Domain Name Tips

Use common sense when choosing a domain name because your domain name can have an impact in both the online and offline marketing of your website.

Long or difficult to spell domain names make it difficult to pass on your web address verbally because they are generally harder to remember. So too with anything unusual, such as using more than one hyphen or intentional misspellings.

Ideally, you want to find a domain name that will help you in your marketing. That means finding a domain name that has a good keyword in it that's relevant to your business. These are getting harder to find, but there are still good domain names in every market, it just takes some effort to find them. Here are a few tips that can help:

• Use a thesaurus to help you find words and phrases you can use if your main keyword is taken.
• Brainstorm domain names with your friends, family, and associates.
• Search through the deleted domains at WhoIs.net.
• Use a site like NameBoy.com to generate ideas.
• Use a hyphen between two keywords or a keyword and another word. For example, instead of HostingGrades.com we could have used Hosting-Grades.com.
• Try for a .com domain, but if you get desperate you might consider .net, .org, .biz, and .info—at the same time I'd advise you to be patient. I've spent days searching for a good domain name, and have been rewarded every time!
• If someone has a name you really want, inquire about buying it. Many websites aren't making much money, and some are losing money—you never know, you may find someone that would just like to get something out of it and would be glad to sell.
• If you can afford it, there are domain brokers that own "premium" domains for sale.
• Add a descriptor to a keyword. For example, if you're in the gift basket business, giftbaskets.com is surely taken, but something like: BestGiftBaskets.com, PremiumGiftBaskets.com, AffordableGiftBaskets.com may not be taken. A thesaurus can help you find good descriptors, too.

Once you've found a good domain name, put it to good use. Add your domain name to your letterhead, business card, printed materials, bagging material, in your print ads, put it on your business after hours answering machine or voice mail, get a magnetic sign for the side of your car—and don't forget to use an email account from your domain rather than free account from Yahoo, Google, Hotmail or some other third party.

Remember, your domain name is an extension of your business and part of your brand, choose it with care.

Domain Name Tips

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