You may have heard that it can be difficult to find available
names. That was true a few years ago, when domain names were
limited to only 22 characters, but since late 1999 the limit was
raised to 63. So fear not, all the good domain names are not
taken.

Ideally, you want a name that conveys your product or service.
Think of your domain name as your identity online. You want your
name to be eye-catching, yet simple and easy to remember.

As the first thing your visitor sees, your domain name gives
them their first impressions about you. The last thing you want
is your visitor to form a bad first impression. Here are some
general Do's and Don'ts when deciding on a domain name:

*Be Professional

The best domain names sound professional.
People are impressed by quality and value, but
above all else, they expect professionalism.
You want your domain to project a high level
of quality. The right domain name, coupled
with a quality product at a genuine value, will
not only prove you're a professional, you'll
also earn your customer's loyalty and trust.

*Get a .com extension

You should always try to obtain a .com extension
rather than .net, .org, .biz, etc. The reason
is most people will automatically add .com as
the extension when they type an internet address.
There is nothing wrong with owning other
extensions, but if you own a domain with a .net
extension without first owning the .com
extension, you will lose visitors.

*Use keywords

If your domain name contains common keywords,
you're likely to get a higher listing in the
search engines. Search engines list sites by
sending out "spiders" to constantly crawl from
website to website, going through every page
looking for keywords and cataloging what they
find for later listing. Once they decide to
list your site, they consider the domain name
as part of the ranking. If your domain contains
keywords, it will usually get a higher ranking.

*Don't use hyphens

Unless a word or phrase has a natural hyphen,
such as "real-time" or "soda-pop" leave it out.
They are harder to remember, and you will lose
visitors who either forget, or don't know about
the hyphen in the address.

*Don't misspell

The spelling and structure of your name should
be clear. If the visitor has heard of your site
through word-of-mouth, they will most likely
type in the incorrect address if you misspell
your domain. For example,
www.UltimateEntrepreneursGuide.com is obvious,
while www.UltimateEntrepreneurzGuide.com is not.
Replacing the "s" with a "z" at the end of a
word is fine if you are a pop band, but if you
do it in a domain name you'll only end up losing
most of your visitors to your competition with
the correct spelling.

*Be memorable

This is crucial. If people can't easily
remember your domain name, you won't get the
kind of traffic you need to be really successful.
Keep your potential visitors in mind, and try to
put yourself in their shoes when choosing a
domain. Write down as many names as you can
think of, and one by one ask yourself, "Would
I remember this domain name if I heard it on
the street?" When you can answer "yes" you've
found your domain name.

Registering your domain name is quick and easy. The entire
process usually only takes about 10 minutes once you've found an
available name.

Your name is your brand, so choose it wisely. The right domain
name could mean the difference between success and failure.

Copyright (c) 2002 eMoney Enterprises ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


About the Author
Dave Barrett is editor of the Internet marketing
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