Choosing A Domain Name

by Charles Taylor

The domain name is like the road-front sign for a Web site. For
this reason care should be exercised when choosing a domain
name. A good domain name can attract traffic while an
irrelevant domain name may end up getting ignored by potential
customers.

The domain names that are most memorable are those that are
made of three to six characters. This makes them easy to
remember and easy to type. Long or complicated names run the
risk of being remember or spelled incorrectly. This can result
in the customer not finding the correct Web site or worse:
finding a competitor's Web site.

The domain name should relate to business the Web site
represents. The object is to irrevocably link the concept of
the business and the domain name in the customer's mind. If the
business sells light bulbs and domain name is "bulb", customers
are likely to remember that.

It is usually a good 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 locate the Web site. If it is a new company the
domain name should be selected to describe company.

Avoid using hyphens in a domain name, as they are difficult to
remember. Also keep in mind that domain names without a hyphen
have a higher resale value than to those that have a hyphen.

Sometimes numbers are used in domain names. This can work well
if it makes a domain name easy to remember. However, it should
be avoided if the numbers are used phonetically. For using the
number four to replace the word "for" can serve to confuse
people.

Only the owner of a trademark should register a domain name
that includes that trademark. Registering a domain name that
infringes a trademark can lead to costly legal battles.

The owners should always register their own domain names. Don't
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
countless potential problems. For example, 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 Num

About The Author: Charles Taylor writes for several online
magazines, including http://dilut. com and http://mudof. com