Choosing good domain names is not an absolutely exact science. This is because the Search Engines keep secret the details of the calculation they make when assessing how highly a website should rank in their search engine rankings (the calculation is known as the ‘search engine algorithm’). You will therefore discover some disagreement over certain elements of the process of choosing a good domain name if you search online.
Search Engines, such as Google, will take the domain name into account when ranking the website in their search results.
This article describes some key considerations and guide you towards making the right decisions for your particular circumstances, with the aim of helping you to choose good domain names that will attract maximum amounts of internet traffic.
Think of Five Top Keywords
When you first begin your domain name search, it helps to have five terms or phrases in mind that best describe the domain you’re seeking. Once you have this list, you can start to pair them or add prefixes & suffixes to create good domain ideas. For example, if you’re launching a hair salons-related domain, you might start with words like “hair dresser, hair stylist, hair care, professional hair salons, hair and beauty ” then play around until you can find a good match.
Make it simple and memorable
Avoid using abbreviations, hyphens or anything that could put your visitors in doubt how to spell or say it. If you can, choose domain name with less than three words. If you need to register a name with three words or more, use hyphens, but do it with caution. Domain name should be easy to remember. This is especially important when people try to find you the second time. The easiest way to follow this rule is to read your name over the phone to your friend and see if he got it right. If you have to explain anything then you might have a problem.
Make the Domain Unique
Having your website confused with a popular site already owned by someone else is a recipe for disaster. Avoid domains that are simply the plural, hyphenated or misspelled version of an already established domain.
Avoid Trademarks
Try to avoid using names that include well-known trademarks. For example, if you register a domain name with “Facebook” somewhere in the name, you might soon be receiving an email from Facebook’s legal department asking you to surrender the name.
Create and Fulfil Expectations
When someone hears about your domain name for the first time, they should be able to instantly and accurately guess at the type of content that might be found there. Some excellent examples are domain names like Hotmail.com, CareerBuilder.com, AutoTrader.com and WebMD.com. Domains like Monster.com and Amazon.com required far more branding because of their un-intuitive names.
BusinessZoom can assist you in choosing your domain name. Upon logging into your Business Dashboard, we will advise a domain for you. Alternatively you can choose your custom domain name using our Domain Name Checker tool available on Business Dashboard or Web Dashboard.
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4 comments
Shane Muirsmith says:
January 26, 2012 at 11:37 am (UTC 10 )
An excellent article. Short but nicely explained. My question is, what if the domain name I really want is already taken?
BZoom Consultant says:
January 26, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC 10 )
Well, if your heart is already set on a particular name, you can try buying it from the current owner. Whilst there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to acquire the domain, and even if the owner is willing to sell, it could cost you anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars. If you still want to give it a try, you can visit the domain name and see if the owner is looking to sell the domain. It might already have a link to where you can make an offer. Alternatively, you can try sites that offer domain names for sale. For example:
https://auctions.godaddy.com/
http://www.sedo.com/
Hope this helps.
T. Bones says:
January 28, 2012 at 10:12 am (UTC 10 )
i wanna hide my email address on my domain registration details so that the public won’t be able to see it. any tips?
BZoom Consultant says:
January 28, 2012 at 11:46 pm (UTC 10 )
Unfortunately, when you register a domain, your e-mail address will be visible to the world via the whois data. This could result in unwanted spams. Most domain registrars offer something called “whois privacy” or “private registrations” (usually for a small additional fee). This service will obscure your e-mail address in whois results. However it still keep your e-mail linked to your domain in your registrar’s database (so they can still send you renewal reminders). If you’re concerned about spam and/or don’t have a good spam filter, you may want to use the privacy option.
Hope this helps.