Choosing A Domain Name
February 26th, 2010
Choosing the right domain name i.e. (www.example.com) is very important to the success of a new online business. The selection of a domain name may seem fairly simple at first, but considerable thought and research should be involved in your decision. I’ve assembled some tips to help you avoid common mistakes.
1. List Your Keywords
The first thing you want to do is come up with a list of terms or phrases that describe the online business you have in mind. Think of phrases people might input into a search engine when searching for your product or service. Once you have a list, then you can perhaps pair some of them or add prefixes or suffixes to get good ideas.
Something you should probably do, that many people overlook, is a little keyword research when you choose your domain name. You want to have key phrases that get enough searches on the engines, but you don’t want to have to compete with millions of other sites ranking for your key words.
2. Create An Expectation
When someone hears your domain name for the first time, they should easily and accurately guess what will be found at your website. Think “www.cheapdogfood.com” Try to stay away from strange names and spellings. This will also help make your domain name easier to remember, which is important. And always avoid trademarked names at all costs.
3. Keep It Simple
People need to be able to remember your domain name and type it into their address bar. Try to get the shortest domain name possible that is still relevant to your site and that’s memorable.
If your domain name is hard to type correctly due to the use of strange spellings, multiple hyphens or numbers, you will lose a good number of potential customers. Also, hyphens and numbers make it much harder to give your domain name verbally.
4. .com, .org, .net?
You might hear many different opinions on this subject, that is, what extension to use on a domain name. I won’t go into this too much, but I do have a few opinions.
Keep in mind that .com is the first extension many people try when searching for a website. Some browsers will search for the .com extension if none is typed in.
Just be sure to promote your website with the full domain name, especially if you choose an extension other than .com.
5. Use A Domain Selection Tool
After you have some good domain names in mind, you will need to know whether they are still available or not. Many domain registrars (godaddy) have an ajax based tool that can determine the availability of the domain name. Or try sites like instantdomainsearch.com or domdig.com. You can find the name you want and use the registrar of your choice.
Final Word
The thoughtful selection of a good, relevant domain name should be one of the first steps in creating your online presence. A well chosen domain name helps with name recognition, search engine position, advertising and more. It is important but shouldn’t be hard to find a winner. Just remember to keep these simple tips in mind when deciding.
Wishing you online success,





