Published on 05/20/2006

Here are three tips to help you select an effective, memorable domain name.

3 Tips for Selecting a Domain Name

A good domain name can be like prime real estate; the most valuable ones -- the ones with easy name recognition -- may already be taken. With a bit of creative brainstorming, anyone can come up with a good, memorable, available name. Here are three tips to get you started.

====> 1. MAKE IT EASY FOR CUSTOMERS TO FIND AND REMEMBER.

o Can they say it?

o Can they spell it?

o Can they remember it?

o Shorter is better.

o Focus on names that end in .com and .net (and .org if you’re a non-profit)—all the other endings are useless.

o Be careful about punctuation and numbers: BlueToo, Blue2, BlueTwo, BlueTo, BlooToo, and Blue-Two all sound the same to the customer.

o Register common misspellings of your domain name.

Can't think of a good name that isn't already taken? Try this domain name suggestion tool: http://www.nameboy.com

====> 2. MAKE SURE YOU OWN IT.

I regularly talk to small business owners and even larger companies who are suprised to find out they don't own the domain name where their own web site is located. Check "WhoIs" (http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/ or http://whois.opensrs.net) and see who is listed as the owner of your domain name(s). You should be listed as the owner, not your web site designer (although it's fine if they're listed as a technical or administrative contact). If your web designer registered your domain name on your behalf, get this resolved right away. Make sure:

o you own your own domain name;

o your contact information is correct and current; and

o you have the current login and password to your domain name registry.

====> 3. GET IT CHEAP.

o GoDaddy (http://www.godaddy.com) offers names as low as $8.95 per name, per year.

o 000domains.com (http://www.000domains.com) -- the company I use -– offers names for $13.50 per year.