How To Choose a Domain Name

Photo – Tawheed Manzoor

You might think all of the best domain names have been snapped up by now. You are probably right, after all, people have been buying domain names for years. When domain names were first made available there was a rush by investors (aka domainers) to snap them up as they knew how much money could be made from owning a domain name that somebody else wants.

If you scratch your imagination hard enough it is still possible to come up with a domain name that is relevant to your website. You will be very lucky to get a domain name featuring two proper words (that appear in a dictionary), but you can do it. Only recently I bought www.intowallpapers.com.

Strange, made up or misspelled domain names

No doubt you will have noticed the internet is full of websites that have strange, made up or misspelled domain names – Google, Digg, Facebook, Twitter to name four that spring to mind without even thinking too hard about it. Despite these names being quite strange, they still give an indication as to what the site is about.

Google for instance. It comes from the word ‘googol’, which was originally coined in 1938 by Milton Sirotta and means ‘the number 1 followed by 100 zeros‘. Think about how that relates to search.

If you want your site to stand out from the crowd making up a word to act as your domain name is a good place to start. Creative companies are particularly fond of this type of domain name and they work very well for sites that have the potential to be a huge, worldwide success. But, if your are a local Bob the builder or Joe the plumber, you might prefer to think about something much more practical that describes what you do and where you do it. Same goes for anyone who doesn’t have a ton of money to throw at the project.

Do I need keywords in my domain name?

Having keywords in your domain name is a good idea, but not essential. For a business website, particularly local traders, I would say it is almost essential to have your keywords somewhere within your domain name.

Having your keywords in your domain helps when it comes to search engine rankings. It is also much easier to ask people to use your keywords in any link back to you, thus making your site stronger for the keywords within the link. For example, say I have the domain name www.mydomainnamecollection.com but wanted the link provider to have the words “Domain Names” in the visible part of the link, he (or she) might well object to this request and prefer to use the words in the domain name instead, ie “My Domain Name Collection”. This is quite acceptable, but it would dilute the link back because of the extra words.

Your domain name does not have to be the same as your company name. There is no legal requirement for this as far as I can ascertain, but you should check in your local area.

Hyphenated-keyword-strong-domain-name

As most of the best domain names have already been snapped up, the next best alternative could be the hyphenated, keyword strong domain name. Whilst these domain names can serve a purpose with search engines, the long, hyphenated name can also look a little unpleasant. They are used very often on websites created by search engine optimisation experts in the hope that the site will rank well for the words within the domain name. For example www.pick-a-trade-and-location.com (www.window-cleaner-alaska.com).

You have to decide whether or not you like the idea of hyphens in your domain name. Personally, I do not. I would much rather have a .net domain than a hyphenated .com domain name.

.net domains don’t quite have the prestige of a .com, but the three letter extension doesn’t make a website rank better with search engines, and most “ordinary folk” (ie non geeks) will not give a fig if your domain name ends with .com or dot something else.

Avoid numbers in domain names

Some people have issues with numbers in domain names. Again, personally, I am not very keen on them, but I do understand why they are used. I think it could be quite difficult to build up trust with potential clients for a brand new website with a number in the domain name. Think of a word and add 4u on the end. It looks a bit cheap and it looks like the owner has joined the game very late unless it becomes a recognised brand through an effective advertising campaign (phones4u springs to mind).

You also have the problem of relaying your domain name verbally – a number will cause confusion and could cause you to lose lots of potential traffic.

Choose a domain name that is easy to remember

Try to choose a domain name that is easy to remember. The reasons for this are obvious. Not everyone will find your website through a link and you will have to tell people you meet in the offline world what your domain name is. If you want those people to visit your website, they will have to remember the domain.

Avoid trademarks in your domain name

If you don’t want to have dealings with company lawyers, you should check if your potential domain name will infringe any registered trademarks. Some companies are much more heavy handed than others when it comes to using trademarks in domain names. I suggest you steer well clear from doing so whenever possible. A company which is happy for their trademarks to be used today in domain names, may not be in a couple of years. If you are not sure, check with your local trademark office. Here are two links for you : UK and USA.

If I haven’t convinced you about this, try performing a search for something like “domain name trademark infringement” to see what others have to say and to see what is happening in this area in the news. You might be surprised (or shocked).

The choice is yours

When it comes down to the final purchase, the choice is yours. You will have your own perceptions, your own targets and your own plan to generate traffic. All of these things have to be taken into consideration when making the decision on the domain name you want.

The next step is to find a registrar and research which domains are available. I have, very rarely, found a domian name to be available within the first few searches. My suggestion is to get yourself a coffee and make yourself comfortable before you start, and prepare to be frustrated!

Good luck.