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You may have heard that it can be difficult to find available
names. That was true a few years ago, when domain names were
limited to only 22 characters, but since late 1999 the limit was
raised to 63. So fear not, all the good domain names are not
taken.
Ideally, you want a name that conveys your product or service.
Think of your domain name as your identity online. You want your
name to be eye-catching, yet simple and easy to remember.
As the first thing your visitor sees, your domain name gives
them their first impressions about you. The last thing you want
is your visitor to form a bad first impression. Here are some
general Do's and Don'ts when deciding on a domain name:
*Be Professional
The best domain names sound professional. People are impressed
by quality and value, but above all else, they expect
professionalism. You want your domain to project a high level of
quality. The right domain name, coupled with a quality product
at a genuine value, will not only prove you're a professional,
you'll also earn your customer's loyalty and trust.
*Get a .com extension
You should always try to obtain a .com extension rather than
.net, .org, .biz, etc. The reason is most people will
automatically add .com as the extension when they type an
internet address. There is nothing wrong with owning other
extensions, but if you own a domain with a .net extension
without first owning the .com extension, you will lose visitors.
*Use keywords
If your domain name contains common keywords, you're likely to
get a higher listing in the search engines. Search engines list
sites by sending out "spiders" to constantly crawl from website
to website, going through every page looking for keywords and
cataloging what they find for later listing. Once they decide to
list your site, they consider the domain name as part of the
ranking. If your domain contains keywords, it will usually get a
higher ranking.
*Don't use hyphens
Unless a word or phrase has a natural hyphen, such as
"real-time" or "soda-pop" leave it out. They are harder to
remember, and you will lose visitors who either forget, or don't
know about the hyphen in the address.
*Don't misspell
The spelling and structure of your name should be clear. If the
visitor has heard of your site through word-of-mouth, they will
most likely type in the incorrect address if you misspell your
domain. For example, www.UltimateEntrepreneursGuide.com is
obvious, while www.UltimateEntrepreneurzGuide.com is not.
Replacing the "s" with a "z" at the end of a word is fine if you
are a pop band, but if you do it in a domain name you'll only
end up losing most of your visitors to your competition with the
correct spelling.
*Be memorable
This is crucial. If people can't easily remember your domain
name, you won't get the kind of traffic you need to be really
successful. Keep your potential visitors in mind, and try to put
yourself in their shoes when choosing a domain. Write down as
many names as you can think of, and one by one ask yourself,
"Would I remember this domain name if I heard it on the street?"
When you can answer "yes" you've found your domain name.
Registering your domain name is quick and easy. The entire
process usually only takes about 10 minutes once you've found an
available name.
Your name is your brand, so choose it wisely. The right domain
name could mean the difference between success and failure.
Copyright (c) 2002 eMoney Enterprises ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
About the author:
Dave Barrett is editor of the Internet marketing ezine eMoney
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