I don’t think that there are any hard rules as to how a domain name should be picked, so use the following points as a guideline for choosing your domain name:
- Use Keywords : Use keywords in the domain name that describe your site (if it makes sense). The domain name should suggest the nature of your product or service. A good domain name describes exactly what the site is about. It is important for a visitor to get an idea of what the website is about just by looking at the domain name
- Easy to remember : A domain name should be easy to remember because your visitors will want to type in the domain name in the web browser for revisits and if they can’t remember the domain name then you run the risk of losing potential traffic. It is also easier to spread the word of mouth when the domain name is easy to remember.
- Keep the domain name short : A domain name should be short with less than 10 characters. It also helps the “Easy to remember” point when the name is short. Although, these days it’s incredibly hard to get domain names that are short. Basically you don’t want to end up with a super long domain name .When the name gets too long it gets confusing and the name can be easily mistypes in the browser.
- Use hyphens if needed : Use hyphen (-) in between the words if needed for your domain name. If “www.domainname.com” is taken then you can try “www.domain-name.com”. Using hyphen(s) in between the words sometimes help to improve readability. It can also help in the Search engine rankings.
- Make it easy to type : Try to get a domain name that is easy to type (if you can). Easy to type domain names are good for branding.
- Think Local : If your business is local then think about adding your region, city or state in the domain name .Only does it if it makes sense though.
- Domain name extension : Try to get the “.com” Top Level Domain (TLD) extension as it is the most popular. It is also the most widely accepted domain name extension. When people think about a website, their mind automatically pictures “domain-name.com” as the address. You can also use the “.NET” and “.org” extensions if you cannot find a “.com” extension.
