a much better portfolio site, one that will present my artworks in a much more professional manner. This website will have its own domain name.

Did you know that those who have a blog at such free sites as Blogger and Wordpress have the option of buying a domain and redirecting it to their site? This will make it appear that the webspace is actually hosted by you.

There are certain advantages to this as opposed to hosting your own web site. For one, Blogger is Google owned and has 100% uptime, whereas hosted web sites periodically experience downtime. Plus, you will never have to pay for hosting. If you already own a website with any of these and you are not interested in learning all the technical requirements of building a site from scratch, this is definitely the way to go.

A domain usually costs about 8-10 dollars a year, which is a very small investment for something that can benefit you tremendously.

Tips for Creating the Perfect Domain

1. Make it short, easy to spell, and remember. That way, if someone forgets your url, all they have to do is type the phrase in Google to find you.
   
   
2. Keep out the special characters such as dashes, and make it one word. Not only is this more search engine friendly but easier to tell people who want to know your website address.
   
   
3. Trying to use a descriptive keyword will be good for SEO. Take my site for example. I used my name “Graham Matthews” along with “art”. This helps to differentiate me from others with the same name, but have different professions.
   
   
4. You can even go further and be more original by combining words, or creating a previously unheard of one. This way, whenever someone does a search for your site on Google, only your results pop up. Take Pepsi or Nike for example. These words only relate to the companies that own them.
   
   The same goes for this site Artpromotivate, which is a combination of art, promote, and motivate, to come up with a word that could not even be found in Google. Today, Google search shows 14,300 results! Every one of these directly relates to this website!
   
   
5. Keep the domain secret until you get it registered! If you tell anyone, or post it online, they have the freedom of registering it for themselves.
   
    
   
   

   Where to Buy a Domain Name?

   
   The web is full of places where you may find very cheap domain names. The site we recommend is Godaddy  (affiliate) Simply visit the site by clicking the banner and insert the internet address which you have created. If you find that the domain is available for purchase, it can be bought for about $10 a year (sometimes less).  Dot Com domains are recommended, since they will help your site reach a much wider scope. 
   

 

Do you need assistance creating a specific domain name or getting one registered? If you need any help at all, please let me know.