Domain Name Extensions

I own a website development company and we are always asked by our customers which business domain name they should register for their enterprise. There are a number of different considerations we have discussed already but bear repeating. The two most important considerations are:

1. Is it something that is hard to remember?
2. Will you have to explain to people how to spell it?

If you can answer no to both of these questions you are on the right track. Most people are concerned with the length of the domain name but that is less important than these other considerations.

With more and more domains being used by companies with similar business names not to mention the people buying them just for resale purposes, your choices can become limited. It is tempting to consider registering a domain name with an extension or "tld" like .tv or .name instead of .com or .net. WHENEVER possible you should get the .com name even if you get a less than perfect domain name.

I mention that I own a web development company not to advertise myself as the last authority on the subject but rather to explain that I work all day every day on the internet sometimes with websites that are .net or .org, two very common "tld's" or domain extensions and still I frequently accidentally type .com instead of .net

*Domain names are inexpensive at companies like Your Domain Pick so it is not a bad idea to snap them up if you are unsure whether your might use it at some point or not

Domain Names and SEO

People almost never really want a website. The website is the means to an end, either more business, more donations, more qualified job candidates, and so on. Every decision you make when you build your website or have it built for you affects its ability to accomplish that end.

How do does your choice of domain name choice affect your site's goals? Your choice of domain name can give you a HUGE leg up on your search optimization efforts. For example if you are selling foreclosed homes in Tarzana, the domain name Tarzanaforeclosures.com or similar will help people find you more easily. Almost any search you do will return a website where your search terms match that domain name in the top few listings.

A good test for a domain name is not how short it is but how memorable it is and how easy it is to spell (that includes timeshares4you.com vs. timesharesforyou.com) Imagine you see an old business associate in checkout line at the grocery store and they ask what you are up to. If it involves and explanation, ie. "the word for in my domain name is a 4" then it is too confusing.