| 1.
DO know the domain name format. Domain names can generally be
between 2 and 63 characters long (not including the extension),
and contain the characters a-z, 0-9 and '-' (hyphen). Domain
names cannot start or end with '-' (hyphen). Domain names are
not case sensitive and should generally be displayed in all
lowercase. You can now also register multi-lingual domain names. |
| 2.
DO know your target audience. Choose domain names that are appropriate
for them. Depending on who you are targeting this could mean
choosing names that sound sincere, cool, current, active, professional,
or that use key words from the industry for example. |
| 3.
DO keep domain names short and simple. Generally, the shorter
the domain name the easier it is to remember or write down,
and the less chance of users noting and remembering it incorrectly.
Restrict the domain name to one, two or three words at most.
(The one exception to this is the next tip). All other things
being equal, give preference to words with fewer syllables and
words that are easy to pronounce. Short is good, but don't use
difficult to remember acronyms, such as qmxf. |
| 4.
DO register a long domain name containing a list of relevant
words for your web site to achieve a higher ranking in some
search engines. Several of the major search engines rank web
sites much higher if the search terms are contained in the domain
name. You can use up to 63 characters to create a long domain
name with keywords and automatically redirect visitors to the
real web site. |
| 5.
DO use the appropriate pluralization. For example, newhomes.com
is probably better than newhome.com if the web site is not relating
to "a" particular home. |
| 6.
DO use words that can be visualized. Vision is the strongest
of human senses. Even better, use words that involve several
of the 5 senses. This usually involves choosing more common
nouns (names or objects), verbs (actions), and adjectives (descriptions).
For example, the word "fire" is easily imagined. It
includes strong cues in four of the five senses - visual (red
and yellow flames), auditory (crackling and other noises), feeling
(heat), and smell (smoke). |
| 7.
DO plan for the future. If you are planning on releasing other
products or services from this domain name in the future then
don't limit the relevance to the initial product or service.
That being said Internet marketing experts believe that your
web site should have only one subject or focus. All products
or services listed on the web site should be related. A web
site with a broad focus is not as appealing to someone who is
looking for particular information. |
| 8.
DO register the domain name in the correct global or country
level domain. For universal appeal use a .com, .org, or .net
domain. For local appeal use an appropriate domain in your country,
such as .ca, or one of the new choices like .biz, or .info Note
that many domains have restrictions on what domain names can
be registered. In some domains you can only use a name that
is derived from a registered business or organization name. |
| 9.
DO check that you are not infringing on an existing trademark
or other name that rightfully belongs to another company or
individual. An available domain name does not necessarily give
you the right to register and use it. |
| 10.
DON'T use hyphens between words if possible. A domain name with
hyphens is harder to describe when said aloud. It is commonly
accepted that a domain name with multiple words does not include
hyphens. |
| 11.
DON'T use confusing spelling. If your domain is targeted at
a worldwide audience then stay away from words that are spelt
differently throughout the world, such as words ending in ize(US)/ise(UK).
This also applies to many words that have different meanings
throughout the world. Some common English words are even offensive
in other languages. |
| 12.
DON'T choose domain names that are very similar to others if
possible. After all, you want customers coming to you, not your
competitors! An exception to this rule is if you register the
domain name of a commonly misspelt word, in the hope of catching
additional customers. |
| We
hope that these tips have been of some benefit to you. Save
or print them and use them as a checklist when registering your
next domain name. |
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