It is an established fact that a good domain name is essential for the success of your website. Domain names have often been termed as ‘the real estate property of the Internet’ and making a wise investment in a good domain name can spell success for your online business. So what are the essential characteristics that make a good domain name? Listed below are some of the general requirements that have to be taken into consideration before choosing a name for your domain.
Make sure your domain name is short: It is always preferable to choose a short domain name. Long domain names are more difficult to type into a browser and people make more mistakes when they have to type in a long URL. The thumb rule is to stay below 10 characters and never exceed 20.
Ensure that you get a .com extension: A .com extension is the most popular extension that people identify with. Unless you’re an organization (and have to go with an .org extension) or a company that wants to target a local geographical location (.in, .co.uk, .au), it is always advisable to go in for a .com domain.
Check if the name is easy to spell: As many Internet users do not use bookmarks, it is important that a user should not misspell your address and end up elsewhere. To avoid this choose a commonly used spelling and stay away from words that have complex pronunciation, unusual foreign words, strange combinations of letters or anything else that might cause someone to misspell your address.
Take care that the name is memorable: It is significant that people remember your domain name as you can’t always expect people to follow links to the site and never type the name into a browser’s location field. So make sure that the domain name you choose is a memorable one.
Be sure your domain name contains related keywords: Since many visitors are bound to come to your website through search engines or via direct links from other websites, it is vital that your domain name gives visitors an idea of what your site is about even before they enter it. Additionally, the use of related keywords would also help your search engine rankings.
Make certain that it doesn’t contain hyphens or numbers: Using a hyphen in your domain name makes it difficult for people to remember the hyphen when they type the name, often leading them to a wrong site. In the case of numbers people may confuse the numeral for the spelling. Instead of typing ‘2’ they may type ‘two’.
Test if the name is unique and identifiable: A domain name should be unique enough to identify the website. By making sure that your domain name is unique, you create a distinct identity by which your website is easily recognized.
Try if your domain name is manually reproducible: Check and see if your domain name is easy to type. This is an important aspect that should not be overlooked unless the domain name is reachable through other means such as backlinks or through shortcuts from desktops or software CD’s.
Verify if it’s sociable: With social media being an integral part of the Internet, it is essential to ensure the name you choose has a Twitter handle, Facebook username etc., as this will add value to your domain name.
Make sure your domain name is special: Finally your domain name should be special and mean something to you. Even if you have to leave out a couple of points from above, the domain name you choose should be ‘special’ to you or the company you represent.
