How to Choose a Good Domain Name

Choosing a good domain name is very important especially for businesses as it is basically your calling card in the digital world. Sometimes, it will also make or break your business. Not only should the chosen domain name be recognizable but that name should also coincide with your business, the brand that you are carrying and the image that you want to portray. Here are some useful tips to choose a good domain name:

Short domain name

When you are choosing a domain name for your company, one thing that you need to remember is that it should be short, easy to spell and easy to remember. At the same time, it is understandable that trying to secure a domain name in those categories can be difficult especially for top level domain names, such as .org, .com and .net. In these cases, I would recommend you to try phrases that are meaningful such as Hotelbookings.com instead of hb.com. People shouldn’t have trouble remembering these sort of names. Examples of short domain names include apple.com, amazon.com and ibm.com.

Make it descriptive

The name you have chosen should be able to describe the function of your site clearly. However, what is even more important is that the general public will be able to get a sense of what the site is about from the domain name itself. With sites such as Amazon and eBay in mind, you might argue that this rule did not apply to them, as both the Amazon and eBay names do not give an indication of what the websites are all about. However, you must bear in mind that these corporations have vast resources to help them market and brand their name. If your brand isn’t that huge and don’t have the resources to create such a powerful brand, then it is best that you stick with the general rule.

Trademarked names should be avoided

Whatever domain name you have decided on, make sure that no one else has trademarked it. Trademarked names are basically names that have been registered as a copyright and therefore, they are strictly off limits. Company names function in the same capacity of that of domain names; they cannot be copied and are unique. This will not be good for your business in the long run especially when the names are similar to your competitor’s. There have been cases where such businesses have lost their rights because of conflicts that have arisen from the holder of the existing trademark.

Besides, you don’t want to be embroiled in any lawsuit or court case saga similar to the McCurry vs. McDonald’s case. You may think it’s cute or beneficial to register names of celebrities or name your website somethingiPhone.com but don’t be surprised when the lawyers come knocking down your door with a lawsuit.

Use keywords

Keywords included in your domain name would also greatly help your business especially if you are talking about search engine optimization purposes (SEO). This basically means that when people are searching particular keywords on a search engine and you want your website to appear first, then having specific keywords in the domain name would definitely help.

Make it simple

Give thought if people would misspell your domain name when they type in the web address and think of how your domain name would sound when you say it aloud or dictate it to a potential client. You don’t want your clients ending up at another site or having yourself put in an awkward situation by having to repeat your website address several times to them.

Come up with a domain name that is easy to spell and potentially error-free. You might also think that adding special characters or abbreviations to the domain name may seem unique but they are just not suitable. Just imagine if you have to dictate a domain name that is full of hyphens and numbers; it is likely that your potential customers wouldn’t even arrive at your website successfully. So make sure you come up with a domain name that will not confuse your visitors.

It just takes a little thought and effort in coming up with a good domain name. Not putting in enough effort will result in you having a domain that you could possibly regret registering. Having read the six tips above on how to come up with a good domain name, sit down and carefully come up with one that would be easy on the minds and lips of your potential clients.