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EU Domains
By:
Mark Lawson
If
you own a website and are located anywhere in Europe, especially the
U.K., you’re probably well aware of all the attention surrounding the
Eurid offering of .eu domains to the public. .Eu domains have been long
awaited and their popularity is expected to be similar to .com domains.
These domains were originally only available in what was
known
as the Sunrise 1 and Sunrise 2 stages. Sunrise 1, the first of the three
stages, began on December 7, 2005. To be considered for a .eu domain,
applicants chose a domain name had to be related to a registered trademark.
This policy greatly restricted the number of applicants that could apply
for a domain. The Sunrise 2 stage was offered on February 7, 2006 and
allowed applicants to reserve domains related to both unregistered trademarks
and company names. The purpose of the Sunrise phases was to allow well
established companies the first rights to their desired domain names.
As with other types of domains, many times people will purchase a number
of domain names hoping to resell them at an elevated cost. Unfortunately,
some individuals have even tried using domain names that are similar
to well known companies hoping to gain exposure for their product or
business.
The last stage known as the “Landrush” became available on April 7,
2006. This final stage allows much greater flexibility for persons wishing
to register a .eu domain. Basically anyone who resides in the European
Union or who has a business located there can qualify for a .eu domain.
Much like other domain extensions, .eu domains are now being assigned
on a first come basis. This has caused many companies and businesses
to scramble in an effort to acquire their desired domain name. If a
domain name under the .com extension is not available, a similar domain
ending in the .eu extension may be available instead.
After the opening of the Landrush stage, the sale of .eu domains has
skyrocketed. To date there are well over 1.7 million registered domain
names and the numbers are expected to keep growing. Many experts believe
.eu domains will some day come close to the number of registered .com
sites. If current registration trends continue, this could very well
occur.
Discount Domains, a company specializing in website design and web hosting,
offers .eu domains to the public at an affordable price. They hope to
soon become an accredited registrar with Eurid in order to provide additional
high quality service to the public. Customers can purchase top level
domain names from Discount Domains for their business or organization.
The only requirement is that domain names must be registered for a minimum
period of two years. The company also offers a wide range of services
including domain transfers, web hosting, marketing expertise, and search
engine submissions. Discount Domains offers many options for customers
wishing to register a .eu domain.
When choosing .eu domains for your business, there are some important
points to remember. As with any type of domain name, it is a good idea
to choose a .eu domain that is the same or very similar to your business
or website name. This will make it much easier for customers and clients
to remember. Even if they forget your website address, by running a
search on your company name, they can quickly locate your domain name
and link to your site. Using your business name within you domain name
is a valuable resource for search engine purposes.
If your requested domain name is not available, the provider may suggest
similar domain names to the one you suggested. Be careful when considering
this option. First of all you will need to make sure that your domain
name is not easily confused with other similar names. When marketing
your site, be sure to use the entire .eu domain name. This will help
to alleviate any misunderstanding or confusion. Lastly, it is much easier
to purchase your domain name first before designing a new business or
choosing a company name. Trying to come up with a domain name for a
well established company can sometimes be a headache. Often times the
desired domain name may already be taken. If you plan on establishing
a new website or opening a business in the near future, you can greatly
benefit by choosing your .eu domains ahead of time.
About the Author:
Mark is the webmaster of Discount Domains a leading
.eu
domain registrar. Please feel free
to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our
site.
Read
more articles by:
Mark Lawson
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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