If you don’t have a domain name, you probably will before too long. Once you purchase your domain name, you can’t change it, so it’s important to choose wisely.
Some tips for choosing a good domain name:
- Get yourname.com. You are likely to want it some day even if you can’t think of a use for it yet, and you wouldn’t want someone else with the same name to get it.
- Pick a good top-level domain (extension). I rank the popular TLDs in the following order:
.com > .org > .net > Country Code > weird things like .biz, .tv, .pro, etc. > .info
I don’t recommend the weird TLDs because they aren’t widely recognized as domain names. It’s become popular to use periods to separate words in print media, so weddingphotography.pro may not look like a URL to some people. - Go for a normal TLD. The country-code TLDs tend to be four to ten times more expensive to register, and the weird TLDs (like .info and .biz) tend to be the province of spammers. The .info domains are the worst, because they were free for a while, so 90% of them are spam.
- The name should be clearly understood when spoken. If you have to explain the spelling, the placement of hyphens, or other weirdness, you’re not going to be happy with the domain.
- CamelCaps can be helpful for separating the words in multi-word domains, but make sure the domain looks OK without them. ExpertsExchange.com looked good, until people typed it without the caps: expertsexchange.com. Oops.
- Avoid possessive names, because you can’t use apostrophes, and novice internet users may not understand this. JoesCatering.com may sound good, but if someone types Joe’sCatering.com, they won’t get to your site.
- String together three or four relevant, easily understood words. CrankyPoliticalPundit.com is easy to remember and likely to be available.
- Coin a word. Neologisms are always available (e.g. WebbleYou, Zimbra, Orkut, etc.)
- Don’t get sued. Avoid using copyrighted names, even if it’s clear that you aren’t trying to infringe on a trademark. Ultimately, you’d probably win in court, but most people can’t afford the legal expenses and will end up capitulating to threats from company lawyers.
Feel free to add your tips in the comments.
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That’s some good advice. I agree with everything except the no possessives rule, I guess using possessives could throw off a few people, but I don’t think it’d be a big deal.
Yep. Salguod seemed like a great idea at the time. It follows your made up word rule, but even when folks know that it’s just Douglas backwards they tend to spell it wrong. I’m still happy with it, though.
My solution was to register the common mispelling (u & o backwards) had had my host make it point to the correct spelling. This is good for access to my site, but also makes sure I get all my mail too.
The only down side is that it validates the misspelling.
Oh, and I wouldn’t be so sure about winning a suit against someone who owns a trademark. I think that courts have sided with the trademark owner, even if the individual had the site before the trademark. Copyright, which is what you said, may be different. At any rate, you’re right, they’ll have more lawyers than you.
I don’t recommend people bunch multiples of the same letter in urls. What I mean is don’t end one word with ‘S’ (or double ‘S’) and then start the next word with ‘S’. People often forget one of them. The same with words that end in E.
I am also leary of abreviated names that are hard to remember. TriStaElecSysCorp type stuff. Is it Elec or Elect, Sys or Syst, Co or Corp, etc.