What's in a name? Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo, Gucci, Ford, how do they sound? The minute you heard any of those names something clicked in your mind that you could identify them with. Each of them have gone on to become household names throughout America and around the world. Let me remind you that none of them started at the place that they are today.
The name you select for your business and domain can have great impact on its success. This is probably one of the first major decisions that you have to make. Often times just the sound of a business name can lead customers to it or drive them away. I'm sure you would not like to invest your money in "Bob's Bank & Lending".
On the World Wide Web names are of great importance. Can you imagine being in the photography industry and you are the owner of Photograph.com? Well it is being said that, in 2008 that domain sold for $195,000 at a live auction. One, two & three word domains are being sold at eye opening prices everyday.
Don't be alarmed, because I don't believe all the great names are already taken. If you allow your creative power to kick in and exercise your imagination you can come up with some powerful domain names for the niche you choose.
If your company name is SG Limited. SG alone does not really say what your company does or is about. Let's say that you plan to sell sports gear at a reduced priced. SG will not help people online nor the search engines to know what your company is about.If you choose a domain like www.sglimited.com that won't help much either. How about choosing a domain name like www.cheapsportsgear.com? That will help better describe your company and it's unique selling position. This can also help you gain popularity among the search engines.
Factors to Consider
When choosing your domain name consider these 4 things :
Use your main keyword in your domain name. If your niche topic is pet supplies, aim to get those words into your domain name.
Try to keep it as short as possible. Long domain names can make it difficult for people to remember.
Avoid using dashes in your domain name. If the name www.cheapsportsgear.com isn't available and you buy www.cheap-sports-gear.com, you will likely be paying for advertisers to send YOUR customers to the person that has the domain without the dashes.
If you do find a good domain buy it, and also buy the dashed version to keep others from getting it.
How To Choose A Domain Name
Keep these 4 things into mind to choose a memorable domain name:
Make it easy for users to remember. Examples are the sportsshop.com, mysportsshop.com or dogtraining101.
It should suggest the nature of your product or service. If you have to take the longer domain name to keep your keyword then do it. Search engines and customers will be able to find you easier.
It should be able to stand as a strong trademark. This prevents competitors from using your business name or buying a similar domain name in order to steal customers.
It must be free of legal conflicts with trademarks belonging to other businesses. Laws are in place that forbid using brand names that are owned by others. A domain name like sportsgearbynike.com could cause some trouble for you as it comes to the attention of Nike. You could end up spending a lot of money in court trying to defend yourself.
Domain Suggestion Tools
It may seem an impossible task to find a good domain with over 46 million domain names already registered. Here are some sites where you can find some domain suggestion tools:
Domain Tools: http://domain-suggestions.domaintools.com/
BustAName : http://www.bustaname.com/
DomainIt: http://www.domainit.com/domain-suggest-tool.mhtml
Dynadot : http://www.dynadot.com/domain/suggest.html
NameTumbler: http://www.nametumbler.com/
Webconfs.com: http://www.webconfs.com/keyword-rich-domain-suggestions.php
Checking Availability and Registering Your DomainNever forget that your domain name is your business's website address. No two domain names are the same. Just like two houses in the same town cannot be at the same address, two websites cannot have the same internet address.
Going to a domain registrar like NameCheap is another way to check the availability of a domain name. They also give you the option to buy once you see a domain name you like. Depending on your budget you also have the opportunity to buy similar ones. It is highly recommend you use .com extension for your business.
When you decide to register it may be better to select the two year option. The reason for this is Google and other search engines view these short registration as "fly by night" operations. They may treat you as an outcast.
Improve your chances of success and see what is available. You can do a quick search on NameCheap.com for a good domain name.