Choosing a domain name
Choosing a domain name, but getting the right one, is vital for your success on the internet. Get it right – and the world is your oyster. Get it wrong – and your business may struggle to recover. Here are some easy tips to help you on that path.
1. Think small
Although you might fall in love with a longer name, like www.i-really-like-this-domain-name-so-im-going-to-keep-it-regardless-of-what-anyone-else-thinks-goddammit.com , you still want it to be easy for people to remember and type in by hand or to recommend to their friends. The same goes with difficult spellings too. So keep it as short and sweet as you possibly can.
2. Avoid Trademarks
“I heard about some bloke who bought a domain name and made a shedload of money out of the company that should really have owned it”. Yes, most of us have heard that story. However, nowadays companies will not shell out oodles of cash to buy it from you. They’re already the owners of that trademarked name – and their lawyers will be knocking at your door. Don’t try to game the system, it usually won’t work.
3. Buy it fast!
There are people and companies around that bulk buy names, just so that they can take some money off you, if you really want that name… don’t let them beat you to it!
4. Buy more than one
Sometimes, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain names. It really does depend on the nature of your business, and particularly if you go for a generic descriptive name. Consider buying the .net, .co.uk etc too. Some people also go as far as buying common misspellings of their name – but that’s up to you. You don’t need to have a website for each one. That would just be costly and time consuming; plus the content would have to be different for each one so that Google doesn’t penalise you for “duplicate content”. You simply “forward” the extra domain names to point at your Home Page.
5. Ask your friends
When you have narrowed down your choices – run them by a few of your sensible friends too. It may be memorable and appealing to you, but if others have difficulty getting used to it – then the odds are that many others will struggle too. Be careful also of how it can be misread. Here’s a couple of examples to make you smile!
*Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is www.whorepresents.com
*There’s the Italian Power Generator company, www.powergenitalia.com
*Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net
6. Be careful
Be very careful where you search to see if your name is available. Unscrupulous companies will register it if they even see a search has been made. Network Solutions in the US was famously sued for doing just that very thing.
If you get stuck, we can take the worry away for you. Have a look at our Domain Name Service for details.
