5 Rules for Choosing the Right Domain Name
Steps Leading to a Well-Chosen Domain Name
Half of any website’s success is based on a well-chosen domain name. It is not simply a matter of luck. There are unwritten rules which when followed will help guide you easily and safely through the process of choosing the right domain name for you!
1. A domain name should be easy to remember
For most frequent online users it is much easier to remember a "catchy" sounding domain name instead of creating a bookmark for it. Help your visitor remember it by choosing an easy-to-remember domain. This helps making sure that your website will be remembered first the next time a visitor need what you are offering.
2. It should be easy to type
Typing in words on the computer's keyboard is a daunting enough task for some of us, not to mention all the other gadgets that we use during these days. You should first type in the name yourself to see how easy or difficult it is. So, make it easy for your visitors to come back by making the name easy to type into your browser!
3. It should be as short as possible
This is a tough one to achieve because you want your domain name easy to remember as well as easy to type. However, it is a proven fact that your site will be more successful if the domain name is as short as possible. It is also important to consider that if the domain with one extension is already taken (ex. abc.com) but it's free with the other (ex. abc.eu), than it might worth choosing the free one, for the sake of shortness, remembering and easy typing.
4. It should be relevant
If you're not going for those domains created with some clever wording (like tumblr.com or twitter.com), you should consider using one or more relevant keywords for your website in the domain name. We can often see that for some members of professions or industries this is a self-evident choice to make. But many tend to forget this, or use it in the wrong way. The search engines (like Google) will reward you a better ranking for keyword relevance. In addition, your visitors will also remember your website much easier based on the right wording in your domain name.
5. Check for legal issues and infringements
As easy as it is to get a good domain name, you don’t want to loose it because of some legal infringement. You should always be on the safe side when it comes to your domain name. Before you register it, make sure you check the trademark databases or several other publicly available legal registries. Trust us on this one: it’s well worth the initial effort, because you could very easily loose some valuable time, effort, and possibly money, if you're unaware of infringements.