Accept the fact that there are really some times that you need to change your domain name. Changing domain names is not in fact a very rare situation, but the fact that is widely common today. Many were now changing domain names for certain purposes, and along with that, many people were also encountering problems. The process of changing domain names, according to some veterans in the field of domain name, is somewhat very time-consuming and the potential for some mistakes is very huge. Well, every problem has its own solution, right? So a fairly simple solution and a safe alternative for a smooth and seamless switch in changing domain names is made possible through the application of the mod_rewrite and a .htaccess file. Now, what is a mod_rewrite and .htaccess file? According to certain studies, a mod_rewrite as it becomes important in changing domain names is an Apache module that grants the mode for the rewriting of the URL. Many considered this tool for changing domain names as transparent to the end-user and thus require no special software on the user’s end. In an instance of changing domain names, the user who applies the mod_rewrite in changing domain names will still see the old domain name in their browser address bar on the first page that they visit, but then will typically be seeing the content under the new domain name. By using the mod_rewrite in changing domain names will also provide you with a very user friendly search engine. On the other hand, the .htaccess file plays a role in changing domain names as containing particular Apache directives for specific requests, including security, redirection issues, and it also contains the answers on how to handle certain errors. Such function of the .htaccess file is very necessary in changing domain names for the reason that the Apache that it contains is a very common web server that helps a smooth and easy process of changing domain names. Knowing the facts about those two important tools, it is therefore important to note that before you do anything, you should consider some issues that surround such the domain name change. These issues must be considered for these will help for a smoother transition. So according to some experts for changing domain names, the first important move is to check the web host to make sure that they support the mod_rewrite module, otherwise the attempt procedure will not work. Then it follows that you must activate your new domain name. It is just necessary that you ensure that the file base construction and naming is accurately similar when it was under the old domain name. After that, you create an .htaccess file. It is interesting to know that the .htaccess file in changing domain names can be done with a simple text editor like the notepad, and it should be noted that the file has no tail extension; the name should then be just .htaccess. If done, the syntax should then be inserted. Just be aware that when changing domain names, the old domain name will still appear in the browser window but you are viewing the content of the new domain name. Of course there are still some rules behind these steps for changing domain names, but unfortunately, that is beyond the scope of this article. When we talk about domain name, we are basically referring to an address of a web site that is primarily intended for an easy and quick identification. Speaking of these user-friendly addresses for web sites, these help connect both computers and people on the internet. Given such fact, it is interesting to know that the domain name is understood as string of letters or numbers that is used to describe an IP address. This is the primary function of the domain name in the field of the internet. So, since the domain name and IP address are somewhat connected, I will be using the term “domain name IP address” in this article’s sense. So please bear with me. Ah, but what is a domain name IP address? Or, an IP address in general? For your information, the acronym IP stands for Internet Protocol. This is so called as domain name IP address for the reason that this is the numeric address of any domain on the internet. As it is commonly noted, domain name IP addresses are much similar with telephone numbers. I am sure that you know that there is a common name listed in the phonebook that is associated with a long string of numerals pertaining to a specific telephone. Aside from that, it is also interesting to know that speaking of the domain name IP addresses; others noted that the domain name IP addresses are like the reference numbers that are applied to categorize the books in a library. As the library codes apply for you to know the title of a book to find in the library, the domain name IP addresses also function somewhat that way. Essentially, a domain name IP address is a set of four numbers that are divided by dots. In particular, the domain name IP address looks like 203.23.56.166, and each one of these numbers can be between 1 and 255. Just like the mentioned function of the telephone numbers and the reference numbers in the library, the domain name IP address is said to be that important in the internet. For a computer machine to be able to be located by the other computers on the internet, it is important that it must have its own domain name IP address that is distinct than the others. The primary intention for creating the system of domain name IP address is for the people to connect to other computers on the internet by just applying an easy to remember name instead of a particular IP address. So as result, it is therefore important that the domain name must have matching IP address for it to function correctly. This is also one of the best explanations that show how the domain name and IP address are connected. This explanation alone led to the association between the two and thus being identified as a domain name IP address. With the domain name IP address, you have the freedom to type either the domain name or the IP address into a web browser and you will definitely see the same page. It is for the reason that when you type a domain name into the web browser, the Internet Service Provider or ISP will then search the associated IP address in their Domain Name System server. That is how the domain name IP address works. When we talk about domain name, we are basically referring to an address of a web site that is primarily intended for an easy and quick identification. Speaking of these user-friendly addresses for web sites, these help connect both computers and people on the internet. Given such fact, it is interesting to know that the domain name is understood as string of letters or numbers that is used to describe an IP address. This is the primary function of the domain name in the field of the internet. So, since the domain name and IP address are somewhat connected, I will be using the term “domain name IP address” in this article’s sense. So please bear with me. Ah, but what is a domain name IP address? Or, an IP address in general? For your information, the acronym IP stands for Internet Protocol. This is so called as domain name IP address for the reason that this is the numeric address of any domain on the internet. As it is commonly noted, domain name IP addresses are much similar with telephone numbers. I am sure that you know that there is a common name listed in the phonebook that is associated with a long string of numerals pertaining