Choosing the Perfect Domain Name

I got a ton of emails from people asking about how to choose a Domain Name...so I had to expand a little on that last email with the qualities that make up a great domain name.

Choosing a good domain name is vital to the success or failure of your business. Just think about how important location is to an offline business? If you do not have a good location, you are likely not going to get many visitors. However if you set up a Ski Shop in the middle of a desert, you're probably not going to get much walk in traffic. The same holds true for a great domain name!

Here's how to choose a great domain name:

Easy to Remember
A good domain name must be easy to remember. A easy to remember domain name helps to ensure that your customer will remember how to find you when they get ready to buy. A great domain name is easy to remember and straight forward to type. Avoid complexity and avoid initials when possible.

The Shorter The Better
Twenty characters is the maximum that you should use for a good domain name, ten is even better. A long and complicated domain name is not going to help you. Your best bet is to keep it short and sweet. A great domain name is less than ten characters; a good domain name is less than twenty characters. A bad domain name goes over twenty characters. If you love your long domain name, then consider purchasing a short domain name that's easy to remember and a long one for search engine optimization.

Choose The Right Extension
There are several domain extensions available to you such as .com, .net, .org, .tv, .info, .gov and so on. The .com domain name extension is the best by far, because it is the most widely used and easiest for someone to remember. In fact if you have a .net name someone will usually type in .com by accident once in a while. A domain name .org is typically used by not-for-profit organization and educational websites. The .info extensions are generally used for informational websites.

Easy to Spell
A great domain name is easy to spell. USe only words that are easy to pronounce, have a good combination of words or letters that are used in every day language, and does not contain foreign words that may be difficult to non-native speakers.

Describe the Benefit
A good domain name should be descriptive and tell the benefit of your site or product. In other words, when your visitors, customers, or potential customers see your domain name they should instantly be able to tell what they are going to get or find on your site.

Don't Use Fancy Symbols
Try not to use hyphens or other special characters within your domain name. Even if your domain name is memorable, many people will not pay attention to or remember the symbols, which could lead them to someone else's website AHHHHH!