Your domain name is the center of your Internet identity. So what type of things should you take into consideration when choosing the name that will represent you on the Web? As you probably heard, domain names are the real state of the 21st century. Whether you want to build a personal blog of a startup company, the first step will be to find a good and available domain name. Before buying your domain name, give some thought to the following

Keep your domain name short – Although some places allow you to register a name with up to 63 characters, you have to keep in mind that people need to be able to remember it, and easily type it into their browser. Try to register the shortest name that your customers and visitors will associate with your Website. The general rule of thumb is, keep it under seven characters if possible. (Not including the suffix.)

Ask Around – When you think of choosing a domain name, there are situations where you get puzzled with a number of your favorite names. In such a situation, it’s better to consult with your dear friends or relatives who have good knowledge about your business. They can help in a number of ways. Some times their idea about domain name can make you think out of the box and can finally result in a good domain name. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Just ask your friends a few questions like – Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do they have any idea about the products that come under this domain name?

Right extension for your name – It’s also important to choose the right extension for your domain name. Choosing the domain extension is according to the group of customers that you are going to focus. If your business is a local one and if you are not planning to trade outside, then its better to choose a domain name with the extension of your local area. There is no evidence that any domain name type is given preference by the search engines. However some search engines such as Google, have local searches e.g www.google.co.uk which do select local content. In such cases domain type can help you a lot. Do register the domain name in the correct global or country level domain. For universal appeal use a .com, .info, .biz, .org, or .net domain. For local appeal use an appropriate domain in your country, such as .co.uk or .org.au.

Use short words – There are basically two types of domain names: short and catchy or long and keyword-filled. (I define „short“ as anything with fewer than 8 characters before the dot.) Which type of domain name you use depends on how you plan to attract visitors to your site. If you plan to mostly attract people by word of mouth, use something short and catchy.

Ask your near ones – It’s good if you could ask others, their opinion of the domain name you selected. They can help in a number of ways. Some times their idea about domain name can make you think out of the box and can finally result in a good domain name. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Just ask your friends a few questions like – Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do they have any idea about the products that come under this domain name?

If your domain name can be easily remembered then you will attract more customers. People will use your web site or email address to get immediate and convenient access to the information or service that you are providing. Domain names are portable. You can move physical address, change phone numbers, change Internet service providers, change the company that hosts your web site, and still keep the same domain name. This provides an extremely flexible method of keeping in touch with your customers and users.

Andrew is an SEO worker who helps others to build up traffic in their website. He has a team of Personal Virtual Assistants who help him run his site as well as manage the many blogs that he runs. If you’re interested in Andrew’s blogs or innovative ideas or if you would like to find out more on how his Personal Assistant work, then visit his website.