Choosing the best domain name(s) is very important and will effect your eBiz for years to come. Your domain name is the first thing that will brand your eBiz so carefully choosing it is critical. Large companies can pick a nonsensical or nondescript domain name and make it well-known by spending millions of dollars a year on advertising. For the small and medium-sized eBiz that is not possible so there are a few guidelines to choosing a domain name.
1. Include a highly searched keyword in your name. Many have success using a main keyword or keyword phrase in their domain name. This way humans visitors will quickly understand the theme or concept for your website. When seeing your domain name a searcher should immediately get a sense of what content they expect to find by visiting your site. Additionally, this will be one more way for the search engine spiders to find and categorize the site.
2. Choose a narrow niche for your eBiz domain name. Generally, unless you plan to spend a lot on marketing your eBiz the narrower the niche the better and this affects your domain name. As an example, your website could be about animals, pets, cats, or training cats. Notice how the example goes from a very general subject to a narrower niche. Using this example you might choose , or as a domain name. You could, of course, target an even smaller group with "kitten training" or "Persian cat training" and so on. This is also why research and forethought is necessary though. If your niche is too wide there is too much competition. If it is too narrow you might not attract enough traffic or be able to expand in the future without changing your name. Anytime you change a domain name you risk losing all the branding and many past customers.
3. The shorter the domain name the better. It is easier to remember and some search engines give a little extra credit for a shorter name. Nevertheless, avoid an awkward or absurd name just to keep it short.
4. Avoid dashes in the name if possible. It just adds a character(s) and makes the name longer. Usually you would want dashes if there are more than two words so it is easier for human readers to quickly understand. A dash also helps if it looks confusing without it.
If you hyphenate your domain name, if possible you still want to register the name without the hyphens. After registering it you want to set it up to redirect any accidental or intentional traffic to your active site. This way no one else can register the name and get spill over traffic that meant to come to your site. Having the name registered without hyphens also helps when you are just telling someone your domain name. You don't have to mention the hyphens each time because they can type it in without the dashes and still be redirected to your site.
5. Avoid numbers, abbreviations, and cute or overly clever word-plays. This is not a hard and fast rule but numbers often confuse searchers trying to find you. They can't remember whether to key the number 2 or the word two. Additionally, every time you tell someone orally you have to specifically tell them "the numeral 2 not the word two" and so on. The company toysrus can get away with a clever use of the letter r. First, they have millions to spend on advertising and secondly they are catering to children so the r is even backwards in their logo. Unless you fall into a similar type of situation it is best not to try something like that. You want people to take you seriously and trust that you are a legitimate online business.
6. Take your time and carefully research but don't become a nervous wreck over picking your domain name. Although the name is important don't get so bogged down trying to choose one that you reach a stand-still. I have a colleague that spent almost a year researching and agonizing over picking the perfect domain name for one of his sites. Remember the search engines use hundreds of factors to analyze your website and your domain name is just one small part of their ranking. You have done well if your name is understood and liked well by human visitors and the search engines alike. At the same time, however, there will possibly be visitors from all over the world and there is no way to make your name perfect for everyone.
7. Check the availability of the names you are considering. All the domain registering companies have a way to check and instantly see if a domain name is available. Many also give alternate suggestions although I find this rarely helpful. If the domain name is available then you next need to check to make sure there are no trademark restrictions on the name. You can check U.S. trademarks here at
8. Choose the correct extension. The best extension for your eBiz . If that is not available for the name you want you might . Remember, however, that if someone else already has the name with the you may lose traffic to that site since that is what people will automatically enter if they want to return to the site. Some businesses will register 20-30 domain names. You should consider registering names with and without hyphens, potential misspellings,.com,.net,.biz,.info, etc. By doing this you prevent someone else from getting names similar to yours. You will also minimize losing traffic from any visitors that could key something in wrong and end up at someone else's site.
9. Register your name for multiple years. You usually get discounts for registering your name for multiple years. Additionally, it is also looked at favorably by most search engines since it validates your commitment as a legitimate eBiz.
