What should you look for when choosing a business domain name? 2016-03-24

1. Make Sure You Are Not Stepping on Anyone’s Toes

Invest in a preliminary legal check or just manual check with google to make sure the domain name is not likely to cause customer confusion which could result in trademark litigation. The last thing you want to do is spend time and money directing traffic to a domain only to have to change it because of legal concerns.

2. Make Sure It’s Unique

Most businesses will receive a lot of searches and inbound visits from people using the business name (or something close to it) in their favorite search engine. If you have a generic name with lots of other companies with a similar name, you are unlikely to stand out and it could cause confusion. People directly trying to search for your brand are often the best customers, so being found is key. It is very important rule, just be unique!

3. Keep Credibility in Mind

With an array of different TLDs (top level domains) available, it’s easy to get carried away when selecting a domain name. You want a new website visitor or potential customer to trust your brand, and a quick way to scare them off is by selecting an outlandish TLD. Keep it simple and use a .com whenever possible, and if necessary, use dashes (pizza-house.com) or a “the” up front (thepizzahouse.com).

4. Beware of Accidental Innuendos

There are a few times when you put words together that they form a completely new word between them. For example, think ofHills Winery turning into Hill Swinery for some people. There’s also the possibility that your business name actually means something in another language, even if you think you made it up. Do your homework and research how people respond before committing to a domain name.

5. Don’t Get Too Fancy With It

I know of a company who purchased a “.es” domain name because it completed the last two letters of their name. Unfortunately, customers always put .com and were unable to find them. Even worse, Google assumed that the company was catering to an audience in Spain, as the .ES domain is reserved for that country. Stick to a slightly longer .com instead of one that customers can easily get wrong.

6. Choose a Domain That Is Easy to Spell

Many times I see people making the mistake of choosing a business domain name that is too open for interpretation and is hard to spell. Try to pick a business domain name that the vast majority of people will know how to spell. This way, people will be able to easily find you online and they won’t get frustrated and give up as they try to find your company online.

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