One of the most important things that an online business owner must decide upon involves the choosing of a domain name. When one chooses the right domain name for their business, they may attract more paying customers to their site. An unattractive domain name can cause confusion, as well as deter traffic. There are some pitfalls to avoid when choosing a domain name, as well as helpful suggestions that could lead to a better promotion of a site.

When thinking about the kind of domain name to decide upon, there are a few questions to answer. Whether or not the domain name includes keywords can be an important decision. The type of name that is chosen affects visitor results; a website owner should decide if they want to use a domain name that grabs the attention of his/her audience or a name that will become just as recognizable as Google or Yahoo!. Other details such as the use of numbers or hyphens can make or break the potential of a domain name.

A website owner should keep in mind that the Internet is constantly evolving and changing. Search engines create new algorithms on a regular basis in order to provide a variety of results and listings for their visitors. Most online businesses are not lost within these changes, which is a good thing- they will still be able to be found through the search engines.

Below you will find 10 tips that can be used to create a good domain name, as well as avoid some of the mistakes that many make when choosing a name:

1) Remember that a company’s domain name represents its online identity. The name should be something that can easily be remembered or recognized, as well as respected.

2) Some website owners fall into the trap of using a domain name that is already owned by someone else. A registrar can still allow you to register a domain name even if another owns the exclusive rights to it. Before committing to a particular name, this should be checked. In the future, this sort of mistake could lead to a lawsuit.

3) The domain name that an owner is considering choosing should be researched. This will allow the owner to learn of domain names that are similar to what they intend to choose. Often Internet users will happen upon an unintended website by typing an error in a domain name. This could work for or against a website owner.

4) Choose a domain name that is short and easy to remember. It should be no more than 20 characters long.

5) The domain name should be comprised of real, recognizable words. The maximum amount of words should be kept to two or three. The domain name should be composed of words that are easy to spell. This will decrease the chance of having the domain name misspelled. If visitors cannot remember how to spell a domain name, it will be less likely to attract repeat visits.

6) If the domain name contains keywords that are relevant to the business, this will increase the website’s chances of gathering more visits. Using the company name as the domain name is discouraged unless it contains a keyword within the name.

7) To use a hyphen in a domain name is a decision that website owners will have to consider. There are many visitors who will say that the hyphen makes a domain name easier to read, while others find it cumbersome to deal with. If a visitor types a website owner’s domain name without their hyphen, they will be led to another website that they may choose to spend their time on, instead of theirs.

8) Website owners chance the risk of losing potential visitors when they use numbers in their domain name. This can lead to typos, as well as the web user forgetting to add them at all. This can be seen in websites, such as www.site2go.info, www.sitetogo.info, artistforhire.com and artist4hire.com. This also creates unnecessary competition between domain names that can easily be avoided.

9) When choosing an extension for your domain name, the most popular ending is “.com.” Internet users may not respect a business that does not end in “.com” because it is so widely used. Visitors often type “.com” without even thinking about it. Other endings that website owners choose can reflect what sort of website they are promoting. “.biz” is used for businesses where “.info” usually deals with websites that offer information portals. “.org” is used for organizations such as the American Red Cross or other websites that promote research. “.edu is used for educational institutions, such as colleges.

10) When you are ready to register your domain name, you should avoid registering with a highly priced web host. Domain names can be registered for as little as $10 per year at other registrar choices. This is to protect your domain name in the event that you wish to switch hosts.

It is important to make sure that the domain name that you have chosen is registered with the owner’s name. Up-to-date contact information should be included. There are shady domain name suppliers that will try to register a domain name that does not belong to them by using their own contact information.

Top | Back To Articles List | Print Friendly Version