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A professional or business
site is one where the primary purpose of the site is to
facilitate business transactions. You can sell items
directly online or exclusively offline, but the result is
the same. You want customers to buy products and/or
service directly from you.
To create a domain name for
this type of website here are a few guidelines:
- Shorter is better
- Make the name easy to
pronounce
- Think long term
- Stick to Categories and
Topics
- Do a trademark search
- Always have a tag line
Shorter is better
If you want to make real
money online, try to keep your domain name as short as
possible. In the online world, the choices of where to
shop and get information is overwhelming. A shorter name
will instantly be memorable. It is always easier to
remember short words and phrases. A shorter name is good
for word of mouth advertising online and offline.
Customers can easily remember the the URL and therefore
they’re more likely to pass it on and return to the
website. The name will also stand out when it is printed
on brochures, business cards and other business
collateral. Liz, Dick, Kate, Feds are all examples of our
incessant need to reduce every term in the English
language to three syllables or less.
Easy to Pronounce
If you want a short name,
you must be very creative. To be creative and strategic
make sure that your domain name is easy to pronounce. It
is perfectly acceptable to create a name from scratch, but
it must sound like a real word when you try to say out
loud. Any three or four syllable term will do a long as it
easily rolls off the tongue. If you are at a loss for
words, try writing a description of your product or
service on paper.
This is a very easy way to
come up with those little words that you can use without
losing the meaning of what you’re trying to say. You can
also use a dictionary and a thesaurus to come up with
additional words. You can also choose a longer word but
shorten it or use acronyms only. When you decide on a
domain name, say it out loud a few times. If it doesn’t
sound right, go back to the dictionary and try again.
Think long term
You want a domain name that
will last a very long time. If you pick a name that is a
slang term or too cutesy, you could find yourself looking
for a new name in a year or two. This is not the best way
to proceed. Once you build a certain level of online
success, the traffic will follow the domain name. You
don’t want to mess with your brand and your online
reputation with redirects and ‘we have moved’ notices.
Online customer will buy, but only if your site makes it
convenient for them to do so. If you don’t see yourself
using the same domain name three to four years from now,
get a new name before you set up your website.
Trademark Searches
Do a trademark search. If
you build up your online business and domain name, you
don’t want to find a court order ordering you to give it
up because it belongs to another company. Remember, the
traffic and therefore your sales will follow the domain
name to the new company.
To do a quick trademark
search go to the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(http://www.uspto.gov) for domestic searches and the
International Trademark Association (http://www.inta.org)
for international searches. If your name is cleared, then
consider getting a trademark to protect your business.
Tag line
Tag lines are the work
horses of the marketing industry. An interesting,
professional tag line can bring you more word of mouth
advertising than you can ever buy from a search engine
company. It will bring your name into random conversations
in newsgroups, newsletters and casual conversations. This
can help you save money on paid advertising and create the
ultimate viral marketing campaign without very little
effort.
Keep these six tips handy
to brand your domain name and bring in more site traffic.
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