How do I choose a domain name?

Your domain name is your unique address on the Web. It's the vehicle that helps friends, associates or customers find you or your business online. When you pick your domain name, keep the following tips in mind:

• Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and hyphens ("-"). Spaces and other symbols, like underscores, are not allowed, and domains cannot begin or end with a hyphen. Domain names are not case sensitive. They can be between 3 and 63 total characters, not including the domain extension. People who do not know your domain name may try to guess what it is. This is especially the case if your domain name represents a business online (e.g. your-company-name.com). For this reason, it's in your interest to choose a domain that matches your company name, or is a logical abbreviation. If your web site is based around a specific brand or subset of your products, you may prefer to choose a domain name based on that brand or product. Of course, you can always register more than one domain name to ensure customers will find you.



• Try to register the .com version of your name first because that is the most well-known domain name extension. If .com is taken then consider using .net, .org (for noncommercial use), .us, .info, or .biz. You may want to make sure that companies who own the other extensions for the same domain name have professional and reputable sites, as your customers may accidentally visit their sites. Keep your domain name short-but not too short. Shorter names can be easier to remember, but only up to a point. Be careful not to abbreviate your name so much that it becomes unrecognizable. If you must use abbreviations, focus on the one or two words that have the most impact, and work your abbreviations around those words.



• Choose a domain that is easy to say, understand, remember, type, and spell. For example, you may not want to select www.scents.com because it could be confused with www.cents.com or www.sense.com when said over the phone or radio. Be sure to test out potential names with friends before making your final selection.



• If your first choice is not available, try rearranging the word order, using synonyms, adding hyphens, including locations, or using abbreviations to come up with a unique alternative. WDBC also provides a domain name recommendation tool called Name Spin that can help you come up with additional options.



• Once you've found the perfect domain name, protect it and your brand from infringements by registering the same name with different extensions (additional charges apply). For example, if your primary domain name is your-company-name.com, consider registering variations such as your-company-name.net and your-company-name.biz to keep them out of the hands of your competitors. You can also register domain names similar to yours with slightly different spellings or hyphens so if web surfers inaccurately type in your domain name, they'll still be able to locate you online. Domain forwarding will allow you to point these additional names to your primary domain name.

Matthew J. Cook is President of Web Design by Cookie. Web Design by Cookie (WDBC) offers low cost domain name registrations including the six most popular domain extensions for under $15.00 per year.