Part 1
In a time when a domain name is registered every two seconds, it is becoming
increasingly difficult to find that perfect domain name for your cause. In such
a situation, it has become necessary to devise a method to determine the best
domain name for you.
Unfortunately, there is no straightforward method for this purpose. The best
we can do is to try to achieve a balance between the different expectations and
objectives you have about your domain name.
Objectives
The
objectives behind needing a domain name and expectations from it vary in
different degrees from person to person. The important thing is that you have
your objective perfectly clear in your mind. Without a clear purpose, you may
end up with a domain name that can actually hurt your business instead of
helping it. If you rush in, you may end up with the domain name
ourgood-dealzr4u.net
instead of E-For-Sale.com when both were available. Be careful.
The question you have to ask yourself is, what are you trying to achieve with
this domain name? Is it to develop a long-term online brand, is it supplementing
an offline brand, is it to work towards short-term building of traffic or is it
the best balance between all of these?
It is understandable to have more than one objective regarding the use of
your domain name. For example you may want your domain name to work as a
'traffic catcher' and also as an online brand. It is usually acceptable to have
more than one objective, provided you understand them both entirely, clearly and
separately. Yet, it is difficult to achieve all your objectives with one domain
name. If in the course of your search, you find the perfect balance, then
consider yourself lucky. If not, then keep each objective separate and work with
them individually. It is better to have two domain names pointing at the same
site, than to have one that does more to confuse a visitor than enlighten him.
Your Domain Name as a Brand
In essence, a domain name is an Internet address. The only technical purpose
it serves is to locate a computer on the Internet. Yet, taking a broader
perspective, a good domain name serves not only as a piece in a technical puzzle
but more importantly, as your identity, brand and personality online.
People may come across your domain name from an advertisement, through search
engines or through word of mouth. In any case, your domain name will work
towards forming an impression about your online presence. A good domain name
will usually form a good first impression in a person's mind, but a bad domain
name will always form a bad one.
People are impressed more easily through value rather than products;
characteristics rather than facts. It is important to have a name that conveys
what you do best, instead of just conveying what you do. In short,
BookOrders.com works better than WeSellBooks2u.com, and the reason is obvious.
Your Domain Name as a Handle
As I stated above, people encounter domain names in a variety of places, many
of which will not provide one with immediate Internet access. This requires a
domain name to not only generate interest in people, but also stay with them
until they get the opportunity to use the Internet. Most good domain names are
eye-catchers, which means that it does not take more than a glance from a
potential visitor for it to stick in their minds.
The Essential Guide to Selecting a Domain Name, Part 2
Another important thing to understand is the working of
search engines and their users. Search engines are more likely to list your
domain name in search results if the name contains common search keywords for
the area of interest your site belongs to. This means that domain names such as
DoctorsPrescription.com and MedicineDiscounts.com will do quite well in search results for
their respective areas of interest.
On a similar note, the behavior of search engine users
must also be taken into consideration. Consider an average user of the Internet,
who after a brief search for web hosting has come across two sites:
bubbahost.com and
another one called TrueHosts.com. Unless bubbahost.com came through with a
terrific branding effort, the obvious choice would be TrueHosts.com.
Had the option been eBay.com instead
of joebob.com, our random surfer would have chosen eBay. Obviously, the power of
branding is greater than all others, provided you are willing to spend a great
amount of time, effort and money behind it. Hence in the battle of the domain
names, E-CommerceAdvertising.com would win on the counts of its job as a handle and as an
eye-catcher. EBay.com would win simply on the count of branding over time. Your decision
lies in the balance between them.
Credibility
It is easy to lose credibility in the search for the
perfect handle or eye-catcher. That is why it is important for you to recognize
the long-term importance of your domain name. Your domain name may seem to work
great as a 'traffic catcher' but may spoil your chance of ever becoming a
trusted entity online. This is especially true for sites that hope to venture
into e-commerce, where trust is more important than anything else. A bad domain
name, in this case, would be one that gives more emphasis to price over value,
to building traffic over building trust, to the short-term over the long-term.
Keep it Simple
Though this rule may seem the most obvious of the lot,
it is surprisingly also the most neglected one as well. The rule is that
regardless of how a person came across your domain name, when he or she sits in
front of a computer and wishes to type the domain name into the browser, it
should not be forgotten or misspelled.
So here are a few things to keep in mind about the
actual naming of the domain:
The words in the name should be simple. No confusing
spellings. You do not want to lose a customer just because they could not spell
the name of your site.
A lot of people will be coming to the site through
word of mouth. For this purpose, a domain name should be such that the spelling
and structure of the name are obvious. If you hear the name EssaySitesUSA.com you
are more likely to end up at EasySiteUSA.com.
Domain names are not case-sensitive. This means that
LouisianaTourGuide.com is the same as louisianatourguide.com. Someone reading the name of
your site may get lost within the vowels trying to decipher the name. You
can use both upper and lower case characters to visually separate or
highlight the words within a name for ease of reading to your potential
customer.
Till ICANN comes through with new TLD options, always
try for a .com extension to your domain name first, unless of course, you
actually qualify for a .org. The .net extension is fine if you already own the
.com version of it.
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