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Choosing a Killer Domain Name Without Stomach Pains By Lori Goodman You're staring blankly at a domain registration website, ready to register a domain name for your company or web project and your brain freezes. Your stomach is in knots. We've all been there. Even if you're not highly creative you can do this, and it can be fun! Let's walk through the process of finding the perfect name. I'll cover good things to do and help you push potential snags out of the way so you can get to the creative process faster. You may even become a domain name junky before you're done. If you don't know what a domain name is, trust me you're not the only one left on the planet. It's a name you choose and register on a domain registration website like GoDaddy.com¹, (who I personally use and trust and have no affiliation with). When we don't use domain names we're stuck with the IP address, which is a series of numbers and dots (I'll explain that in another article). You'll register a name because an IP number is ridiculous to remember unless you're my husband. He remembers my Birthday as an IP address - I'm not kidding!
Why not use your blog website or MySpace instead of your own domain? A couple of reasons. One, you're in business so you want your own domain name. It's far more professional. You'll have total over who you host with, have a professional email addresses that uses the name you've chosen. In short, it's good business. If you have time invested in other web-based 3rd party sites for personal business, that's fine. You can still use those resources to link to your main website. If you're in business it's time to create your own identity without the "www.YourhostingCompanyName.com/YourName..." or very tacky "www.facebook.com/YourName". It's smart to own your own name. I consider myself very lucky to have registered my own name before the other 5,080 people with the same name thought about it. I registered both LoriGoodman.com and my maiden name, LoriKramer.com, which automatically re-directs to the Goodman site. My brother wasn't quite as lucky, but he did good. He got BobJKramer.com. Using your middle initial is acceptable, though if you don't have to, don't, unless that's how you like to be identified. I'm not hip on using FirstLastName1234.com. Try hitching your name to tried and true additions to your name like "MyFirstLastName.com" or using combinations of your first initial and last name or adding these overused but better than nothing add-ons: world, planet, team, place, home... We use "TeamGoodman" because though it's somewhat generic, it is versatile.² I've had people with the same name literally beg and offer money to release my personal domain to them. Being that it's my identity, that's not likely to happen. (Add some zeros and we'll talk!) If your name is available, grab it while you can because it likely won't be available later. And grab your kid's and grandkid's names too. You don't have to do anything with the domains today, but what a nice gift for the future! Think about the use. If you are just starting out with an online e-commerce website or home-based business you can get away with one domain name, as long as the product or services you offer are ALL within a product category. Think about who you are and what you do. Case in point, a loveable and very stubborn friend of mine is a talented leather artist and owns a business that makes and sells a snack product called "Fruit Leather". She is using the same domain name, logo and website for both products. They are not remotely alike and it muddles her brand by trying to do too much with one website. I've advised her to separate the two businesses into separate domains, come up with a second logo for her leather business and pay the extra $12.00 a year for the second name. She can re-direct all of her web traffic to the existing website until she has the second website up and running. That's simple for any web designer to do so don't be afraid to register separate names for separate businesses. I'm still slowly working on changing my friend's mind; she's determined to prove me wrong, and if she does I will eat my words and my cowboy hat! Keep the name short and simple if possible. Simple and short names are best because they're easier for people to remember, easier to spell, easier to say. Say the name out loud. It should roll naturally off your tongue. You want people to enjoy saying it so they remember it and repeat it. Say it ten times. Does it still sound good? If you're tongue tied on the third try, try again. Short vs. shortening. When it's short you can (use Twitter to) tweet the name without resorting to those dumb domain name shortening tools that mask your true name. While they serve a purpose and are helpful for overly long names, I don't use them or like them. Some people do. I prefer people being able to see my entire domain name while I'm establishing my identity with a new name because the name relates to my brand and my identity. It's a matter of taste. In my opinion anything that masks your domain is slightly deceptive and defeats the purpose of using it. It's like putting a tarp over your store's sign so people can't read it. The exception is when you're severely space-limited or your message is so darned compelling that people will click on a squashed stinkbug to get to your content. File extensions are meaningful. If you are doing business in the traditional business world, .com is acceptable. Some people snatch up all the extensions they can. If it's your own name, .com and .net are just fine. Each extra name costs you. If you plan to direct all of the names to one website, fine, go ahead, it's your money. I used to get .com, .net and .org as a rule and it never served me. As the Internet evolved .com and maybe .net were almost always plenty. If it is a company I've branded I want both .com and .net. As a rule, .com is the one people default to most often when they can't remember what the domain extension is. While there are many more than I list here, these are the most common:
Oui s'il vous plaît or Nee, bedankt? A little about foreign extensions and names. In some cases it doesn't matter what the extension is, for example information or a global cause, but in US-based e-commerce I steer away from foreign domain extensions or names because I prefer doing business with companies that are closer to home. If you are targeting a specific demographic or language or area of business that relates to a domain extension or name, it can be appropriate to use one. Keep in mind that simplicity is key to being remembered. What to avoid. There are always exceptions to every rule, of course. These are guidelines I've followed for many years and they've served me well when I complied and bit me in the butt when I didn't.
Avoid hyphens and dots. Hyphens are a pain to type and are even harder to remember. Do you really like saying "dash" and "dot" out loud? "No 'www'" gets old too. Very annoying. I don't like underscores either. In file names they're OK, but they're overused in my opinion and you can't use them in a domain name anyway. Should you add the plural version? Pluralizing is OK when you own the non-pluralized name too or if your business name is plural (1800petmeds.com)². Most people will not remember to add the extra letter. And adding a "z" in place of an "s" is so overdone. The exception is if it's part of your company name. Clever spelling - maybe. Again it depends. Most people can't pull it off well so I'd say stay away or risk being annoying. You don't want to turn your audience off. Also, the letter "O" looks a lot like a "0" and sits strikingly close on the keyboard. I make that mistake constantly when I'm typing (Most programmers I know are "2 finger Charlies" on a keyboard - don't tell my Mom!). Be careful not to interchange them while in the registration process. (I did that once and thought I had the best domain name on the planet registered - oops!) No numbers please. Using numbers unless you're already well branded with a number in your name or can get the name with the number spelled out too. When you get clever with abbreviations and numbers you will remember your own domain name but nobody else will. There are exceptions like 1800petmeds² who use their phone number for the name of their business and their web address. If you can pull off something that great, excellent! Avoid trademarks pitfalls. Using names that are trademarked can get you into legal hot water. If you suspect that a name you want to register may be trademarked, go to the US Copyright Office website to rule it out. Domains are cheap! I cringe every time I hear someone paid $35.00 for their name or registered a bad name for 10 years. You can get your domain registered for about $15.00 on average (including the ICANN fee, which is a couple of dollars, not $70.00!!!). How big is too big? That depends. I like short. You can't go over something like 64 or 67 characters which is ridiculous anyway. That's what- almost 2½ alphabets worth? If it fits comfortably in the address bar (where people will type it in), great! Drinking and registering. You might not want be lit when you're registering the name for your new business. Everything will start to sound like the best name ever. One reason to stay sober while registering your name is for information accuracy. Even sober, I've made stupid typing mistakes that cost me money and embarrassment when I thought I had the perfect name locked in and saw the "whoops!" later. One little screw-up on the contact information can be a huge hassle to unwind. By all means if you're so inclined, knock a few back and relax away from the computer and start writing your list of potential names. Sometimes it's easier to feel creative when you're comfortable, relaxed, with friends. That's the best time to start thinking of names, not when you're mentally on the spot in front of your monitor. Some of the best, most recognizable domain names were born on beer binges. Juss sayin'! Make notes before you sit down at your computer. When I'm thinking up new ideas for a project I take a notepad with me everywhere. Make a good-sized list, including names you might think are taken. Sometimes they aren't. I like using Dictionary.com's awesome thesaurus for inspiration. You'll see the translator there so I have to mention this . . . Foreign words? Humor? Ehhh. That kind of depends. Some people create their own made-up words or connect to something they think is funny at the time. It's like using clever spelling - it can be annoying and impossible to spell or remember. Or it can work. (Google!) When in doubt use the unusual with caution and ask a couple of trusted friends. (Not the one who agrees with anything you say, find your Dutch Uncle - that person you know and trust to always tell the truth!) Consider your audience. Your domain name reflects a great deal on who you are as an entity or who you are in business. Highly creative fields can get away with off-beat, absurd or edgy names - more so than someone who's a hospice nurse. Playtime! Think about using plays on words. Words that rhyme or have the same meaning can lead you to a great name. Thesaurus.com lists synonyms. There are websites that help poets come up with words that rhyme. Pick up a dictionary and start flipping around. Because I'm a writer I keep lists of words I like. Most people probably don't go that far, but while you're in the creative process - and rememeber that a process can take some time - keep your mind and ears open for anything new or unusual that sparks an idea. When in doubt sleep on it. If it still sounds good the next day grab it and park it for free. See Registering Your Killer Domain for more information on parking a domain without paying. If it's a killer name that might be gone tomorrow, grab it. Be true to yourself. There's often a trade off between a great attention-grabbing name and pleasing everyone. Think about the long term and the image you are working to create. It's better to avoid using super-popular buzz-words that might be out of date by the time you're hearing them. If you're an edgy kind of guy with an edgy business, go for it if you can pull it off without being overly crude or offensive. Protect yourself. If you are brainstorming with your web designer it's a good idea to be in the same room with them so you can register the domain in your name with your credit card and your contact information. Giving that information to anyone over the phone is risky. Choose a password that's unique to this use, not one you use for other things like banking. Variation is good. When there are variations on the name that fit perfectly with the main name, by all means do it. I registered GoodmanPlanet.com, GoodmanArts.com, KillerArts.com (based on my dog's name), TeamGoodman.com...and my maiden name LoriKramer.com while I was registering LoriGoodman.com. If it fits it will feel right. It just will. Trust your instincts. Have a great time and if you have any qualms about the actual registration process, here's the rough draft of my next article online. Registering Your Killer Domain As always, Have Fun! ~ Lori Goodman ¹ GoDaddy is easy and inexpensive. I am not connected to them in any way other than I like them. ² If you're curious about the login page, I have an "Intranet"(private, in-house web resource) we use for one of our businesses. ³ I use 1800 petmeds as an example because they are a fantastic example of a brilliant domain name (hello!, their business name is also their phone number and their domain name!) and an exception to examples of what NOT to do. Back to Articles 
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