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According to Network
Solutions, a new domain name is registered every 5
seconds. And there are already over 16 million addresses
registered in the .com, .org, and .net domains. So now
when you decide on a domain name for your site, you have
to do some research to make sure it's still available.
Branding a domain name
means distinguishing your site and creating an image for
your company from your URL on up. Your Web address
should reflect your business, your purpose, and your
products, while appealing to your market.
Most Domain Names Fall
Into One of Several Categories
Plain English
- Pets.com
- Furniture.com
- Search.com
- News.com
Pros:
This kind of name is
straightforward, says what your company does, and is
easily memorized.
Cons:
They say that every word
in the English language has been now been registered,
and there are none left.
Composite
- InfoSpace.com
- NetManage.com
- Infonet.com.
Pros:
This trend started with
any combo of "soft," "micro,"
"info," and "net." Now you can
combine any words you like: "MotherNature.com"
or "areyougame.com."
Cons:
"This is so
'80s." These names can sound dated and lose
meaning, or they can get too long and clever.
Super Net
Anything starting with
"e," "i," or "Net":
- Evite.com,
Epinions.com
- ePhysician.com
- iMotors.com.
Pros:
This type of name
instantly identifies you with the Internet.
Cons
"This is so
'90s." Super Net names may overidentify your
company with the Net.
Moods
- Tavolo.com
- Della.com
- Gazoontite.com
- Yahoo.com
Pros:
Mood names create an
image right away, emphasizing the brand over the
business.
Cons:
It's the latest trend;
since there are no words left, invent your own.
Your Domain Name Should
Be Tested
Once you pick the domain
name that appeals to you, you should put it to these
litmus tests:
Is It Memorable?
If you create a composite
name, will people be able to remember it? It is tempting
to create a message in the URL, such as "thebesttoysonearth.com",
but the longer the domain name, the harder it is to
remember.
Is It Intuitive?
Will your customers be
able to spell it? "Gazoontite.com" is clever
but not that intuitive to spell. Remember, people may hear
the domain name in conversation or on the radio. They
should be able to find the domain on the Internet after
they hear it. One remedy for hard-to-spell names:
Register the core brand domain, then also register every
spelling variation you can think of. When a recent
client chose the domain name "cFrame.com," it
also registered "c-frame.com," "seeframe.com,"
"seaframe.com," and the associated URLs ending
in ".net" and ".org."
Is It Searchable?
Believe it or not, your
URL matters to search engines. If someone is using the
search keyword "socks" and your domain name is
"socks.com," your site has a good chance of
showing up high in the search results. It can also pay
to have keywords mixed into your domain name. Likewise,
if you anticipate people searching on your brand or
product name, make sure that brand or product is
included in your domain name. Even better, include both.
One client has been making custom letterman jackets for
50 years, so its company name is well-known to schools
as "TMAthletics.com." But it also registered
names that are searchable by category: "highschooljackets.com,"
"collegejackets.com," and "corporatejackets.com."
Does It Suit Your
Market?
In general, consumers are
more accepting of eccentric names than businesses are,
and the more fun the product, the more accepting the
audience. In other words, if you are selling bubble bath
to consumers, you can get away with something cute like
"tinybubbles.com." If you are marketing server
software to businesses, stick with something
conservative. Use a plain English or composite name.
There are some companies that defy this rule, such as
marketing service Gazooba.com and cybercash company
Flooz.com, but it may or may not work for your company.
Does It Suit
International Markets?
Your market in the
brick-and-mortar realm may be local, but once you are on
the Net, anyone in the world can access your catalog.
Make sure that your name doesn't mean something
offensive or silly in another language. The most famous
example is Chevy's Nova car which, unfortunately, means
"no go" in Spanish. More recently online,
Evite.com got teased for its name, which means
"avoid" in French.
Does the Name Typecast
Your Business?
The drawback of choosing
"e," "i," or "Net" names
is that you will be typecast as a Net-only business. If
you plan on eventually transitioning to offline sales
media, such as toll-free telephone numbers, print
publications, or brick-and-mortar, how will your chosen
name work? Calling your company any kind of "dot.com"
name is also going out of style. It sounds too narrow
and, given the current stock market chaos, it can even
sound fly-by-night. eRSVP.com clearly does online
invitations, but might have difficulties expanding to
new services; SeeUThere.com has the flexibility to do
invitations online, by snail mail, or by fax.
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