If you want to start a website for your business, choosing a domain is a very critical step. A good domain name can have a positive effect on your website traffic and on the ability of your business to become a brand.
The best domains have a sticky factor, in that they are easy to remember. So if you are looking to choose one for your business, here is what you could do first:
1. Tell a group of family and friends you can trust the domain you are thinking about registering. Then change the topic of the discussion. After a hour later, ask them to repeat the domain you told them.
If they remember it, you might be onto a good name.
Do this exercise with different groups of people, changing the name if possible.
2. Avoid hypens and numbers. These makes it harder for a domain to be remembered. A possible exception is the numbers "360" or "365" at the end of a short name.
So for example, there is an internet radio station called Live365 dotcom. The name is short, easy to remember despite the number of the end. As matter of fact, the number ties in with the theme of the site.
3. Keep the name short but avoid abbreviations. When choosing a domain name, it is just hard to remember long names. Plus, less names as less visually appealing.
The exception is if the long name is a keyword that people are searching for a lot on the net. So if people are searching for "distance learning degrees" - distancelearningdegrees dotcom would be a good name - despite the length.
Abbreviations in domains mean little to people and the search engines unless that abbreviation is well accepted such as "UK" or "USA."
4. Location in a name can be good. If you operate a pizza shop in Kingston, Jamaica, then having a domain such as KingstonPizza dotcom - would be a good choice. Having the city or state is a great way to boost your local search rank.
5. Avoid registering trademark names. When choosing a domain name - I see a couple people making this mistake. And worse, they try to sell the name to other people.
Using a name that is trademarked is nothing but legal trouble. Bottom line - don't do it.
To find out if the a name you plan on registering is trademarked or not, search the TESS ( Trademark Electronic Search System ) database.
6. Buy domains. If a suitable name is not available-free to register, consider buying a domain from a reputable broker or aftermarket platform. These services often list some excellent names that are not available anywhere else.
No comments:
Post a Comment