Choosing a Good Domain Name
You should always consider your choice in domain names carefully. (See right side column for examples of why.) It may be that there's no one perfect solution for a choice of names, and that you may instead need to register two or more. Fortunately you can park as many domain names on top of a website as you'd like, or forward them anywhere you'd like.
The usual place to start is the literal name of your business or organization. Even if it's somewhat long, it (almost) never hurts to register this domain name. People may search for you by name, and you don't want a competitor or a spammer to register it and cause confusion with your audience. You may also want to get the .com, .net, .org or .biz version of the name as well, to help consolidate your position on the Web. Typically, you don't need to worry about the .org version unless you're a non-profit or service organization.
There are advantages in choosing a short domain name:
- It's easy to remember (good for advertising)
- Good for email addresses - fits better on business cards
- Quicker to type into a browser - people are more likely to do what's easier for them to do
It's best if you can avoid any words or characters that are ambiguous when spoken, to avoid confusion. There's no good way to say "hyphen" or "dash" on a radio ad without taking away from the professionalism of the thing. Domain names with a — in them also tend to be associated with spammers, which is an association you likely don't want to make with yourself. When you hear the word "four" you can't be sure if it's meant to be spelled out or if it's the actual number 4 (both are valid for use in a domain name.) Same for all numbers, actually.
Spelling can be a landmine too... if you are a lawyer and your name is Kaulitz Schuyler, you probably don't want to make your primary domain name kaulitzschuyler.com as no one will be able to type it from having only heard it. Even typing it with it written in front of you is more difficult than it should be. You can still register a name like this, but we would suggest choosing another name to be your primary name.
Sometimes your slogan might make a better domain name than your business name. Or some other phrase that sums up what you do, or represents your target audience.
