Tips and articles
Choosing the right domain name!
In the world of e-commerce, owning a professional sounding domain name is paramount. Even the smallest of traders recognise the need; it adds that sparkle of professionalism to your product or service.
And perhaps more importantly, it'll fit snugly on your business card, as opposed to www.aol.com/members/BobShop/~catalogue/order.html
Yet with the zillions of names already registered, how can you choose a good one?
I recently attempted to purchase the domain www.BuyABit.com for my new online gift store. I briefly discussed the plan with our big wigs this end - returning ten minutes later, credit card in hand, ready to buy the name. And hey nonny nonny, it'd been taken. Argh!
What else could I use? Certainly, www.buy-a-bit.com - but it sounded too unprofessional. And our Christmas business couldn't get its hands on www.christmasshop.com, www.estore.com, www.store2000.com, www.yorkshire.com, www.framed.com, www.landshop.com.... the list goes on. And on.
In the end, I managed to obtain www.ForeverFramed.com - catchy, don't you think? In English, the use of two words next to one other, each beginning with the same letter is known as alliteration. But more importantly, it's a cool memory aid.
The moral of the story? Don't forget that when searching for a domain, explore the possibilities. Here are my top tips for choosing a unique and memorable domain, even in today's cluttered Web:
- The "THE" Word - Try adding the word "the" before object names. For example, www.thepressoffice.com as opposed to www.pressoffice.com
- Buzz Words - Place e-words such as "wired" before the required name, or perhaps "online" or "hotel" after it.
- Alliterate! - Using two words beginning with the same letter aids the memory - ForeverFramed.com is easier to remember than YorkshireChristmas.com
- The Shorter the Better - Never underestimate the memory span of the average surfer. RobinLloydAssociates.co.uk ain't a good choice!
- Swap and Change - If ForeverFramed.com wasn't available, I could've tried FramedForever.com...
- No-No Characters - Don't use hyphens (-) or underscores (_) in domain names! It's uncool and unmemorable!
- Dot Com It - Always go for the .com option before trying .net, .org, or country-specific domains
- Rebrand - If you're launching an online counterpart to your existing business, why not rebrand to meet the new-age Net? Invent a fresh, wacky name! Domains such as TheMadCow.com are commonplace in the wired world...
Happy Registering!
About the author
KARL MOORE (www.karlmoore.com) is head honcho of White Cliff Computing, a UK computer consultancy. He also manages the online division of White Cliff, christened the MP-Network.
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