What’s in a name? Everything. How to choose your domain

The domain name chosen for a business website is an important decision. The name should not be

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selected carelessly because if a poor name is chosen, it’s not likely to be memorable. In the long-run, this could impact the brand name and overall visibility.

When thinking about domain name considerations it is important to keep a few factors in mind. A good way to do this is to ask a few questions:

• What kind of products or services is the company offering?
• Is the proposed name catchy? Will people remember it?
• Does the name reflect the business? In other words, does it make sense in relation to what the business is offering?
• Is it unique enough where it won't be confused with other businesses that have comparable names? Especially competitors.

After these questions are answered, the domain name choices can be narrowed down until the right one is identified. Here are a few tips:

Keep the name short

With website URLs, less is more. The name selected should be easy to remember and one that isn't too wordy. All it takes is one typo and a whole different website can show up. The key is to create a straight and to the point name that customers can easily find and be able to spell.

Domain name should reflect the business

The name chosen should not only be short (and catchy if possible), it should also reflect the type of business. Ideally, the name selected should describe the business in a short phrase. Personal names are OK to include, but "Ralphsstore.com" doesn't really help customers figure out products.

On the other hand, a name like "Ralphshardwarestore.com" would quickly give customers a good idea of what they are looking at.  Additionally, a clearly defined name will also help Web searchers find what they are looking for when they plug key phrases into search engines.

Domain extension

Most commercial websites select a .com for their website, however, there are other ones that are available that may be better suited for a website depending on the nature of the organization. Keep in mind whatever extension is chosen should reflect this.

Check registries

After a good name and domain extension has been determined, there is a chance the name is already registered to another company. Unfortunately, as large as the combinations of words to choose are, the Web is a vast space with about a billion websites. Businesses can easily check whether or not a name is already registered through many different websites. Domain names can also be purchased as well.

The name chosen for a company website is important. The Web address selected reflects the brand and will play a pivotal part in making a stamp in online commerce spaces. Online presences are critical to today's businesses as the percentage of consumers turn to the Internet to meet their needs.