Domain names are how average people like you and me get around the internet. We type Google.com in the address bar and in a few seconds there it is on our screen. Now, you have decided you want to have your own domain name, for your business, perhaps or maybe just a personal site. To keep visitors coming back, you are going to want a domain that is short, easy to remember, and so on. Here are a few helpful hints.

     First off, I’d say the most important aspect of choosing a domain name is the length. For your domain to be remembered, it needs a short name. Think about it, how much easier is it to remember google.com than idonotrememberwhatmydomainis.com? A user will most likely not remember the second domain because it is too long or they will forget a small part of it such as the section  “what is” or the word “is” at the end. Your domain should be a maximum of eight letters. Too keep a domain short, try not to use too many words in it. Maybe use one or two like coolhats.com instead of buyawesomecoolhats.com. Also, you can keep a your domain short by being simple and to the point.

     Your domain should be simple and to the point. If you intend to sell bath towels, do not name your site sarasbathroomproducts.com. That domain is too long (however it does make sense so it could be an okay use) and too general. Instead pick something like sarastowels.com. That makes it short, simple, and to the point and most importantly people will remember it.

     Keeping your domain easy to remember is a huge challenge. There are too many sites with numbers and letters combined like 4j5kites.com. My advice is to stay away from numbers. Unless you intend to use 1-2-3 (in that order); I would stay away from numbers. They will most often confuse the user. We have enough numbers, dates, and such going through our heads as it is.

     Use a Dot Com domain rather than .net, .cc, .ca, etc. The majority of internet users will remember dot com domain names much better than any other domain. Why is this? Most if not all of the “large” sites and companies like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. have .com extensions. My advice is to use a dot com.  

     One last tip, do not use your personal name as the domain name. Fact is, most last names are hard to spell and confusing. Do not pick something like larrypassanter.com for your site. Instead, use something such as larrysite.com. It is much simpler and easier to remember.

     There you have it! Five tips on choosing a domain name. Keep it short, to the point, simple, and you will be on your way to a better success with your site.