Trying to come up with a name for your business? Pretty important huh? Well maybe you should start with what is available for a domain name first and foremost. After all…whether you like it or not your domain name automatically becomes your branding. With the sea of business name possibilities sometimes its best to narrow things down and go with a name that is AVAILABLE. It will really help narrow things down when determining your new business or website name.
We now present you our 10 tips for choosing an effective domain name:
1. Keep it short and simple
Your allowed up to 63 characters but keep in mind people have to remember it! It will also be plastered all over your marketing so if its too long it will look a little funny. Will you remember a domain name that is 4 words long? Probably not. Try for 1-2 words if you can.
Pro tip: If you can keep it under 8 characters your golden!
2. Branding. Make it Memorable
If you want people to remember your domain name you’re going to have to go that extra mile. It takes a lot of effort and determination to nail down that perfect, clever, and more importantly, AVAILABLE domain name. From a branding perspective your domain name automatically becomes your brand-name whether you intend it or not. So make it memorable!
Pro tip: Know your target audience!
3. Top Keyword(s) IN the domain name!
HUGE bonus points if you can include at least 1 keyword in your domain name. Several of the major search engines rank web sites much higher if the main keyword is contained in the domain name. From an SEO perspective its pretty HUGE. A lot of our clients overlook this too. Very unfortunate.
Pro Tip: Register an additional, longer domain name containing your top 2-3 keywords then set it to automatically redirect visitors to the real domain name / website. BOOM.
4. Avoid Confusion, Make it easy to spell
Keep it short, keep is EASY. Is it a difficult word to spell? Maybe not a good idea. Does it look funky when you look at it? Yeah…..also probly not a good idea. Words can be visualized so keep that in mind. Vision is the strongest of human senses you know.
Pro tip: Does it look good in print? It should.
5. Which Extensions Matter?
#1 rule of thumb is always go with the .com. That should be your primary goal. It is the first extension people think to try when searching. If you absolutely cannot get the .com then your next best bet is the .net.
Pro tip: .com is the oldest and most established of all extensions.
6. Brainstorm & Thesaurus
Struggling to come up with something? Don’t be afraid to use a thesaurus. Brainstorm all your ideas and take it to pen and paper. Just seeing something in print can help. Make a list of all your unique keywords and go from there. You might surprise yourself by stumbling upon a word combination that works.
Pro tip: Thesaurus. Use it.
7. Don’t be shy….Order them all!
One domain name may not be enough. Its never a bad idea to register many similar domain names. If you have “yourname.com” why not purchase “yourname.net” as well? This will make sure no one else takes it!
Pro tip: You can easily point several domain names to the same website.
8. Register your domain name NOW
Good domain names are being snatched up at an alarming rate. Its become big business after all. If the idea strikes and the domain name is available I would strongly suggest buying it RIGHT NOW. For less then $10 a year you can just “park it” until you figure out your proper website approach. Most clients, including myself, tend to have many domain names just waiting for the right idea. Sometimes you might have an awesome idea…..but no name. Other times you might have a GREAT name but no idea what you are going to do with it…..yet.
Pro tip: Is it available? Don’t hesitate. Get it NOW.
9. Trademarks
You might want to check that you are not infringing on an existing trademark. Years ago this wasn’t really enforced and people bought up everything they could in hopes of selling it to a major corporation. That has all changed in today’s climate unfortunately. An available domain name does not necessarily give you the right to register and use it. Companies now sue people who do this. Whoa.
Pro tip: Don’t get sued
10. Maybe just stick with Letters in the domain name…
Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and hyphens. Spaces, special characters, and symbols are not allowed. Domain names are also not case sensitive.
Pro tip: Use hyphens ONLY if you REALLY need to. But we normally advise against it.
In summary
Keep it simple, memorable, use your top keyword, get the .com, and use a thesaurus for ideas if you have to. When you find the right one BUY it up right away! Happy domain name hunting!