Web site domain name - how to choose

Choosing a web site domain name is vitally important to the success of your business.

Here is a step-by-step guide to choosing a web site domain name.

1. If you're a start-up business, consider choosing a domain name before choosing a business name This can make a big difference to customers finding you through search engines.
2. Research keywords for your domain name It's no use choosing words and phrases that no-one is typing into a search engine. Try to pick a domain name around a term that people might actually search for. There are online tools you can use to see what people are searching for.
3. Research the competition Put yourself in your customer's shoes for a minute. What sort of things might they type into a search engine to find your company? Make a list of these terms, then type them into Google to see what comes up near the top. Are lots of companies trying to optimise for the same search terms? If so, try something a little less competitive.

   You might also find that your words and phrases are not niche enough - eg you might find a search for 'apple' comes up with more ipods than pies, so you would focus on words and phrases around 'apple pies' rather than simply 'apple'.

4. Check that your domain name is easy to spell It minimises errors (eg when talking to a journalist over the phone) and is easier for your customers to remember your domain name. If they mistype your domain name and are given a page saying your website doesn't exist, they might retype it correctly - or they might clear off and never come back.
5. Make sure your domain name is not too long People won't remember long domain names, and the possibility of misspelling increases with every word.

   There are a few exceptions to this rule, but these domain names are usually chosen for their humour, and search engines generally don't like them.

6. Do not use hyphens in your domain name Again, hyphens make the domain name easier to mistype and harder to remember. Also, by the fifth type you've said 'hyphen' over the phone, you'll be heartily sick of it.
7. Check that it's available When you go to register your domain name, the registering company will automatically check if it's available. If it's not, it might offer you different suffixes, eg a .co.uk instead of a .com. Some domain name checkers will also offer you alternatives, although these aren't always useful.

   If your chosen domain name isn't available, think of something similar, then go through the above process again. Common variations include refining the area (eg 'North Manchester' instead of 'Manchester'), using a synonym (eg 'motor' instead of 'car') or including a word that makes your business sound like a pleasant or important place to be (eg 'heaven', 'central' or 'total').

8. Finally, see how your domain name reads with all the words squashed together You will read your domain name correctly but other people might not. For example, if your web site domain name is beginreading.com, some might read it as 'beg in reading', instead of 'begin reading'.

   Famous examples include Pen Island (penisland.com), Experts Exchange (expertsexchange.com) and PowerGen Italia (powergenitalia.com).

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