Martial Arts

Internet
Domain Names

Have you got a web site publicising your club, retail outlet, or association? Or, are you thinking of establishing an internet presence to provide information and promote yourself to a wider audience? Some careful thought is needed in choosing your domain name, unfortunately, it is something which is becoming more difficult with each passing day, as all the really good domain names are getting snapped up. You might be presently stuck with a highly unmemorable e-mail address along the lines of  enquiries@abunchof letters.somefreeinternetprovider.co.uk? If this is true then its likely your web site URL is worse - free internet service providers are not known for giving you professional looking addresses. Its time to think about your internet strategy as the web is set to play a big role in the marketing of leisure activities. By 2005 the internet is set to have 2 billion users. Basically, if you're serious, you'll want a good domain name - short, sharp, and to the point.
 

The market for pre registered domain names is starting to expand rapidly as people begin to realise the importance and recognition which can be conferred by an immediate and catchy name. You may have heard of how Business.com changed hands last year for over £4 million, I'm not suggesting that a martial arts domain name will prove as fruitful an investment as that, but, like the best real estate, the best domains will always be sought. The highly fragmented world of martial arts is really no different from the wider commercial world, and it is the more generic and immediate domain names which are going fast. To illustrate this, try typing a few obvious variations on martial art style names as URLs in your browser's address bar and see where you are taken, it is often a surprise. With the internet you don't have to be the biggest association, or most well known instructor, to claim the name - you just have to be the first. Some of the best martial arts related domain names are owned by individual clubs which were simply quick of the mark.
 

The most sought after and recognised domain names are those ending in .com followed (here in the UK) by those ending .co.uk. These are the ones people remember and the ones you want for maximum credibility. Some attention should also be given to how you write your name, for example, if you own sportkarate.co.uk it would be advantageous for you to also own sport-karate.co.uk. Here you would have an easy name for people to type (sportkarate.co.uk) and a second one which is composed of the two keywords (sport + karate) - easier on the eye and better for getting noticed on the web. Also, do you recall the case recently where alta-vista.com (the well known search engine) were forced to pay a huge some to buy altavista.com, which was embarrassingly owned by an adult site? You might want to consider the likelihood of your competitor getting a copycat name and taking your custom away. You can easily arrange for several domain names to address the same web pages - it has become a common practice, as it is recognised that people often bypass checking an address and type a guessed, or half remembered, URL into their browser's address bar.
 

Domain Names
For Sale

The following domain names are available for purchase, they are among the most immediate and desirable .co.uk domains in the martial arts. You will find here an excellent opportunity to help build a leadership position in your chosen style. Rightly, or wrongly, owning the obvious domain name for your pursuit will confer credibility. Buying  preregistered domain names is a straightforward and rapid process. The pricing here is indicative and reflects, in my view, the relative desirability of the name, feel free to make sensible offers for those domains which interest you.

Have to have it?

Don't see what you are looking for? You might just be in luck and the domain you're after is still available to an original registrant. A word of warning, a lot of domain name registration companies are playing on people's ignorance at the moment and charging excessively for what need only be £9.99 for youroriginalname.co.uk or £35 for youroriginalname.com inclusive of email and web forwarding, and VAT. (In both cases this fee is renewable every two years to maintain your entitlement). Similarly, when you see very attractive pricing advertised for domain name registration it often pays to check the small print for hidden costs. One company I can recommend is easily.co.uk and I've included a direct link to their domain name search facility below. There are many reasons to buy a domain name - not least the fact that they are being snapped up at an alarming rate. You might also consider registering your personal name, or that of someone else in your family, domain names make an interesting gift and may well prove to be shrewd investments for the future.