More than an address whereby you are found on the internet, your Domain Name can be crucial to how successful your website is. It can almost be compared to a physical store where location is extremely important.
- Make it memorable. The easier it is for people to remember, the better.
- Avoid a complex name unless the letters represent the business name and are still fairly memorable.
- Keep it short. The experts recommend a maximum of twenty characters (ten is the preferred max).
- For businesses, the preferred domain extension is .com followed by .net. People will usually type in a .com extension before anything else, so take care in choosing an alternative extension just because the .com version is no longer available. However, if you primary market is a regional one, opt for the local suffix (co.za or co.uk).
- Make your domain name easy to spell. If it is difficult to spell your visitor might well end up at your competitor’s site.
- Avoid confusion. As with spelling, having a domain name that is very similar to a competitor’s can cause problems.
- It should be easy to pronounce.
- If possible, let it have story-telling power so that it tells people what they are likely to find when they visit your site.
- Don’t use symbols. People tend to forget symbols such as hyphens and letters.
- If possible, try to get a domain name that says something about what your business does. www.toptownplumbers.com would be easy for people to remember if you’re a plumber in Toptown!
