Here at Prospect Communications we’re creating new websites all the time. Some clients arrive with website name firmly in hand, and others come in search of the perfect name for their home on the web. Here are a few things to consider when you’re developing your website name.
Can You Spell it? Say it?
With any luck, you’ll be talking up your website on the phone and in person for many years to come, so it’s best to choose a name that needs no additional explanation. It seems pretty obvious, but still, there is actually a crazy site on the web, called “Karpartz.com” – they sell car parts! No surprise that when you search Google for “car parts” – “Karpartz” doesn’t show up at all.
What About dot- guru, or dot-info?
Despite the recent birth of some new TLDs (that’s the bit after the dot), like “.life” , “. expert” and “.world”, keep in mind that the most popular ones are still: .com, .net, .org, .info and .co. Think about your favorite sites, chances are they are easy to remember (and type) and end in .com. Many folks add .com automatically, so if your competitor is “whoopee.com” it’s best to avoid calling your site, “whoopee.net” – since a simple mis-typing will send folks to them instead of you.
How About “Me dot.com?”
If you’re a coach, a speaker, or an author, or you run a business that’s all about Y-O-U, then go ahead and register your name as the title of your website. Best case, you’ll become a household word and a brand unto yourself like Stephen King or Ben & Jerry.
Be Unique, Creative and Memorable
If you primarily provide a service, you may want to choose a completely unique name (Microsoft), or a name that describes some key element of your service (e.g.”mobileglassrepair”). Remember: visitors either arrive at your site through a link from another site, OR by typing your URL directly into their browser. This makes the case for creating a unique and memorable name for your website.