Ten tips for choosing a good domain name
By
Tim North
info@betterwritingskills.com
http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
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What
makes a good domain name? Well, it's a subjective
issue, of course, but here are ten tips to point you
in the right direction.
1.
Good domain names are easily memorable and easily
typed. Generally this means keeping them short.
2.
Hyphens should be avoided if possible. When I chose
BetterWritingSkills as a domain name, I deliberately
didn't include hyphens. I agree that it would have
made it easier to read (Better-Writing-Skills.com),
but the problem is that it is more difficult to *say*.
If someone asked me for my web address and I said
"better hyphen writing hyphen skills dot com"
I certainly wouldn't expect them to remember it.
The bottom line with hyphens is that most domains
don't include them. So, when you tell someone your
domain, they'll probably try typing it without any
hyphens.
3.
Use a plural form if this seems more natural. If you're
selling toy trains, I'd go with "toytrains.com"
instead of "toytrain.com".
4.
Domain name search programs can help you to choose
variations on a name. One such program is "Mozzle
Std 2.30" which you can download for free from
this address:
http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/54228.html
Programs like this are a great help when you're trying
to think of a new domain name. (Mozzle's "Advanced
Search" feature is particularly useful.)
5.
If you're marketing your products and services primarily
to users in a single country (other than the US) then
seriously consider using that country's top-level
domain.
For example, if you're retailing products primarily
to New Zealanders then choose to end your domain with
".nz". In Australia, use ".au"
etc. This will help to identify your site as a local
one.
On the other hand, if you're marketing your products
or services globally (or if you're in the US), use
".com" as your top-level domain.
6.
Don't use words that are tough to spell. Similarly,
don't use words that are spelled differently in some
countries. For example, "ColorChart.com"
may confuse those of us in the Antipodes who would
probably expect "ColourChart.com".
7.
Ensure that there will be no trademark or other legal
problems with the domain name you choose.
8.
Brand names (e.g. BarnesAndNoble.com) may be preferable
to generic names such as "books.com". For
many years, it was assumed that generic names were
hugely valuable. (Indeed during the late 90s, some
generic domain names were selling for millions of
dollars.)
These days, many analysts argue that a domain name
that features your brand name is more important. For
example, if you've invested time and effort building
up your brand name (Toyota, for example) you'd be
better of using Toyota as your domain name, rather
than something generic like "GreatCars".
9.
Avoid domain names that are too similar to existing
ones. Not only do you want avoid legal issues (tip
7), but you want your brand to be distinct from that
of your competitors.
10.
Remember, you don't *own* your domain name. You're
merely renting it for a specified period. Don't let
your domain name expire, or your competitors may snatch
it out from under you.
You'll
find many more helpful tips like these in Tim North's
much applauded range of e-books. More information
is available on his web site, and all books come with
a money-back guarantee. http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
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