to a specific telephone. Aside from that, it is also interesting to know that speaking of the domain name IP addresses; others noted that the domain name IP addresses are like the reference numbers that are applied to categorize the books in a library. As the library codes apply for you to know the title of a book to find in the library, the domain name IP addresses also function somewhat that way. Essentially, a domain name IP address is a set of four numbers that are divided by dots. In particular, the domain name IP address looks like 203.23.56.166, and each one of these numbers can be between 1 and 255. Just like the mentioned function of the telephone numbers and the reference numbers in the library, the domain name IP address is said to be that important in the internet. For a computer machine to be able to be located by the other computers on the internet, it is important that it must have its own domain name IP address that is distinct than the others. The primary intention for creating the system of domain name IP address is for the people to connect to other computers on the internet by just applying an easy to remember name instead of a particular IP address. So as result, it is therefore important that the domain name must have matching IP address for it to function correctly. This is also one of the best explanations that show how the domain name and IP address are connected. This explanation alone led to the association between the two and thus being identified as a domain name IP address. With the domain name IP address, you have the freedom to type either the domain name or the IP address into a web browser and you will definitely see the same page. It is for the reason that when you type a domain name into the web browser, the Internet Service Provider or ISP will then search the associated IP address in their Domain Name System server. That is how the domain name IP address works. When you go to obtain website hosting, you will need to choose a domain name for your website. This can be done through your host, which is likely to offer you a discount on the domain, such as a percentage off of the price or even a free domain when you choose them for your website hosting needs. The most ideal domain would be your business name. However, for many reasons that might not be a possibility. Your domain name is your website’s calling card. It is the first thing seen when a person visits your site, it can even be a deciding factor as to rather or not the person will even visit. That is right; a person will decide rather to visit your website or not, based on the website address (domain name). When you are looking for website hosting, you often consider domain names last. Your website domain name is perhaps on of the most important aspects of your entire website. You could have the flashiest, most professional design on the entire internet, however, without the right domain name all of that will be pointless. One reason might be that the domain is already taken, you might choices with different extensions such as .net, .us, .org, or other such extensions, but you need to remember that people usually remember .com, so you should strive for that. Another reason might be the length of your business name, such as Joe’s Bar, Grill, and Dance club. Now, you can have a lengthy domain if you really want it like joesbargrilldanceclubdotcom, but look at that, would you remember it? The key point in a domain is to make it easy to remember and catchy. Think about your business, consider the business name and what you offer. You want the name of your website to stay in their thoughts and easy to remember. With the Joe’s Bar, Grill, and Dance Club, you might consider joesdotcom, jbgddotcom, or something to that effect. When you do choose a few names, look at each one and determine rather you, yourself, would be able to remember it. Would that name stick in your mind? Would it tell you exactly what the business has to offer? Domain name makes an Internet address of your web site that is why it has to be easy to remember and to type, it has to be representative and correspond with your web site. In other words it has to be effective. To make it to be this way I’ve prepared a couple of tips for you when choosing an effective domain name. Make Your Domain Name Representative. In order your domain name to be representative, make it to be accordant to your web site name. And make your site’s name also be your URL. As your web site visitors will remember it by its name. So when they decide to return to your site again don’t make them wonder what the URL to type in their browser to get to the site they need. There is another problem when the web site’s name and its URL spelled differently. Imagine your web site’s or the company’s name is, for example “MySuperBusiness” but some other company has such URL. The visitor who remembers your web site by its name would naturally type mysuperwebsite.com in his/her browser and will get to your competitor’s web site. And it would make a loss for you. There are thousands of domain names are registered every day and that could be a problem for you to get the one you want. In case you are just starting out it would be more comfortable for you to register a domain name first and name your web site only after you did that. And if you have a promoted brand name and don’t want to change it only because the domain name that fits you is already taken by someone else you can check its owner through the “Whois” to see who owns it. And you can purchase it from its present owner. Make Sure Your Domain Name is of Optimal Length. In general domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. There are a lot of disagreements about of what length the domain name is better to be. A short domain name advantage is that it’s much easier to remember and it’s less compliant to typing mistakes. A long domain name is usually easier to human memory instead of the one that was made short by all means. If it was, for example, replaced with its abbreviation it would be much easier to remember the complete meaningful name than the combination of letters and numbers that might have no sense. So I guess it would be a perfect choice for you to use as short domain name as possible but only on condition of it remains meaningful. Try not to use any symbols that carry no important information like slashes or hyphens. As it’s very easy to forget them when typing your URL. Choose the Right Domain Extension. Choosing a domain name extension depends on what exactly your activity is. In case it is of local scales, like pizza delivery, you can take a country- specific domain name. You also get in a good position with such domain name as the people your activity is targeted to know that they are dealing with a local entity. The most common types of domain extensions are .com, .net and .org. These domain extensions are for your use in case you are planning to benefit from the international activity. There are some domain names that require from the registrant to represent a certain type of entity such as .edu, which is reserved for universities or high schools, .aero, .biz, museum and some others. So as you can see it is vitally important for you to get your own domain name. And it would be better if it corresponds with your activity and the web site’s name. But the bottom line of the article is that you sure should purchase you own domain name.