Choosing a Domain Name - How to pick a domain name

There are three basic approaches you can choose when deciding upon a domain name for your online business. First, you can use your company name (www.yourcompany.com). When someone is looking for a specific company's Web site, they instinctively try a Web address that includes the company name. There are countless examples of companies whose Internet presence can be located using its company name. How to pick a domain name. The following are just a few examples:

AT&T - www.att.com
Honda Motors - www.honda.com
Microsoft Corporation - www.microsoft.com
MTV - www.mtv.com
National Football League (NFL) - www.nfl.com
Nike - www.nike.com
Sony Corporation - www.sony.com
US Airways - www.usairways.com
Visa - www.visa.com

If your online business involves selling a product or service, your domain name can also be the name of that product or service. For example, Lefkey International sells computer keyboards for left-handed computer users. The company has several domain names, including www.lefkey.com and www.lefthandedkeyboard com. Pharmative Corporation sells vitamins and other nutritional supplements on the Web. This company's domain name is www.vitamin.com.

Being creative

As you kick around domain name ideas, think about new and unique names that describe your product/service. CD Now, Inc., is an online music superstore. Here customers can choose from thousands of audio CDs and videos and order them directly over the Internet using a major credit card. The domain name for this company is www.cdnow.com. If you're looking to buy the latest computer game, www.gamedealencom calls itself the Internet's game superstore. Based on the domain name, someone not familiar with the company will have a pretty good idea of what this company offers.

You can also follow in the footsteps of several major online businesses and choose a domain name that sounds somewhat non specific and that can apply to anything at all. These typically are coined names that don't necessary mean anything. Coined names are easy to trademark and protect, but as a small business owner, they're difficult to promote, especially if your online business will be catering to a potential worldwide market.

Amazon.com, for example, started out selling books online. The company now offers books, music, videos, auctions, and software, and continues to grow. Based on the name, a consumer would have no clue what product "Amazon com" offers it has nothing to do with the South American river or a mythical tribe of statuesque warrior women. It's only because the company has spent millions of dollars on marketing that Web 'surfers know about Amazon.com, allowing it to become one of the most successful online businesses in America.

Another example of an online business with a generic sounding domain name is Beyond.com. This company classifies itself as an online superstore for computer software, video games, and other forms of electronic entertainment. Again, without a huge marketing effort, people wouldn't know what Beyond.com is or what it sells.

While choosing a generic sounding domain name allows for future growth into other areas, it also requires a tremendous amount of marketing and advertising in order to inform people about what your online business offers. If your online business will be starting out small and without a multimillion dollar advertising campaign, consider a less generic and more descriptive domain name.

Coming up with the perfect name for your business may take a lot of thought and creativity. As you kick around ideas in your head, seek out the advice of friends, relatives, and other people you respect. Also, consider carefully what you are naming. Consider characteristics, features, advantages, and anything else that comes to mind when you think about the products or services you'll be offering. Acronyms can also be the basis for a company or domain name.

What are the goals of the company you'll be starting? Is there an image you're trying to convey? Who is your target audience? Using a pad of paper (or your computer), keep a running list of ideas and potential company/domain names. After you've compiled a list, narrow it down by selecting only those names that you really like. Next, you'll need to determine if the domain names you like are available and if they violate any existing trademarks or copyrights.


Domain Name Tips
1.Domain Name length should be short and easy to remember.
2.Choose your company name as a domain name.If you own a popular company register additional domains in all extensions.
3.Include keywords in your domain name.
4.It Should be simple and unique.

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