The domain name is similar to the road-front sign for a Web site. For this reason, care should be exercised when selecting a domain name. A good domain name can attract traffic while an irrelevant domain name may end up getting ignored by potential clients.
Keep in mind, the domain names that are most memorable are those that are made of three to six characters. This makes them easy to type and easy to remember. Complicated or long names run the risk of being not remembered or spelled incorrectly. This can result in the client not finding the correct web site or even worse: finding a competitor’s web site.
The domain name should be related to the business the web site represents. The objective is to irrevocably connect the concept of the business and the domain name in the customer’s mind. If the business sells light bulbs and the domain name is “bulb”, of course, customers are likely to remember that.
It is usually an excellent idea to use the company’s name as the domain name, provided it is well known and not challenging to type accurately into a web browser. This makes it easy for customers to find the web site. If it is a new company, the domain name should be chosen to describe company.
In addition, avoid using hyphens in a domain name, as they are difficult to remember. Also remember that domain names without a hyphen have a higher resale value than those that have a hyphen.
Occasionally, numbers are used in domain names. This can work well if it makes a domain name easy to recall. It should, however, be avoided if the numbers are used phonetically. Also, using the number four to replace the word “for” can just serve to confuse people.
Only the owner of a trademark should, in fact, register a domain name that includes that trademark. Registering a domain name that infringes a trademark can lead to costly legal disputes.
Keep in mind, the owners should always register their own domain names. Never allow the domain name to be registered through a web host, even if they offer this as a free service. Too often this ends up in the domain name being registered in the web host’s name, causing numerous potential problems. For instance, should it become desirable to change web hosts at some future date the current host may refuse to transfer the domain name, or may demand a fee. While it’s possible to report such action to the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the trouble and effort can easily be avoided by simply avoiding the potential problem in the first place.
Tagged with: domain name • home business
Filed under: Home Business - MYO