This is MY Domain

DIY Sprocket Solutions

DOMAIN NAMES! I’m yelling because it’s super important. Picking the right domain name for your site means a lot, and people will notice –or not notice for that matter.  Here are a few tips to (hopefully) steer you in the right direction.  Or, if you’d like, you can completely ignore everything I say and hope for  the best.  The choice is yours.  In the meantime, take a gander at my tips:

1. Say what you need to say.  No I’m not trying to channel John Mayer here.  If a customer doesn’t know the name of your site –let their guess be right.  If the name of your company is Kids Who Eat Marbles, then say that.  www.KidsWhoEatMarbles.com.  By the way, I just searched that and that site doesn’t exist.  It’s still up for grab folks!
2. It’s 2013 and 1998 wants their “Z”s back. Your customers want to find you. If your company name doesn’t include a “Z”, please don’t start with the domain name.  It’s ok to say “Cats” it doesn’t have to be “Katzzz”.  No really, I promise. Maybe you’re trying to be one of the “Bad Boyz” but please, put down that “Z” and back away slowly.  That goes for your other letter friends as well.  No need to get creative with the language, no need to start throwing in “Q”s and “X”s.  You’re only hurting yourself when you make a customer try to guess at the spelling of your site.  Don’t lose business to a properly named site when the sane people of the world try to correctly type in the spelling of your business.
3. Keep it simple.  Touched on in the first tip, don’t make people guess too hard.  Don’t add in crazy numbers.  Please keep your hyphens to yourself.  Unless the actual NAME of your company has numbers in it, keep them out of your domain name.  Very simple stuff.
4. Don’t leave them guessing.  There are some really huge companies out there that have obscure names and a giant following.  But, don’t think for a second that it was a walk in the park to get there.  Not sure if you remember, but when Amazon.com first popped up –did you know what the heck that meant or were you expecting a vacation in the middle of piranha infested waters?  If you have got a giant brand, I’m not saying that you can’t knock it out of the park with names like this.  All I’m saying is that if people already know what they’re getting (ex: CareerBuilder.com) it may be a little easier for them to buy in at first.
5. It doesn’t have to be your business name.  I know, I’m getting a little contradictory here, but hear me out.  If your business name is unavailable, for whatever reason.  If you don’t want to name your site “PugsAreUs.com”, it’s ok.  Brainstorm a list of names that are RELEVANT to your brand, your company, your business.  Ask yourself: what are you trying to accomplish with the site? What are your goals for the site? And, what name makes those goals/ambitions happen.

Breanne BannonBreanne Bannon

Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.

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