Choosing a Business Name and Domain Name

Choosing your business name is very important. It something you might want to spend days, maybe even a couple weeks, considering. You’ll want a domain name that is as close to your business name as possible, in order to help your customers recognize and remember your company better. That means, once you’ve thought of an awesome name, you have to make sure no one has taken it yet. You’ll also want to make sure no one has taken anything similar or a common misspelling of your name, which would cause confusion.

As far as names go, size matters. The best names are short, descriptive and easy to remember, spell and pronounce. That being said, a lot of great domain names have been taken already. It’s unlikely for you the one word descriptor of what you are selling available as a domain name. You might have better luck with two, but three is probably your best bet. For example, instead of shoes.com, you are more likely to find a free name if you combine words, like MickysFineShoes or HighEndFootwear. Consider the keywords that you expect would bring your customers to your site. These might be good words to consider having in your name.

I must say that I didn't take all of this fine advice while considering the name for WEBillions.com and it was a mistake. It's not very clear what our product is. It's not obvious how to pronounce it, WE Billions or WEB Billions (it's the later in case you wondered). It's also not the easiest thing in the world to spell, not to mention the possibility that someone forgets that it's plural. Again, the purpose of this blog is for you to learn from my mistakes and find out what works. Feel free to leave comments to this blog with your business name idea. I'll let you know what I think.

Once you’ve found a name that you like and is available on the net, license the domain name at GoDaddy.com or a similar service. Also buy variations on your name. You’ll definitely want yourname.com, but also consider .net, .us, and .org. If money allows, you may also want to consider buying any common misspellings of your domain name. You’ll understand the reason for this if you’ve ever mistyped Google.com or another popular site. You will find a confusing site, typically populated with a bunch of ads. This behavior is known as typo-squatting and it can make someone other than you a lot of money. It can also confuse and frustrate your potential consumer base. You don’t want them to get lost before they even get to your site because they can’t spell. If you are going to be that picky about your customers, you will lose a lot of business.

For how long should you get your domain name license? The longer, the better. If you can get a good deal, get a ten year lease. This will save you money in the long run, because you’ll be charged more to keep up a popular name later. People know you’ve put a lot of effort into publicizing that name and don’t want to change.