The Secrets of Choosing a Domain Name

Choosing the proper domain name is an art. A good one is easy to remember, reflects your brand, and inspires trust in people. A bad one can be confusing, hard to type into the address bar, or boring. I’ve purchased many a domain name over the years, and here are my most useful tips.

• Register for a “.com” address when you buy a domain name. If it’s not available in the name you want, choose another name that is available. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred times, people will add a “.com” to the end of your domain name when entering it in the address bar, expecting you to have a com name. It you buy a “.net” domain name or something else, they may not be able to find you. There are some legitimate times to choose other than .com, such as if you qualify as a government entity.
• Before buying the domain name, do an internet search for the name (minus the .com) and see if someone is already using it in another capacity. I usually also do an online search with the secretary of state in my state to see if someone else has claimed it as a business name in case I want to do so. The US Patent and Trademark Office is also helpful. If you see any conflicts with your potential domain name and you may want to check with an attorney if you still want to use that exact name. You don’t need a legal battle up the road.
• There are a couple of ways to go when choosing an actual name for your domain name registration. You can choose a cool, trendy name that can be memorable if you do enough brand marketing. It may or may not make it obvious what your site is actually about. The other road is to choose a name the makes it easy for someone to guess what your site is about, but also has something interesting or humorous about it. You can try adding a cool animal name or a color into your domain name. This can often work. I also look at lists of idioms or wise old sayings for inspiration, such as “from pillar to post” or “every dog has his day.” A variation on these can often work to inject humor or nostalgia into your name. Another tip is to search for brand-naming companies. You can look at their portfolio and see how they put words together for a name. Come up with a large list, because chances are that many of these names will be taken.
• Once you have a list of names that you like, do a search at a domain name seller. You can do that at Bluehost. Sometimes you register a domain name at your hosting company, or you can simply buy the domain name separately from the hosting. Be aware that your domain name purchase can move separately from your hosting, can stay with the original company or can be transferred (usually requiring a renewal fee.) Sometimes you can get a free domain name or cheap domain with a web hosting package. Bluehost, one of my favorite hosting companies, offers a free domain with hosting. Whichever way you go, be certain to choose a registrar accredited by InterNIC.
• When purchasing your domain name, be sure to look into purchasing ID Protect, Domain Privacy, or something similar, at the same time. This hides your name, address and email address from prying eyes. Otherwise, all of the data on you as owner/administrator of the site will be available online. One of the worst consequences of this is that your email address will be scraped by spambots and you will get an influx of spam.
• Once you find a domain name you like and it’s available, purchase it right away. You never know how soon it will disappear. The cost for domain registration is usually less than $10/year. You can sign up for multiple years for a cheaper rate, or sign up for auto-renew. I also add the renewal date to my calendar so I’m sure not to lose the name.

Once you purchase a domain name, you are on your way to having your own website. I usually like to create a header around my domain name as a first step to designing a site. You can hire a graphic designer for this or find a site that lets you generate your own logo. Pick colors and a feel that will set the tone for your whole website. Next step, purchasing hosting for your site. Here are my reviews for my favorite hosting companies.