A domain name is the address that people use to get to your website and needs to be well thought out. Choosing the right domain name is more than seeing if it's available. It's about getting a name that's easy to remember and doesn't cause confusion. Follow this quick guide to help you make a better decision when registering your next domain.
1. Ask 5 people to spell your domain name.
How memorable and easy to spell is your domain name? If people can't figure out how to type your domain name, they could end up on some other website or even worse, on one of your competitor's sites. Here is a simple test to see if your domain name is easy to spell.
1. Gather five people (it's best if they are existing or potential customers that are likely to buy from you.) 2. Recite your domain name and ask them to write it down on a piece of paper. 3. Check their answers and make sure that all of them got it right.
Pay close attention to any questions you get after reciting the domain name. People asking you to repeat the name or asking if the word is singular or plural (As in TruckPart.com vs. TruckParts.com) is a good indicator that you might want to select a different name.
2. Is there anything similar that might cause confusion or reflect poorly on your business.
Expanding on Tip #1, you want to make sure that your domain name isn't easily confused with another brand, company or other website. You can thank the US government for a classic example of this. A visit to Whitehouse.gov is a totally different experience than if you use the .com ending. At one point in time this site was a pornography site, and today it shows advertisements for various products. In either case, it leads visitors to an unexpected result that is not your business.
An easy way to check for this is to see what exists on different variations of your website's name. For example, if you domain name is TruckParts.com, check out what you find on TruckPart.com, TruckPartz.com, TruckParts.net, .tv, etc. In some cases it may make sense for you to secure these other names if they are available to prevent future confusion.
3. Count the number of key-strokes it takes to type in your domain name.
HowManyLettersAreThereInYourDomainName.com? When it comes to choosing a domain name, it's best to subscribe to the KISS method. Keep-It-Simple-Stupid! The longer your domain name is, the more likely it is that someone will forget it or misspell it. Keeping your domain name less than 18 characters is a good rule of thumb, but it's not the end of the world if you end up with a few more than that. A longer domain name that is simple, is still better than one that breaks Tips #1 and #2 above.
4. Check for unnecessary hyphens
My rule: Leave the hyphens on your keyboard as they have little use in your domain name. When you choose a domain name with a hyphen, for the rest of eternity you're going to have to remind people that your domain name isn't WWW DOT TRUCKPARTS DOT COM it's WWW DOT TRUCK HYPHEN PARTS DOT COM. This dramatically increases the opportuntity for conusion and that's something we want to avoid.
Here's the exception: I'd rather have a domain name with a hyphen in it than one that's too long (#3), is easily confused (#2), or people can't spell (#1).
5. .COM, .NET, or What??
This is a big one. This question crosses our paths often. We'll commonly hear, “The .com address is not available, but the .net domain is, should I go with that instead?” Our answer is usually: “It depends!”
In most cases you want the .com address as that will be the ending that most people assume when typing in your domain name. The biggest threat to choosing a domain name with a .net extension is when your competitor occupies or could at some point acquire the space belonging to the .com. Assuming that your domain name follows the tips outlined in #1-#4, and there is a low chance for a compeitor to take the .com name, I see it alternate domain names as a safe choice.
Next time you're choosing a domain name, refer to this list. And, as always feel free to reach out for advice. We're here to help.
