Choosing domain name: 7 quick tips

Choosing a domain name is really important as it is the center of your internet business. There are lots of things that you need to consider while choosing a name because it will represent you on the Web. Here are my seven handy tips about choosing domain name.

1. Keep it short

There are places which let you register names up to 63 characters. You need to keep in mind that people won’t remember such big names. You should register short names which visitors and customers can remember. I always recommend my clients to restrict the domains to seven characters (suffix excluded).

2. Dot com, dot net, or something else?

There are plenty of extensions out there right now and I would recommend you to go for .com for businesses. This extension is used the most while searching for Websites. It is also the oldest extension around. This will show that you business is old enough and that you have a good presence on the Web.

3. Stay away from the trademarked names

I am saying this for two reasons and they are really good. First – it doesn’t look nice. You might have heard stories about someone who bought a “some-huge-multi-million-dollar-company.com” and then sold it to the company for a lot of money. But you need to remember that these companies have spent a lot of money and time for creating their brand and what goes around comes around. Also, the companies aren’t really signing checks for getting their names back; they just call lawyers.

4. Register your domain RIGHT NOW!

Domain names are getting snatched at lighting speed and hence you will have to register your domain fast or else you will end up with something that no one wants. You don’t need to have any ecommerce department or Webmaster or Web design consultant for this. You can book a domain even if you do not have any Web pages. Register fast or you will lose out.

5. One might not be enough

Sometimes, it is a good idea to register the similardomain names at once. You can register Chris.com and Chris.net at the same time or someone else might take it. You can also register the full company name and easier, shorter version for remembering it well. Some people might make typos for your company name. Don’t get a separate Web page for each. The typo domains can just point to the same Website.

6. Character types

You might know about this; domain names can only contain dashes, numbers, and letters. Symbols and spaces aren’t allowed. Also, the domain names aren’t case sensitive.

7. Ask around

If you have a shortlist containing your preferred names; then it is recommended that you ask your clients and friends about what they have to say. It isn’t hard to get a name that is too hard to remember for other people. Your domain should be easy to say, easy to spell and you shouldn’t need any explanation about why you choose that particular domain name. It should ideally be self-explanatory.

Finally, if you have got the right domain name but aren’t sure if it is the one .. then register it right away before someone else does it.