Choosing a Domain Name: Some Dos and Don’ts

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Choosing a domain name may be one of the most important decisions an online business owner can make. The right domain name can become an asset that attracts a large number of paying customers to the site. The wrong one can confuse visitors, turn away traffic, and even lead to lawsuits. Read on to find out how to create a good domain name that will help your visitors remember your website and avoid the worst pitfalls.

If you are going to do any kind of business online, you need a domain name. That’s the easy part. The hard part is what kind of domain name to use. Should you stick with keywords, or try for something memorable you can brand, like Yahoo! and Amazon and others? Should you use numbers or hyphens? Will any of this give you an edge in the search engines or Web directories?

There is a great deal of conflicting advice, and not as much consensus as you would expect. The Internet is constantly changing. Search engines create new algorithms regularly that give weight to various aspects of a website in different ways, to achieve the most relevant listing of results for their users. Most online businesses will still be found through the search engines, so this may be a factor to consider.

This article aims to make some sense out of the confusion. There are some important things to consider when choosing a domain name. Some of them, if not taken into consideration, can lead to potential customers not remembering your name, or not taking your business seriously – which could lose you significant amounts of traffic. Some could have even worse effects, involving legal battles and other unpleasantness.

The key point to remember is that your company’s domain name is its online identity. You want something that is going to be memorable and respected; you want a name that is an asset, not a liability. With this in mind, here are some things to consider when choosing a domain name.

Next: Before you even choose your name >>
 

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Comments On: Choosing a Domain Name: Some Dos and Don’ts

· When I started researching what to consider when choosing a domain name, I had no...    · As more relevance is placed on the domain name in search results, it is important to...    · Thank you for bringing up these issues; that's a very good approach.    · Hi, I recently had a customer who had already registered her domain name as a .org...    · I'm not sure how common it is for people to violate the custom (and without...    · I'm with you on the .org and .net. Who knows what the .net is anymore. Keep...   >>> Post your comment now!