Choosing the right Domain Name

September 29, 2008

Many people ask us for advice before they setup their web hosting, and the most frequently asked question is “What domain name should I use?” It is important to get this initial step right before setting up your website and is one of the critical success factors when launching your business online.

In the real world, people can distinguish a business because of its location, structure, window displays, or signs before deciding whether to go into the store. While walking down a street, you can distinguish a bank from a hair salon via their signage and window layout. This immediately helps you make up your mind, and helps you associate a particular brand with its product offering. However, in the online world, prospective visitors have no idea what your company does before they reach your website and read its content. Unlike in the real world you can’t stand on a street corner while looking at their shop window know that Amazon sells books, you have to go to their website to find that out. For this reason, it is a good idea to in some way describe what your business does in its domain name if possible.

In the real world people can also forget your shops name, but because they remember the shops location, they may return. This is not the case on the internet, who ever says: “I can’t remember that websites domain name, but I remember its IP Address…” It never happens. So domain names on the internet need to be memorable.

Your domain name can spell the success of your brand on the internet. Your domain name is also your only weapon to ensure people find you and more importantly remember you on the internet.

My six points to remember when choosing a domain name are:

1. Keep it short.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Describe your business in some way.
4. Be memorable and unique.
5. Always be able to say your domain name like you spell it!
6. Make it personal, not too generic.