Choosing
Domain Names for Professional Sites: Six Guidelines
Choosing Domain Names for Professional Sites: Six Guidelines
A professional or business site is one where the primary purpose
of the site is to facilitate business transactions. You can sell
items directly online or exclusively offline, but the result is
the same. You want customers to buy products and/or service directly
from you.
To create a domain name for this type of website here are a few
guidelines:
1. Shorter is better
2. Make the name easy to pronounce
3. Think long term
4. Stick to Categories and Topics
5. Do a trademark search
6. Always have a tag line
Shorter is better
If you want to make real money online, try to keep your domain
name as short as possible. In the online world, the choices of where
to shop and get information is overwhelming. A shorter name will
instantly be memorable. It is always easier to remember short words
and phrases. A shorter name is good for word of mouth advertising
online and offline.
Customers can easily remember the the URL and therefore they’re
more likely to pass it on and return to the website. The name will
also stand out when it is printed on brochures, business cards and
other business collateral. Liz, Dick, Kate, Feds are all examples
of our incessant need to reduce every term in the English language
to three syllables or less.
Easy to Pronounce
If you want a short name, you must be very creative. To be creative
and strategic make sure that your domain name is easy to pronounce.
It is perfectly acceptable to create a name from scratch, but it
must sound like a real word when you try to say out loud. Any three
or four syllable term will do a long as it easily rolls off the
tongue. If you are at a loss for words, try writing a description
of your product or service on paper.
This is a very easy way to come up with those little words that
you can use without losing the meaning of what you’re trying
to say. You can also use a dictionary and a thesaurus to come up
with additional words. You can also choose a longer word but shorten
it or use acronyms only. When you decide on a domain name, say it
out loud a few times. If it doesn’t sound right, go back to
the dictionary and try again.
Think long term
You want a domain name that will last a very long time. If you
pick a name that is a slang term or too cutesy, you could find yourself
looking for a new name in a year or two. This is not the best way
to proceed. Once you build a certain level of online success, the
traffic will follow the domain name.
You don’t want to mess with your brand and your online reputation
with redirects and ‘we have moved’ notices. Online customer
will buy, but only if your site makes it convenient for them to
do so. If you don’t see yourself using the same domain name
three to four years from now, get a new name before you set up your
website.
Trademark Searches
Do a trademark search. If you build up your online business and
domain name, you don’t want to find a court order ordering
you to give it up because it belongs to another company. Remember,
the traffic and therefore your sales will follow the domain name
to the new company.
To do a quick trademark search go to the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov) for domestic searches and
the International Trademark Association (http://www.inta.org) for
international searches. If your name is cleared, then consider getting
a trademark to protect your business.
Tag line
Tag lines are the work horses of the marketing industry. An interesting,
professional tag line can bring you more word of mouth advertising
than you can ever buy from a search engine company. It will bring
your name into random conversations in newsgroups, newsletters and
casual conversations. This can help you save money on paid advertising
and create the ultimate viral marketing campaign without very little
effort.
Keep these six tips handy to brand your domain name and bring in
more site traffic.
About the Author Syd Johnson is the Executive
Editor of http://www.rapidlingo.com
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