Choosing A Website Domain Name The Right Way
A long time ago, I wrote a post on domain name selection that's sorely in need of an update. Time to deliver...
For 99% of the projects we take on, a domain is already part of the equation. However, in some circumstances, we've been called on to provice advice for naming a domain, either for a new blog, a company launch or even just a friend's website. Below, I've listed 12 tips I find indispensable when helping people select a great domain name.
Brainstorm 5 Top Keywords
When you first begin your domain name search, it helps to have 5 terms or phrases in mind that best describe the domain you're seeking. Once you have this list, you can start to pair them or add prefixes & suffixes to create good domain ideas. For example, if you're launching a mortgage related domain, you might start with words like "mortage, finance, home equity, interest rate, house payment" then play around until you can find a good match.
Make the Domain Unique
Having your website confused with a popular site already owned by someone else is a recipe for disaster. Thus, I never choose domains that are simply the plural, hyphenated or misspelled version of an already established domain. I still believe that Flickr desperately needs to buy Flicker.com - I hear kids in their 20's tell parents in their 40's and 50's to see photos on Flickr and always envision that traffic going straight to the wrong domain.
Only Choose Dot-Com Available Domains
If you're not concerned with type-in traffic, branding or name recognition, you don't need to worry about this one. However, if you're at all serious about building a successful website over the long-term, you should be worried about all of these elements, and while directing traffic to a .net or .org (as SEOmoz does) is fine, owning and 301'ing the .com is critical. With the exception of the very tech-savvy, most people who use the web still make the automatic assumption that .com is all that's out there - don't make the mistake of locking out or losing traffic to these folks.
Make it Easy to Type
If a domain name requires considerable attention to type correctly, due to spelling, length or the use of un-memorable words or sounds, you've lost a good portion of your branding and marketing value. I've even heard usability folks toute the value of having the letters include easy-to-type letters (which I interpret as avoiding "q," "z," "x," "c," and "p").
Make it Easy to Remember
Remember that word-of-mouth and SERPs dominance marketing (where your domain consistently comes up for industry-related searches) both rely on the ease with which the domain can be called to mind. You don't want to be the company with the terrific website that no one can ever remember to tell their friends about because they can't remember the domain name.
Keep the Name as Short as Possible
Short names are easy to type and easy to remember (the previous two rules). They also allow for more characters in the URL in the SERPs and a better fit on business cards and other offline media.
Create and Fulfill Expectations
When someone hears about your domain name for the first time, they should be able to instantly and accurately guess at the type of content that might be found there. That's why I love domain names like Hotmail.com, CareerBuilder.com, AutoTrader.com and WebMD.com. Domains like Monster.com, Amazon.com and Zillow.com (whom I usually praise) required far more branding because of their un-intuitive names.
Avoid Copyright Infringement
This is a mistake that isn't made too often, but can kill a great domain and a great company when it does. To be sure you're not infringing on anyone's copyright with your site's name, visit copyright.gov and search before you buy.
Set Yourself Apart with a Brand
Using a unique moniker is a great way to build additional value with your domain name. A "brand" is more than just a combination of words, which is why names like mortgageforyourhome.com or shoesandboots.com aren't as compelling as branded names like bankrate.com or lendingtree.com. SEOmoz itself is a good example - "SEO" does a good job of explaining the industry we're in and creating expectations, while "moz" gives a web association, and an association with being free, open, and community-driven.
Reject Hyphens and NumbersBoth hyphens and numbers make it hard to give your domain name verbally and falls down on being easy to remember or type. I'd suggest not using spelled-out or roman numerals in domains, as both can be confusing and mistaken for the other.
Don't Follow the Latest Trends
Website names that rely on odd mis-spellings (like many Web 2.0 style sites), multiple hyphens (like the SEO-optimized domains of the early 2000's), or uninspiring short adjectives (like "top...x," "best...x," "hot...x") aren't always the best choice. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but in the world of naming conventions in general, if everyone else is doing it, that doesn't mean it's a surefire strategy. Just look at all the people who named their businesses "AAA... x" over the last 50 years to be first in the phone book; how many Fortune 2000's are named "AAA company?"
Use an Ajax Domain Selection Tool
Websites like AJAXWhois and Domjax make it exceptionally easy to determine availability of a domain name - just remember that you don't have to buy through these services. You can find a name you like that's available, then go to your registrar of choice.
Many people today are building their own websites for some reasons. Many build websites for a simple online brochure and some are for online stores. That is not bad though. Your website is one of the important factors in your business. So whether you are building it as a simple online brochure or an online store, naming it is somewhat like as important as naming your own child. So it is just a nice move to invest in naming it and to make it as a brand, and you will later on find out that it stays with you for a long long time.
When you decide for your website domain name, you should then note some of the necessary considerations for you to pick up a great website domain name. It is just important to know that a website domain name speaks a lot on the internet. So for your website domain name to be easily remembered by the visitors, you must then do something to make it happen.
In choosing a website domain name, it is interesting to know that a certain consideration for your company’s name is one of the best tips for getting a great website domain name. It is often considered that if you have a company, try to look for a website domain name that involves the name of your company. Aside from that, it is important that you think for some website topic keywords that you can include in your website domain name even for at least one keyword.
Furthermore, you should then be aware if the website domain name that you choose describes the content of your website. It is somewhat awkward to find some website domain names that do not fit to the website content, right? Other experts also put some emphasis on the awareness if your website content can be categorized in an internet directory like the http://DMOZ.org based upon the domain name. And you should then ask if your website domain name involves some words that spelled variously in different parts of the world, like the word color and colour. So for you to not put some level of confusion to the part of the visitors, you must then register both versions of such website domain name.
Since there are so many new websites today and the number of new website domain name registration increase every month, finding the right website domain name might be tough. Thus you must then keep a few website domain names in mind or even just a combination of words when you are still searching for a domain name. In fact, purchasing a domain name today may be expensive in case that you do not find any that is available.
The domain name extension is also that necessary in choosing the right website domain name. You should then be aware of the types of the domain name extensions or top level domain names and also its uses for you to pick up the right one.
With such given facts, maybe one of the wise moves in choosing a website domain name is to choose those website domain names that are not applied by any other company with another extension. It is in fact a common notion that no one will be able to register the other domain name extension with your website domain name when it becomes well-known.