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14 simple to remember tips for choosing a great domain name.
To get the most out of this page, we really need an example business. So, for the purposes of being crystal, let's assume our name is Barry, we live in Melbourne, and we have a successful mobile dog grooming business that we want to take online.
- Think RESEARCH
Keywords are the names of the products or services you offer on your website. Keyword Research the products you'll be selling on your site and reference those products with the terms that you think people are searching for. Once you have a list of initial target words you'd like to try, first visit the Google Adwords Keyword tool. Select the market you want to research and choose from a list of data to display, including, Keyword Search Volume, Cost and Ad position estimates, Search Volume Trends, and possible Negative Keywords. Once you have a list, add it to the sidebar, and save it off as a text file. - Think BULK.
The keywords you enter using the whois.com.au bulk interface can be up to 100 deep when using the .com, .net, .org, .biz, or .info. All .au queries are limited to a maximum of 19 per request on a particluar ip address.
Think about your business and try some of the keywords for your market sector or business idea, write them all down in a text file, and see if they are available for registration before someone else does. - Think GENERIC
Think of generic search terms when you think of a name for your site.
Open a text editor. If we go with the example, and say you have a dog grooming business, we'd try any and all possible combinations of names that we think people would be typing into a search engine if they wanted dog grooming. Then once we have what we think is the definitive list of dog grooming, we'd cross reference that list with the Google Adwords Tool and see who comes out best. Dog washing, dog grooming, dogs, dog, canine, puppy, maltese, poodle, poodles, groomer, grooming, wash, etc. - Think LOCAL
Continuing the theme..Our business is in Melbourne and we want to target locals, so we should try and use some local combinations in our name choices. Once we've tried our lists at Google Keyword tools and seen what is popular and what is not popular, we should look deeper and see if we can spot localisations in the search trends. Melbourne, Aust., Australian, etc. - Get ideas from Google.
Use the Google Suggest Tool to see more opportunities and see what people are typing into Google or getting linked to in the Search Engine Results by Google. - Think of DESCRIPTIVE search terms for your business idea.
Use terms that you know people are searching for by spending time looking at the different types of word combinations for the business you have or have planned. Grooming, dog grooming, dog washing, nail trimming, flea wash, tick wash, etc. - Think OUTSIDE THE SQUARE
If you're in the dog grooming business, then you know where to buy the best dog clippers, shampoo, combs, etc. Consider a store on your new website and sell the ancillary products like clippers and the like. Help your chances of being found by having those keywords pointing at your main website address by using url redirection. dog clipper, dog clippers, dog shampoo, dog comb, etc. - Think SPECIFIC
To use the dog grooming business example again, lets look at breeds of dog that are known for needing regular grooming. Poodle, Maltese, Terriers, etc - Think about TRENDS
You can research keyword type-in trends using Google trends or the forecast tool from Microsoft labs. These tools will help you see opportunities occurring at different times of the year for specific product groups. Blessing of the animals day for example.. - Think AFFILIATE
Think about ways you can make money by affiliating with a non-internet based business in a related field. Maybe the man who sharpens your clippers.. Is there enough business to get clippers sent to your new website and you can take the clippers to your sharpener and then send the clippers back by mail. Check the Microsoft forecast tool results and Google Trends results and see for yourself what turns up in your industry sector. - Try WordTracker
Wordtracker has a free keyword tool that is well worth trying out for domain type-in ideas. It also has a paid service and a latest keywords mailout which is GOLD. - Think MULTIPLE
If a name is good in one extension, chances are it will have some benefit in others also. Many people think that a Trademark will protect their brand on the internet. They are only partially correct. A Trademark offers some protection, but not without considerable cost in trying to get a name back through the ICANN dispute process. The easiest and cheapest way by far of protecting aa trademark on the internet is by registering every possible extension of your brand before someone else does.. - Think HYPHENS
A hyphenated domain name is more likely to be available and many people say it appears in the search engine result pages just as well if not better than a non-hyphenated domain name. It is said that some search engines score a match with your domain name, interchanging hyphens with spaces in words searched. So a search for "anything in particular" on search engine X will be seen as a closer match to "anything-in-particular.com.au" rather than with "anythinginparticular.com.au". - Use the WHOIS Pronouncable Name Generator.
When all ideas are exhausted, you can always try for a fresh approach and use the WHOIS Pronouncable Name Generator. Just click the button and it will create a "random" pronouncable domain name for you. We think it's one of the best tools you could use for finding a great new .com domain name.
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