How to choose a domain name
June 24th, 2010 by GaryTweet
When you’re starting up a website, the first hurdle you’ll have to clear is choosing a domain name. It’s an important decision and one that will have long-term effects on how you market your business and the amount of traffic you attract to your site. So what should you consider when making the choice?
The most important thing is to be memorable, so people can find without difficulty. Domain names can be up to 63 characters long, which gives you flexibility to create a name which spells out exactly what you do, rather than relying on difficult abbreviations. For example www.CheapBooksForSchools.com is more likely to be remembered than www.CBFS.com; the latter could relate to anything.
Spelling mistakes when entering a URL into a browser are common and can often result in your customer ending up on a competitor’s site. For this reason, hyphens and numbers should be avoided. They are difficult to ‘spell’ out when verbally passing on the email address and very easy to misplace. Addresses which are simply variations of an existing site should also be avoided as they can easily drive traffic away from your site and onto the ‘original’.
In an ideal world, your domain name should reflect your brand. If you are setting up a business, it’s almost worth putting the cart before the horse and choosing your domain name before christening your company. By linking your domain name and brand you create a reciprocal relationship that makes your domain name easier to remember and increases brand recognition.
Keeping these simple points in mind when choosing your domain name will give your website the best chances of long-term success, attracting search engine and customer attention; so choose wisely!
Tags: domain name registration, domain names, domains, register domain name, search engine optimisation