How to choose your domain name
Deciding on a domain name (website address) is a big decision and it will stick with you for a long time. If you own a company, chances are you have a head start. But, for others, it can be a real challenge.
What is in a domain name?
A domain name consists of two parts separated by a period. The domain name is the first part and the second part is the extension. The domain name should describe you, your company, or your topic. The extension describes more about your domain name (com, org, net). There are even more extensions for countries also. For now, we’ll just stick to the two (domain name and extension).
Choose a .com extension
Before we even settle on a domain name, stick with the idea of creating a domain name address with the .com extension. Why? It’s just common practice now to call sites by their domain name and not even include the extension. For example, we don’t ask people if they’ve gone to Google.com, it’s always Google. And, if you’re telling someone your website address, they’ll assume it’s a .com even if you tell them differently. Unless you are a non-profit organization, stick with .com. If you are a non-profit organization, everyone will think it’s .org.
Create a short domain name
It’s probably difficult these days, but, if you’re a company, or you give out your email address or website address a lot, keep it short. People just don’t like typing a long domain name, and thee are a lot of misspellings. So, keep it as short as possible.
Use real words in your domain name
Cool made up names like Google are pretty cool if people remember them or have them on paper. But, in general, people tend to forget these names.
Your domain name should be your company name
If you have a company, synchronize the two. It may be hard to get your company name so try a variation. It’s too difficult to remember a domain name/website address if the company name is different. It’s like trying to remember 2 different companies.
Make your domain name search engine friendly, but not too generic
When someone searches for your company, you want it to come up in search engines. But, remember, the search engines are flooded with search engine friendly names. So, try not to be too generic. Keep your domain name to a minimum of 2 words, three if you can get a way with it. The chances on getting a common dictionary name website address are almost slim to none. So, be creative but specific.
Make your domain name search engine friendly
Yes, we’ve already said this, but make sure your domain name could be a search engine phrase. For example, we chose parttimewebmaster instead of webmasterparttime for a reason.
Should I put a hyphen in my domain name?
I think this answer really depends on your goals. If you are an affiliate marketer or marketing products and need your domain name to come up in search engines then go for it. But, don’t think people will remember a name with hyphens in it. They’ll go straight to the domain name without your hyphens. So, as a general rule, don’t use hyphens.
Avoid using “the” and “my” in the domain name
It’s hard to get a good domain name these days. If you can avoid using a the or my in front of your domain name do it. If you are going to use one, use “the”. It’s simpler and easier to remember.
If you’re ready to choose a domain name, here are a couple of places to register:
