With the passing of time coupled with the onslaught of the DotCom era, the majority of easily recognized domain names have already been taken. Although, registering a domain itself is fairly simple, it's the decision making that goes into creating a memorable domain name that can make the process a tad overwhelming to the uninitiated. That's where we come in.
Avoid trademarked names:
Registering a domain name tradmarked by another company is a major No-No. Not only is it unethical, but companies have spent lots of time and money creating and establishing their brand, are no longer opening their pocketbooks to get their names back. They are calling their lawyers. Also, pending legislation will soon make it very difficult to register someone else’s trademarked name.
Make it memorable:
A name that sticks in the mind is what you want. Your exact business name is a good choice. If someone knows your name, then they already know your web address. Another choice is a phrase or sequence of words that explains or describes the benefit of your product, like DormRoomPosters.com, or AllOfficeFurniture.com.
Domain Names that evoke a visual image can also make them easy to remember, such as BlueWaterResort.com. Shorter names are better than longer ones, but if adding length increases memorability, go for the longer one.
Make sure it's pronounceable:
Once your business is on the Internet, you will find yourself telling people your Domain Name several times a day; in conversation, on the phone, or in radio ads. Avoid any name that only works in print, and needs to be spelled out when spoken aloud to be understood. This rules out almost all abbreviations, or the use of single characters to represent words (like 'U' to mean 'you', or '4' to mean 'four'). With the new 63-character length, all words in your name can be fully spelled out. Be wary of choosing a Domain Name that contains homophones. TwoFancy.com, TooFancy.com, and 2Fancy.com all sound exactly alike, but are three different websites (unless you own all three). Names using digits will always require explanation ("that's the digit 3, not three").
Avoid shady characters:
A Domain Name can use only letters, numbers, and dashes (-) for characters. Spaces are not allowed, and the name cannot begin or end with a dash. Length can be up to 63 characters (This is a recent change; before December 1999 the length was restricted to 22 characters). All business Domain Names end with a suffix (called a TLD, or Top Level Domain) such as .COM, .NET, or .ORG. Domain Names are 'case-insensitive', which means that they can be printed and used with upper or lower case letters and still work. VermontFallFoliage.com will work exactly the same as vermontfallfoliage.com.
Cover your bases:
Sometimes, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain names. If you have "YourName.com", register "YourName.net", and "Your-Name.com" so no one else takes it. You can register your full company and a shorter, easier to remember version. Some people even register common misspellings of their company’s name.
Ask around:
When you have settled on several available name choices, see what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain why you chose the name?
Choose a professional!
Make sure you are dealing with a trustworthy and reliable domain registration service provider — such as Domain-Blaster. Your domain name and all content associated with it are not something to be treated lightly. This domain name could become worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and many companies on the Internet do not appropriately handle this process. Make sure your company has a track record of successful business relationships, this will indicate experience and fairness in operation.
