Choosing a domain name that will WORK for you

Deciding on what to call your website is as important as what to put on your website. It requires as much thought and strategy and is limited by the fact that some of your options may have already been taken.


There are several challenges in selecting a domain name:

1. Finding one that is available. Often you have to go though several (sometimes dozens) of ideas before you find one that is available. Dot-COM's are still the most desirable unless you are an organization. If you are, go for a dot-COM and the dot-ORG. They don't necessary help you in search engine rankings but are the default we consumers would use.
2. The name is too long. We want the name to be as sort as possible but using abbreviations, acronyms or 2 in place of "to" can be confusing. Better a little long and lot clearer.
3. The name is too short. We usually see this when business what to use their an acronym like "bwde.com" that stands for Best Website Developers Ever. Usually only effective if you've done a lot of brand name development like HP or IBM.
4. The name is often misspelled. Using a name that is hard to spell or often misspelled is not a good idea. If you use one, you might want to register both spellings like capitalgroup.com and capitolgroup.com. They both point to the same website but will help missed opportunities (or worse if your competition registers the alternative).

Here are some tips:

1. Check your business name first. Always a good option unless ready long or easy to misspell. 
2. Check your tagline. If you have a motto or tagline, this is another good option. For example, our business is XLeraton Services, our original domain name is XLnetworks.com but our primary website is GetYourNetInGear.com.
3. Check your city. If you are business that typically services a local clientele, by using the city where they would search for you, search engines will often rank you higher because your domain name contains a keyword relevant to their search. We have a client who registered CarmichaelHairSalon.com and does very well in the rankings (page 1). Her business name is Studio Hair Design.
4. Check your keywords. The primary reason registered CarmichaelHairSalon.com vs.
   CarmichaelHairDesign.com is because the term 'hair salon" was searched more frequently than "hair design". Again, we gain ranking benefits by incorporating searched keywords.
5. You can register more than one of the above. They all can point to the same website. We recommend you only put one on your business cards but for search engine benefits, a few good names for $15 each is cheap compared to search engine optimization (SEO) or pay-per-click ads (PPC).

We recommend using GoDaddy.com to search for availability and registration. We like them because they are available 24/7, answer the phone with a live support person, and offer many services for FREE that others charge for.

If you want help if checking keywords or for name ideas, CLICK HERE to schedule a 30-minute consultation call. We will help you research keywords and brainstorm ideas.

PS - Be sure to tie your email to your domain name. CLICK HERE for the blog post on this topic.