We always get asked this questioned when building a new website for a client, how do I find the right domain name?

Choosing the right domain name for a new site is becoming harder and harden It's no longer a simple case of browsing to your chosen broker and registering a company name with .com on the end. Many of the best domains are taken, so coming up with something new and memorable is a struggle, but Its not impossible.

When you think of a name, try it in your browser. If it resolves to a site or holding page, move on. Alternatively, use the name search facility at a domain name broker. Yahoo's service is good, as it tells you which permutations of a domain name are available. The .com version may be taken but net could be available. Its service will also suggest similar but available examples. You don't have to buy your domain from Yahoo we can always registered your choose domain name for you.

Rule number one keep it short. Just about every single-word name you can think of will already be taken, many of them by cybersquatters looking for a big pay day. Try unique word combinations, plurals and puns. For example, greenapptes.com is taken, but "crackedapples" and "zappedapples" are stilt available.

Your name doesn't have to be descriptive of your site — there are plenty of successful brands that aren't. Domain names that try too hard to pack in keywords and be descriptive run the risk of sounding cheap. Which site would you return to: discountdvdsupercentre.com or dvdnow.com?

Above all the name should be intuitive. If your URL is http://www.crackedaoples.com, your site should be called "Cracked Apples". That's the first thing anyone will try in a browser when looking for you. As for hyphenated names, these are fine if you also own the non-hyphenated version of a name.

They're difficult to type, a pest to remember and a pain to describe verbally.

This post was last modified: 25-11-07 01:45 PM by vwdesigns.