So now that you have a general idea of how to go about ordering a domain, here are some tips on creating a domain that not only defines you or what you do, but can easily be remembered or indexed. Some are more important than other in some cases. Remember, these are just suggestions you can go by. You do not need to see them as rules you must abide by.
1. Stick with “.com”
The .com TLD (top-level domain) is by far the most widely accepted extension for a domain name. For obvious reasons it is also the easiest to remember. When you tell someone to go to your site in most cases they are going to think "name/business name.com" so try to stick with a .com if you can. It is also a good idea to never buy an alternative TLD if your first name pick is being used as a .com, because if you want mydomain.com, but it is already taken and you just go with mydomain.net well in most cases you will probably be driving your own viewers to a competitors site as they will more than likely mistake it for a .com. However, if you run a business that is based in a country outside of the United States then it can be smart to use a local TLD (.uk for the United Kingdom, .au for Australia, .ca for Canada, .de for Germany, .cn for China, etc.) however again, make sure that the .com is not already taken as well.
2. One Possible Spelling
Try to find a domain name that only has one possible spelling. Most people cannot spell so make it easy for your website visitors to remember by choosing a domain name without a confusing spelling.
3. Shorter is Better
The shorter your domain name is then the easier it is for your visitors to remember, the easier it is for your visitors to type, and the easier it is for your visitors to tell others about your domain name. All of these are good things. 6 to 10 consecutive letters is a good place to be.
4. No Hyphens
In short, hyphens can really get someone lost. Not to mention, it is more of a task to embed the hyphen into someones memory. If mydomain.com is taken and you decide to just order my-domain.com because it is available, there is a great chance you will end up getting people lost at mydomain.com
5. Other Extensions
If you find the perfect domain name ending in .com then it usually is a great idea to pick up other extensions like .net, .org, .info, .us, etc. as you can park these domains to point to your actual account to pickup any visitors that just may happen to type in a different extension. In addition, it also helps protect your site in case you become the next big internet sensation and someone tries to purchase another extension of your domain.
6. Keep it Singular
This rides on the same concept as avoiding hyphens. If mydomain.com is taken and you pick mydomains.com there is another great chance you will be sending your traffic to mydomain.com as most domains today are cingular, not plural. This is not so much the case when it comes to picking keyword rich domains.
7. Price
Price is not much of a factor, because if you need it you need it. If someone owns a domain you want but you clearly see it is not in use and there are no other options in terms of choosing a domain, go ahead and run a WHOIS to find the owner and communicate your interest in obtaining the domain.
8. Keyword Rich
This does not make a huge impact on SEO, but it can help. For instance, if people are searching for Texas motor events, then there is a great chance that texasmotorevents.com would be a great domain to buy for the mere fact that it is exactly what people are searching for.
9. Type-In-Traffic
This is when someone navigates directly to a website by simply typing in what they are looking for and then “.com” on the end into their URL bar in their browser. This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip of keyword rich domains.
10. Avoid Numeral Substitutions
It just really does not work. Tell someone your site is advanc3.com and you are guaranteed confusion.
11. Avoid Slang
This is the same reason as avoiding numeral substitutes. For instance, ursite.com is a bad subsitute for yoursite.com
12. Brandable
When the internet first came around nobody knew what a Google, Yahoo, or Facebook was going to be. But now they do and it is highly brandable. Try not to go crazy and creating a 'wild' domain but it does not hurt to go creative in hopes for future branding.
13. Easily Understood
This basically sums up avoiding plural words, words with multiple spellings, and numeral substitutions. Make sure your domain is something that can be remembered and passed along by word of mouth. Ask a group of friends or people you trust to weigh in on opinions.
14. Copyright Issues
This is just common sense really. If you go for a domain named stretchhosting.com well, let's just say Snappy will be coming after you.
15. Use a Thesaurus
Look for alternative words if something is already taken. This is a great way to come up with a creative name, however, make sure your alternative word is something that can be remembered and can be spelt properly.
16. Industry Relation
If you are selling products or offering services online then it is a great idea to use a domain that is related to your industry. This is a secondary "fall-back" if you cannot find a domain for your actual business name. In an instance like this, these types of domains are better suited for online sources or communities.
17. Brainstorm
Take your time, put some real thought into it. If you have a business partner or someone you closely trust then sit down and just brainstorm a name. In most cases you will already have a name if your site is going to be business related.
