Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name

When choosing a domain name there are several key factors you should consider. For instance, your first choice may all ready be taken.The domain name you want may be for sale at a high price. Your business name may be hard, too long, or difficult to spell. You may just be having a hard time deciding.This article can help you overcome some of these challenges.

A. Business Name

First, if your website is for a business, you should consider choosing a domain name that matches the business name. This will insure that the customer will easily remember the web address. Also, when a customer types the business name into a search engine (e.g.Google, Yahoo, etc.), there will be a higher probability they will find your website.

However, in certain situations it may not be a good idea to use your business name. If the business name is long or hard to spell, this can make it harder for the customer to find your site. In this case, you should consider using an abbreviation or key word phrase. For example, if you business name is Business Consulting and Management of San Francisco, you could use BCMSF.com.

Another problem you may come across is that someone else already has your business name as a URL. If this is the case, there are a few options. You can contact the domain name owner and make an offer to purchase the domain. You can add your business type to the end of the domain such as LLC or INC. You can add a dash in between the words in the domain. You can try purchasing the .net, .biz, or other domain options. If you are not having any luck, then try to add a keyword such as your city (e.g. SanDiegoDryCleaners.com).

B. Personal Name

You may be creating a personal site as an online resume and portfolio. This is recommended if you are a sole proprietor, contractor, or in the service industry. You may be a dance instructor, hair dresser, singer, or a painter. All these professions require an individual to market and advertise themselves. If you fall into this category, then you should seriously consider using your personal name as a domain name. An online portfolio can give a person great credibility.

C. Key Words

Using key words in your domain name can make a difference in terms of customer access to your business site. For instance, over 90% of the time people use search engines like Google and Yahoo to find a website.Internet users rarely remember an individual web address.They typically type key words into a search engine, such as Google, and visit the websites that come up on the first two pages of the search results.

There are many factors that determine what websites show up in the search results of a keyword search. One of those factors is a website URL. That is why it is a great idea to use keywords in your domain name.

For example, perhaps you run a local nail salon in San Diego called Bella’s Salon and you want to attract customers via your website. You would only be looking for customers in the San Diego area and customers in San Diego would only be looking for nail salon in their local area. In this situation the customer will most likely go to a search engine and type in the key words “San Diego Nail Salon”. If your domain is sandiegonailsalon.com you have a higher chance of showing up on the first few pages of the search results.

D. Domain Prefix: COM, NET, BIZ, ORG, US, or INFO

Which domain prefix should you choose?Well if you are a non-profit, you should choose an ORG.If you are a government business, you should choose a GOV. If you are an education institution, you should choose an EDU. Otherwise you should choose a COM. If the domain name you want has the COM taken, but other prefixes available, then it would be appropriate to consider using a BIZ, US (if you are in the United States), or INFO. The prefix NET is commonly associated with X rated sites, so steer clear of NET unless you are in that business.

E. Keep It Short and Simple

Regardless of what words you choose to use in your domain name, remember to keep it short and simple. You want a domain name that is easy to remember and makes sense. Generally, the rule of thumb is to keep it between one and four words.The less words the better, unless a specific key word phrase is top priority.

F. Use A Dash, Abbreviate

It is perfectly okay to use an abbreviation or a dash in your domain name. In fact, search engines like dashes and it helps break up the words in your domain name. A dash may give you the ability to use the key words you want, when the no-dash version is already taken. For example, if bluepens.com is not an available domain then you could consider blue-pens.com.