Before you buy a domain from Network Solutions or any other company that will allow you to register the URL of your choice, you need to sit back and take the time to really settle on the right name. The options are pretty much limitless, so the choice is all up to you, but you need to get the right one or you could face some serious issues in the future of your website. Do not just pick the first thing that you think of or try to come up with a name on the fly, while you are registering it. Do it in advance, using these three tips to help you on your way.
1. Stay away from names that are similar to established websites.
If you are trying to do something similar to what a large, well-known site is already doing, you may be tempted to make their name into a plural and register it yourself. You may also want to make other little changes, like keeping the same work but spelling it slightly differently. Your reasoning is that the name worked for them, so it should work for you. This is actually going to lead you to disaster because people are going to confuse the sites and naturally go to the one that is larger. You are going to be so overshadowed that you will never be found.
2. Use the right ending.
When you pick the end for your domain name, choosing .com is the only way to go. While it is true that you can pick some other options – .net is a popular example – the fact of the matter is that the majority of Internet users do not even know that other options exist. They may have heard of .edu or .gov, which can be used for educational institutions or government organizations, but they do not know about the obscure endings, so they will never type in anything but .com.
3. Look at the top ten keywords.
Finally, you want to make a list of the top ten keywords in your industry. From there, you can work your way down to the ones that most describe what your site does, and you can use one – or two, in rare cases – in your domain name. This is the first step toward effective search engine optimization, and you make it before you launch your site.