After choosing a domain name that follows these basic principles you have made a big step in your online business. Now you can start marketing that name and the search engines and human visitors will visit your website.
1. Include a highly searched keyword in your name. Many have success using a main keyword or keyword phrase in their domain name. This way humans visitors will quickly understand the theme or concept for your website. When seeing your domain name a searcher should immediately get a sense of what content they expect to find by visiting your site. Additionally, this will be one more way for the search engine spiders to find and categorize the site.
2. Choose a narrow niche for your eBiz domain name. Generally, unless you plan to spend a lot on marketing your eBiz the narrower the niche the better and this affects your domain name. As an example, your website could be about animals, pets, cats, or training cats. Notice how the example goes from a very general subject to a narrower niche. Using this example you might choose , or as a domain name. You could, of course, target an even smaller group with "kitten training" or "Persian cat training" and so on. This is also why research and forethought is necessary though. If your niche is too wide there is too much competition. If it is too narrow you might not attract enough traffic or be able to expand in the future without changing your name. Anytime you change a domain name you risk losing all the branding and many past customers.
3. The shorter the domain name the better. It is easier to remember and some search engines give a little extra credit for a shorter name. Nevertheless, avoid an awkward or absurd name just to keep it short.
4. Avoid dashes in the name if possible. It just adds a character(s) and makes the name longer. Usually you would want dashes if there are more than two words so it is easier for human readers to quickly understand. A dash also helps if it looks confusing without it.
If you hyphenate your domain name, if possible you still want to register the name without the hyphens. After registering it you want to set it up to redirect any accidental or intentional traffic to your active site. This way no one else can register the name and get spill over traffic that meant to come to your site. Having the name registered without hyphens also helps when you are just telling someone your domain name. You don't have to mention the hyphens each time because they can type it in without the dashes and still be redirected to your site.
5. Avoid numbers, abbreviations, and cute or overly clever word-plays. This is not a hard and fast rule but numbers often confuse searchers trying to find you. They can't remember whether to key the number 2 or the word two. Additionally, every time you tell someone orally you have to specifically tell them "the numeral 2 not the word two" and so on. The company toysrus can get away with a clever use of the letter r. First, they have millions to spend on advertising and secondly they are catering to children so the r is even backwards in their logo. Unless you fall into a similar type of situation it is best not to try something like that. You want people to take you seriously and trust that you are a legitimate online business.
6. Take your time and carefully research but don't become a nervous wreck over picking your domain name. Although the name is important don't get so bogged down trying to choose one that you reach a stand-still. I have a colleague that spent almost a year researching and agonizing over picking the perfect domain name for one of his sites. Remember the search engines use hundreds of factors to analyze your website and your domain name is just one small part of their ranking. You have done well if your name is understood and liked well by human visitors and the search engines alike. At the same time, however, there will possibly be visitors from all over the world and there is no way to make your name perfect for everyone.
7. Check the availability of the names you are considering. All the domain registering companies have a way to check and instantly see if a domain name is available. Many also give alternate suggestions although I find this rarely helpful. If the domain name is available then you next need to check to make sure there are no trademark restrictions on the name. You can check U.S. trademarks here at
8. Choose the correct extension. The best extension for your eBiz . If that is not available for the name you want you might . Remember, however, that if someone else already has the name with the you may lose traffic to that site since that is what people will automatically enter if they want to return to the site. Some businesses will register 20-30 domain names. You should consider registering names with and without hyphens, potential misspellings,.com,.net,.biz,.info, etc. By doing this you prevent someone else from getting names similar to yours. You will also minimize losing traffic from any visitors that could key something in wrong and end up at someone else's site.
9. Register your name for multiple years. You usually get discounts for registering your name for multiple years. Additionally, it is also looked at favorably by most search engines since it validates your commitment as a legitimate eBiz.
After choosing a domain name that follows these basic principles you have made a big step in your online business. Now you can start marketing that name and the search engines and human visitors will visit your website.