Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name
There are several things to consider in the quest for the perfect domain name.
Remember that defined, a domain name is “a name that distinguishes your business from others on the Internet, allows Internet users to find your website quickly and easily”. Your domain name will need to be different than the other domain names out there. Do a search to get an idea of which domain names are available, and which domains are already taken (most are). Generating a unique domain name won’t be too complicated, since most generic names are already being used by other companies.
In order to allow Internet users to find your website “quickly and easily”, keep the following three tips in mind.
Tip 1: Keep it “short and sweet”.
The shorter the site name, the easier it is for a customer to type and most importantly, remember. This also means, the easier it is for that customer to refer other customers to your site. The internet is all about speed and convenience, so choose your domain name along those same lines. Make the process of referencing, and getting to your website as painless and effortless as possible for your new customer.
Tip 2: Use keywords.
Choose a domain name that is best suited for Search Engines. Search Engines, such as Google, are the number one place to advertise products for your online business. Try to use the main keyword or phrase you’d like to optimize your entire site for. For example, if you specialize in selling jewelry, include the word jewelry in your domain name. If silver jewelry is all you sell, use the phrase silver jewelry. Don’t be too broad and at the same time, if you have a wide-ranging product base, don’t be too specific.
Use the tool that follows to test the popularity of different keywords currently being searched for: Keyword Tool.
Tip 3: Make it relevant.
Make sure your domain name is relevant to what you are selling. This helps when customers search for products or services your site offers. This is where your common sense comes in handy. Think about your own ideal online shopping experience or if you haven’t experienced such yet, think about what you’d want that experience to resemble.
For example, if you wanted to buy a fishing lure, which site would you be more likely to take the time to visit, Site A or Site B?
Site A: www.fishinglures.com
Site B: www.bobsfishstuff.com
I’m sure you, like most internet shoppers, would more than likely opt for Site A.
Having a relevant domain name makes that site appear more significant and pertinent to exactly what the customer is looking for- saving wasted time and annoyance. With these tips in mind, let the search begin. And don’t forget the three S’s- Short, Smart, and Significant!
-Stacie Leonard, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting
June 22nd, 2006 at 04:27pm
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11 Comments Add your own
1. Businesshackers… pr&hellip | November 2nd, 2006 at 3:46 am
This article be used on another site, thank you!
2. Dan Cooper | November 16th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Nice information for folks just getting started in the online business world. Your domain name can help alot if chosen carefully! Thanks!
3. web maintenance | November 23rd, 2006 at 11:54 pm
If you think that you have found the right domain name, but you’re not quite sure if it’s the one… register it anyway before someone else does!
4. john becks amazing profits | January 16th, 2007 at 1:03 am
The perfect domain name has 14 characters or less. However - it is not always possible to follow this rule. If you need to work with more than 14 characters, 22 characters should be your upper limit. Do not go with longer domain names to avoid problems.
5. john beck | February 7th, 2007 at 2:02 am
Whether you choose a brandable domain or a keyword domain is a choice you must make, and a choice you should make in accordance with your business plan.
6. 12.5 Steps to make at lea&hellip | February 24th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
This article will be used in another Blog, thanks.
7. edee54consignments | May 4th, 2007 at 5:20 am
Very informative. Thanks.
8. Koay Al Vin | June 22nd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
- Try to avoid a hyphenated domain. Most hyphenated domain will lose a considerable amount of traffic to the un-hyphenated version.
- Avoid number(s) in your domain to avoid confusion. So is it DogTraining8.com or DogTrainingEight.com?
- Make sure it passes the “Radio Test”. If your domain were to be mentioned on the radio, does the DJ have to say it a few times to get it through? Ex. your domain=WindyCT.com, so is it WindyCity.com?
9. Richard benz | August 8th, 2007 at 12:57 am
For 99% of the projects we take on, a domain is already part of the equation.
10. air purifiers | October 12th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
our ecommerce website, http://www.PurifierOn.com is hosted by volusion, now we come up with another domain name, http://www.airgle.com for selling air purifiers on the internet. It contains “air”, good for SEO. We will have this new website go live on volusion very soon.
11. myrtle herbert | June 30th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I find it very hard to think of a mane to use, however I am thinking about http://www. fashonessentials.com please let me know if this could work. Hoping to get a reply
Hello Myrtle,
http://www.fashonessentials.com would not be an ideal domain name to use. Please focus on the three points listed in the article above: keep it short and sweet, use keywords (I don’t see how fashon or essentials would be a good keyword to use), and make it relevant (again, although I’m not certain of what you are going to sell online, I don’t see how either of those words would be relevant to what you are selling).
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