Domain Names
The Domain Name is your name on the web. There can
only be one of each and the good ones disappear fast. Often
you will not be able to find one that mirrors your business
name. Your job is to create one that is exactly like your
business name or is close to it. Often shortening
parts of your business name works and often you will need to
be creative and come up with something that reflects your
business and your name. An example would be if your business
was Google Objects, Inc. Google.com is the domain name of
the search engine many of us use to search the web and is
not available for use. Adding Objects to the name would
create problems for you and those searching for you.
Depending on the name you have options to choose extensions
other than .com, such as .net or .biz. If the name already
used is a popular one the .net or .biz could be taken just
to insure that .com will be the one people use for that
site. The hard part now comes to create a name that is not
similar to the one already in use and that those searching
for you won't misspell or abbreviate and not get your web
site. Possible solution could be goobject.com. Try not
to use hyphens, they often present problems for people
searching for a web site. Below are some suggestions for
good domain names. Boxwebs can assist you in a search
for a domain name, give us a call or email us.
Good Domain Names
Name is short.
Of course, short is harder and harder to
find. Short is important for several reasons. It's easy to fit into logos,
makes a better brand, is more easily recognizable, and is harder to misspell.
Long is not better, unless you also want to get a domain that spells out
your company name in its entirety.
Name is memorable.
You remember generic names, such as
Art.com and Garden.com. But you also remember more unique names such as
Amazon.com, Google.com, and FogDog.com. Putting together strange
combinations of words is fun and can be very productive. It helps if it
rhymes like FogDog, or repeats sounds such as Google. Say your prospective
domain name out loud to listen to its sounds. Whatever your domain name, it
should stick in the mind.
Name isn't easily confused with others.
In our desperation
to find a domain name we accept hyphenated names, .net substitutes, and put
"the" in front of word. The problem is confusion. Trademark laws are
designed to prevent customer confusion. If the holder of a similar domain
name is first to trademark his combination, it could threaten your domain
name, or at least your ability to use it as a brand. Be sure to check with
the
US Patent and Trademark database . Another
consideration is how you'll need to say your domain name over the phone. If
you always have to say "spelled tip-hyphen-top.com" you'll soon wish you'd
left out the hyphens. Do your best to find a name that can't be confused.
Name is hard to misspell.
If people can misspell something,
they will. The longer and more complex your domain name, the harder it is
for your customers to type it in correctly. Many of them can't type well to
start with, so to type in a long name may lose you lots of business. Some
times it pays to purchase the misspellings of a domain name, too. Poachers
can be driven off by lawsuits if you have trademark protection, but you
don't want that hassle.
Name relates to your business name or core business.
This
one's pretty obvious. It's best if your domain name can be guessed from your
company name. But in your search for a domain name, don't give up if you
can't find the domain for your exact business name. Find functional names,
names that describe your uniqueness, names that express an emotion or
attitude
Name sounds solid to your target customers.
Try to stick to
.com extension if possible, .net in a pinch. Two letter extensions denote
countries as in .uk (England) or .fr (France).
