1. Think of Something Short
A successful domain name should not consist of several different words. If there are too many, customers and other potential visitors will find that it is harder to type out. If they need to get out a slip of paper and slowly type out every single character, they are going to become frustrated. They may even decide to avoid going to the site so that they do not have to repeat the same steps over and over. Many websites choose to use ten characters or below; this seems to work best. This is a limit to keep in mind.
2. Make It Memorable
Domain names do not completely rely on length in order to be successful. It is also important to choose a name that is easy to remember. For example, if the website is meant to be somebody’s online portfolio, it may be in their best interest to simply use their own name as the domain name. In this way, people will more easily recall it. Those looking to choose a domain name should ask friends, family members and co-workers about what would work best. Anything that they deem too hard to remember one or two days after they are told about it should be dismissed.
3. Think of Something Different
The name of a domain should not be too similar to anything else that is on the Internet. It is not enough to simply choose a different extension, such as .com or .org. If this should be done, people will only become confused. They may visit a rival website by mistake, taking any business and potential traffic in the long run. The domain name selected should be unique; something that helps set it apart from sites that deal with the same subject.
4. Do Not Get Too Creative
It is fine to want to add personality to a domain name. On the other hand, to go overboard with this can mean isolating others. The name should be easy to spell for visitors. Not just for somebody with an extended education; any person of any age or background should be able to write it, as well. Using alternative spellings for words, such as oughto instead of auto, may cause issues and bring people to take the site less seriously. The easier the name, the easier it will be to find, by search engine or otherwise.