OR: @*$@(!.com!!! That Domain Name is Taken?!? – How to Choose Your Domain Name
Every experienced web designer has sat behind the keyboard at their favorite cheap domain web hosting company with a puzzled frown on their face. Picking a domain name can be a daunting task, but it is certainly possible. Here are some simple points to consider and ask yourself in order to effectively choose a domain name. After all, the purchase session will time out on that cheap domain web hosting company if it takes you a week to pick a domain name!
- What is the purpose of your website? Asking yourself this can help you in determining your TLD (top level domain) which is the thing AFTER your actual domain (such as .com, .net, .tv, .info, .biz, etc.) Though opinions differ greatly on this issue, I find .com is still the most effective top level domain. Many novice users will type in something like yourdomain.tv.com thinking that everything must have a .com at the end of it. It is not, by any means, the only consideration to take in, especially if you plan to actively market your site on search engines. If you are a non profit company, a .org top level domain is the general best practice. Your cheap domain web hosting company may be able to offer a bit of insight onto which top level domain is appropriate for your website.
- “But the .com is not available!” That is okay! If your website is strictly for commercial purposes, there are other ways to purchase a .com. Some domain sites will be able to offer insight in pre-purchase packages or domain purchasing from a private reseller if your domain is already owned. Otherwise, consider modifying your domain name by switching around some words or putting a dash (-) in the name. Domain names cannot contain any other special characters except the dash. For example, ! @ # $ % ^ & * + = ( ) _ are all not applicable in a domain name.
- Consider other extensions. You might want to consider purchasing the other extensions for your domain name from your domain or cheap web hosting company. This can increase marketability and help with your search engine ranking. If your domain is widgetxyzcompany.com, consider purchasing widgetxyzcompany.net or widgetxyz-company.com or widgetxyzco.com in order to maximize your accessibility. Think about your users and consider what they might type in an attempt to reach you.
- What are you trying to convey? This question should help you choose the actual domain name. If you are offering advice on college funding, something like collegefunding411.com or moneyforcollegehelp.com might be good choices. Ensure that your domain name is very relevant to your site, whether it is a product name, the main purpose of your site, or your company name. evilevilmonkey.com is not a good choice of domain name for a widget company! Even though you are a big fan of evil monkey, your customers will be unable to locate you by this name alone and will probably think they have browsed to the wrong site once they do reach you.
- Keep it PG! Using offensive language in your domain name is a quick way to reduce your visibility on search engines. Many search engines now have safe search features which are, by default, turned on. This means that using adult or offensive language in your domain name will drastically reduce the number of visitors you can generate.
- Keep it short and sweet! Domain names like thisismywebsiteforcharityandfun.com is way too long for your viewers to remember.
- Use dashes sparingly. Though dashes (-) are a fantastic way to get the domain name you want, a domain name like x-y-z-co-inc.com is far too complex for your viewers to type every time they want to visit you.
- Avoid double letters in adjacent words. For example, if your name is Sallie and you would like a domain name of salliesstuff.com, consider the confusion those two “s” characters in the middle will cause your user. When people verbally ask your domain name, you will have to verbally confirm at every interaction, “That’s salliesstuff.com with TWO S’s” That can be a bit awkward and can cost you visitors, especially if a competitor or different company has the alternative salliestuff.com registered.
Your cheap domain web hosting company may have some advice to offer when purchasing your domain name. Generally, there are no refunds on domain names under any circumstance, so quadruple check your purchase summary (including spelling) before pressing that Submit Order button!
