How to choose the best domain name for your business.

First and foremost your domain name should be memorable. Ideally it won’t be more than two words, maybe three if they’re short.

It is true that search engines look at the domain name for information about what is in your website. For example, www.MensShoes.com could be one piece of information that indicates to Google that you sell men’s shoes, however there are many things that go into website traffic and the domain name is just one.

For the long haul, it is much better to choose something very memorable and easy to spell, this is a big reason why Google.com, Amazon.com and Ebay.com have had lasting effects. What would it be like if they were instead called:

• SearchTheInternet.com
• BuyLotsOfDifferentThings.com
• OnlineAuction.com

Additionally, good web people know how to add important words into your URL without them being in the main domain. For example, if you look at the top of my website right now you will notice that the name of this page is:

http://graphickarma.com/blog/2009/07/how-to-choose-the-best-domain-name-for-your-business/

Although my domain name is graphickarma.com the domain is just a folder. Each page is going to get it’s own name that will be just as helpful to search engines. This is how we achieve the two goals of having both a memorable domain name and urls that are optimal for search engines. My url still includes other important words to this post.

If you’re looking for a website designer or developer to work on your website, visit the websites in their portfolio and look at the names of the pages in the url. This could help you choose who to work with. If the names aren’t clean and meaningful…keep on looking.

Other things to keep in mind when choosing a domain name:

• It is preferable not to use hyphens.
• It is preferable to have .com, unless you are a non-profit, then .org is okay. Unfortunately extensions like .info and .us don’t seem as professional. If .com just isn’t available, the next best choice is .net.
• You should never pay more than $10/yr for a domain.
• The easier it is to spell the words, the better.
• Although some “Web 2.0″ companies have chosen to use mis-spelled words, like Flickr.com, this does not mean you should. Unless it’s the only way to get the word you want. There may be some situations where it is worth it, but in general it is sub-optimal.