Website Domain Names

There are over 40,000,000 domain names already registered, so you may be finding it very difficult to come up with a good domain name that you are happy with.

Here's some practical advice on finding the right domain name...

Keep It Short

No matter what you choose make sure it is short and easily recognizable. This is the name people will find you and come to know you by. Preferably you want a one word name or a description name that will stick in peoples memory. Think of all the great sites you know. Google.com Yahoo.com Amazon.com MSN.com. Short, catchy names which are easy to remember.
Try to keep it below eight characters, if possible.

A Good Domain Name

Is easy to convey and easy to remember! The most basic (yet often overlooked) web traffic building campaign should include promoting your web address through every means you already have in place for reaching your prospects and customers, so it should be easily conveyed in any format, printed or otherwise (on your stationery, in your catalog, on your product packaging, in your voice mail messages, in your signature file at the end of your email messages, etc.).

Your website domain should be easy to remember for others to spread the word about. It should not be easily misspelled or confusing - Prospective visitors won't always have your web address spelled out in front of them. They may try to visit your site from memory. If they misspell or otherwise confuse your domain name, they won't be able to access your site. They might even end up accessing a competing domain!
Simplicity is very important. Otherwise you'll lose traffic.

Avoid Trademarked Names

The reason for this is clear. The companies who own the trademark will simply call their lawyers.


Keyword Domains or Branding?
Branding

Many of the most successful sites do not use keyword domains. These online businesses have chosen to go with a completely original domain, and brand it. A few examples are Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay etc.

Keyword Domains

A keyword domain is a domain specifically chosen to take advantage of search engine traffic. Selecting a domain that matches a keyword search, the website should be able to rank higher for targeted keywords and therefore benefit from added traffic and more potential for sales.

For example, if you were a New York moving company, you might want to target the search phrase New York Moving Company by choosing the domain newyorkmovingcompany.com or new-york-moving-company.

If you have a large offline advertising budget and the budget necessary to brand your organization, a brandable domain is better choice. If, on the other hand, you're working on a shoe-string budget, choose a keyword domain and let the search engines bring the customers to you.