How to Pick the Right Domain Name for You

What is in a name? When it comes to your website, it can mean the difference between having constant visitors and being totally ignored.

The most important thing to remember is: meaning. Sometimes, a surfer who knows the Internet would simply type in whatever they wanted and add .com to it to find a website. In addition, if your domain name has meaningful keywords in them, which is typically about what you are selling or promoting, it makes it that much easier for search engines to find you. Third, it does not hurt to have a catchy name that is easy to remember. After all, if you advertised or marketed your name out there, it would be counterproductive if no one can remember it when they get back to their computer. Similarly, you should keep your domain name reasonably short. If it has more than three words in them, chances are, people will forget them.

You should also be aware of what NOT to include as part of your website, such as numbers, dashes, underscores, and other similar symbols. Since these things are typically not significant in the meaning of your domain name, chances are, the common surfer would not remember them and send them to another website instead.

Now that you have come up with a name, there are a couple of things you should also keep in mind. First, the extension you choose is also important. Most people would inadvertently type in .com at the end of any Internet address because it is the most common. So, if the name that you want to choose is available with a .com extension, you should probably go with it. However, it is possible to use others like: .org, .biz, .net, and .info, depending on whether or not you are a non-profit organization, a business, or simply an informational site. You should stay away from .gov and .edu since they are reserved for government agencies, Universities, and educational institutions.

Another equally important thing to consider is legal issue. Make sure you do not choose a name that is so similar to another company's name that it infringes on their trademark. If you do, you might face serious legal problems that would stay with you for years to come.

Finally, you should have several options in mind. Since there are literally millions of websites out there, there is a good chance that the name you want is already taken. So, be prepared and come up with several names ahead of time.

So, are you ready to take the plunge and see if your domain name is available? Why not go to our Domain Name section and find out?