For most of our projects a domain name is already a part of the business. However, there are times when we are developing an Internet marketing campaign from the ground up and a domain has not yet been chosen. Below, I’ve listed the top 5 tips I find helpful useful when helping people select the best domain name.

1. Pick a dot com.

A COM domain name has become synonymous with “established”.  From overpriced commercials to the vast majority of the most popular websites on the Internet, dot com is the most visible domain extension. Most people who use the web still make the automatic assumption that .com is all that’s out there – don’t make the mistake of locking out or losing traffic to these folks. The dot com extension is even more in demand with the release of many new extensions. If you are running anything but a dot com you risk looking like you were late to the party.

2. Start with your top keywords.

Brainstorm your top keywords that best describe your business and then pair them up together or with different prefixes, suffixes or locations. For example, if you have a Chicago mortgage company you could look at “mortgage, finance, home equity, interest rate, house payment” etc… until you have a good list. Try different variations with ‘Chicago’ in the front or other descriptive keywords.

3. Keep it short or memorable.

Ideally, you would have both short AND memorable, but that can be very expensive in today’s market. Be sure you don’t sacrifice quality just to have a short domain. Having a domain that is short but does not describe your business is not going to help your business.

4. Be Unique.

Avoid domains that are similar to other established domains – especially if they are in the same industry.   It can be easy for people to think they are on your website when in fact; they are on a competing site.

5. Avoid Hyphens and Numbers.

Both hyphens and numbers make it hard to speak your domain name without having further explanation, “That’s Chicago Marketing.com…. put a hyphen between ‘Chicago’ and ‘marketing’.  Speaking over the phone can at times be frustrating or embarrassing. Expecting people to remember to type it in correctly when searching can inadvertently lead them to other websites.

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