Leading Provider of Internet Business Solutions Underscores Importance June 30, 2008; 06:31 AM
Vancouver, WA – Choosing the right domain name is
the first and most important step in ensuring the success of any online venture,
and this is especially true in lean economic times. The experts at Dotster, Inc., a leading
provider of Internet business services, suggest 10 rules for choosing the best
domain name for a business. Dotster’s Web intelligence has already helped over
one million businesses and individuals find the keys to succeeding online and
these handy guidelines are culled from years of hands-on
experience.
“Choosing a domain name is usually the
first step in establishing an online presence and there is nothing more
fundamental for a company’s website,” says Clint Page, CEO at Dotster. “Your domain name is your online identity and choosing the right one can
spell success. Our experts have helped many companies develop a name that
enhances their online effort and helps their business grow.”
1. All The Good Ones Aren’t Taken: Don’t get
discouraged, there are
plenty of good domain names out there. How many different permutations can be
created by 10 letters and numbers? The answer is more than you think—over 920
trillion! And that’s only if you use each letter or number only once! There are
10 or more different Top Level Domains (such as .com) you can use (see rule #2).
2. Success Starts with .com and
.net.: The Top Level
Domains (TLDs) that connote the most prominence and promote best recall are, you
guessed it: .com and .net. They also do better in search engine results. But
it’s not do-or-die; Dotster enables many successful businesses that have chosen
other TLDs such as .org, .biz, .tv, and .info.
3. Go For The Obvious: The most obvious
route is to use your own name or your company’s name. If that’s not available,
try brainstorming a list of words relevant to your business, product or your
service. Are you a local business? Adding the geography makes you more relevant
and improves search engine results. By process of elimination, you can navigate
your way to something novel.
4. Make It Memorable: That doesn’t necessarily mean short.
The laws of branding apply to domain names as much as they do to product names.
Something distinctive while not too difficult to spell can stick in the mind as
much as a generic name. Dotster customer www.brandventure.com is a marketing firm
that describes its branding process as a journey of discovery -- literally a
brand adventure. Businesses can also cover their bases with more than one
domain. Additional domains can address common spelling errors and can be easily
redirected to the primary domain.
5. Put Two And Two
Together: Two or
three recognizable words suddenly become unique when placed together. Dotster
customer www.16milesolutions.com invented a creative way to convey the company’s unique global supply chain
product.
6. Be Inventive: Some of the best brands on the
Internet aren’t even English words. Think of Google, eBay, Netflix, or even
Dotster. New words can offer brevity AND distinctiveness. Here’s a test: if you
search for your name on a search engine and get few matches (before you’ve
registered, that is), you’re distinctive.
7. Avoid Dashes And
Hyphens: If the name
you thought of is taken, it may be tempting to use a dash to find a way around
it. Problem solved? Definitely not! Web visitors have been trained to omit
punctuation when navigating to sites. At one point it was believed that hyphens
helped get higher search engine rankings. This is also a
misconception.
8. Watch Out For Tricky
Spelling. If you have
to repeat the letters to someone because of unusual or counter intuitive
spelling, that’s a red flag. Word of mouth is a common way people share good
experiences with your site -- make sure it’s working for you, not against
you.
9. Let Your Domain Name Reinforce
Your Tagline (And Vice Versa): “One of our customers is
www.ansursaddle.com. The name of its product lends itself to a great double
entendre, ‘We have the Ansur.’” “There’s even the story of the horse who found
‘the Ansur’ for the first time and yielded the first prototype,” notes Page.
“Another Dotster customer, www.smallcapengine.com, provides services that
literally drive tomorrow’s companies.’
10. Sometimes Used Can Be Better Than
New: When the name you want is already
taken, the secondary market is always an option. Yes, you will pay more on the
secondary market than you do registering a new domain name. But if the name you
really want is owned by someone willing to part with it for the cost of a few
car payments, that’s money well spent. Dotster’s partnership with SEDO, a global
marketplace of premium domain names, makes it easy to work directly with the
owner of a domain you want or to hire a broker.
These 10 tips are simply a starting
point to help businesses, especially small and medium sized businesses (SMBs),
choose the right domain name. Dotster has the expertise to
help any SMB establish a powerful presence and grow, whether it’s just starting
out or in need of Web site remodeling.
About Dotster,
Inc.
Dotster is a leading full service
provider of essential resources for businesses to get online and grow online. It
has helped nearly 1 million businesses and individuals establish their web
presence, build their Web sites, and drive revenue. With millions of domain
names, Dotster is one of the world’s largest ICANN-accredited domain
registration and Web hosting companies. Dotster is also the trusted provider of
100% reliable domain name services for US federal and state governments.
Dotster's mission is to provide the widest range of innovative and easy-to-use
Internet solutions and back them with the unprecedented, personalized support
that has earned the company superior customer loyalty
rates.
Dotster's expansive lineup of
intuitive online offerings allows customers to quickly get on the Internet and
get started with maximum visibility. Dotster's specialized team of Internet
experts understands the online marketplace and the needs of small and medium
sized businesses. Dotster offers its customers a complete set of services
including the ability to get online with a domain name and e-mail address; build
a major Web presence with hosting and a custom Web site; and generate traffic
with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and local site promotion. The recent
launch of Dotster Connect has provided the first all in one social networking
solution for businesses of all sizes. For more information, please visit www.dotster.com or call (360)
449-5900.
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