What's in a name? Plenty, especially if you are marketing or selling online. A domain name provides an online identity and contact point for your business or organization. Marketers are so aware of the monetary value attached to names and their use on the Internet, domain name buying and selling has become a business in itself; some coveted domain names have been sold for more than a million dollars.
In fact, domain name squatting or hijacking that is, registering a brand-recognized internet address with the sole intent of selling it to the highest bidder has been the focus of many lawsuits.
It's not surprising, since domain names help build brand recognition in the same way that a business name or product name can. And, considering how people use the Internet often guessing an address based on a company name or product, a well-chosen domain address can increase an organization's website traffic and in turn, impact their bottom line.
That said, choosing an appropriate yet available name is no easy task in a saturated market - world-wide, registered domain names near five billion and counting.
Therefore, choosing the right domain name means balancing availability with brand recognition and user appeal.
Below, are some tips on how to choose and register an effective domain name for your website.
Choose a Memorable Domain Name
On the Internet, short, easy to remember names that relate to your core business work best. Nevertheless, simple, very short domains are often unavailable so, unless your company or product name is unique, you may have to create a two-word combination.
When choosing a name, keep in mind that you are not restricted to your registered business name. Therefore, although you may want to choose a name that contains all or part of your company name, alternately you may want to use the name of a product or service that you offer.
