So you’ve registered what you think is a great domain name, and now yournthink it’s going to pay for itself a hundred times over, right? Wrong. Nornmatter what domain name you may buy, it’s not going to pay for itself on itsrnown. Maximizing a domain name’s value takes thought, creativity and effort -rnand it requires selecting a good name in the first place. Here are a fewrntips to maximizing your domain name’s potential.rnrnGoing solo or using hyphensrnrnSince virtually every word in the English language has been registered onrnits own as a domain name, you are going to be forced to register arncombination of words (or a funny-sounding acronym). The first reaction mostrnwebmasters have is to ask, “well then, should I buy one with hyphens, tornmake it easier to remember?”rnrnSimply put, the answer is no. The reason is two-fold: first, hyphens make arndomain name longer. Although a domain like Bobsinternetresources.com isrnlong, it’s not as long as bobs-internet-resources.com. Try describing thatrnURL on the telephone: “It’s Bob. hyphen. internet. hyphen.” It can becomernvery cumbersome.rnrnThe second reason is a misconception: webmasters often believe hyphenatedrndomains will imrpove their Web site’s ranking in search engines. This isrnsimply wrong. True, there was a time when search engines looked at each wordrnin between hyphens as a keyword. A search engine would then compare eachrnkeyword with the content of your site, match it to the query of the userrnperforming the search, and then determine where you site should appear inrnits listings. Today, however, search engines are much smarter – they look atrna Web site’s content and little else. As a result, hyphenated domain namesrnno longer have any influence on search engine rankings.rnrnConsider a ccTLDrnrnFrom a functional perspective, country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) workrnjust as well as any TLD. Therefore, more webmasters are choosingrncountry-specific domains, as better names are typically available than whenrnchoosing a domain under the .com, .org or .net extensions. If all therndomains available for your site are extremely long, or for a domain namernthat can provide full functionality and regional branding, considerrnpurchasing a ccTLD.rnrnPromoting your domain to search enginesrnrnOnce you have configured your domain to point to your Web site, you willrnneed to ensure that search engines are aware of it. If they aren’t, yourrnsite will receive very few visitors – even if you have managed tornfind a memorable, snappy domain name. With a little bit of effort and a lotrnof patience, however, you can garner a significant traffic base from searchrnengines; read thisrnarticle for a more detailed explanation of the subject.rnrnEnsuring you own your domainrnrnJust because you buy a domain name doesn’t mean you own it. While officialrnownership is usually irrelevant to the smooth operation of most Web sites,rnit can be key in a legal dispute. When a service provider (usually an ISP orrnWeb host) registers a domain on your behalf as part of some larger packagern(usually related to free Web hosting), they will sometimes registerrnthemselves as the official owner of the domain, although they will grant yournusage of it. This means that in the event of an ownership challenge becausernof trademark reasons or otherwise, the decision about whether or not tornrelinquish ownership of the domain will ultimately reside in the hands ofrnyour service provider instead of you.rnrnThink before you buyrnrnIn conclusion: because of their widespread availability and low price,rndomain names can often be an “impulse” buy. Most domains bought on a whim,rnhowever, are rarely used. As a result, consider multiple word combinationsrnand domain types before you buy – use a naming tool rnif you are low on ideas. Think hard before selecting you’re domain; after all, you will rnbe stuck with it for at least a year.