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2. Is the name Brandable?
Can the domain name be used to differentiate a product or service?
Will people easily remember the association of the name with the product it promotes?
Webdesign.com or quickloans.com are easy to remember and the names can be associated with the services that the companies provide.
3. How memorable is the name?
Is it easy to remember it?
Is it easy to recognize it?
A memorable domain name has inherent value and will command an above average selling price.
Examples of excellent memorable domain names are cars.com and business.com; both are easy to recall and recognize.
It is a generally accepted that the best way to get other sites to link to yours is to provide content that is original, informative and relevant.
4. Avoid Trademark infringement
Avoid blatant trademark infringements, do not do it, it’s not worth the hassle. Defending trademark infringements will cost your time and money & precedent has been set so in all likelihood you will not win the case.
5. Top Level Domain extension.
What Top Level Domain extension does the domain name have?
Examples of TLD’s are .com, .net, .org, .biz
Dot Com is the paramount extension when it comes to domain names; it is the widely accepted as the benchmark for having a presence on the internet. It is important to bear in mind the national interests may also come to play, if your main customer base is in the United Kingdom then it is prudent to register the .co.uk extension as well as the .com extension.
Apples.com is a better domain name than apples.net
6. Length of the domain name
How long is the domain name?
Generic one word dictionary words are the most valuable domain names; for example apple.com, head.com and toys.com. However as chances of getting a one word generic name as near impossible.
As a general rule 5 words is accepted as the limit for a good domain name.
Generally the shorter the domain name the better.
7. Avoid putting THE, A, AN, MY, YOUR before your domain name
When possible avoid putting THE, A, AN, MY, YOUR before your domain name unless it adds to the description of the content. Sometimes there is a temptation to register a name with a prefix because the actually name you want is already taken.
The biggest problem is that you may unwittingly be promoting the competition. UsedLaptopStore.com is a better domain name than UsedLaptopStore.com.
8. Does the name have hyphens?
Avoid hyphenated names if possible.
The reason is that users do not naturally type in hyphens when searching.
However it may be useful to register a name with hyphens, if you own the non-hyphenated version.
9. Does the name contain numerals?
Avoid numerals in names if possible.
Similar reasons as above users do not naturally type in numerals when searching.
Loans2you.com can easily be confused with loanstoyou.com
10. Does it contain substitutions?
Substitutions can be a source of weakness in a domain name.
Substitutions may include the following using "4" instead of "for"; "z" instead of "s"
Cars.com is a better domain name than Carz.com
The factors above attempt to give you the best practice advice, however always bear in mind that sometimes you need to go with your gut instincts. This is particularly true when you have in depth knowledge in a niche subject matter, in those cases by all means break our rules!
What is a domain name anyway?
This is the proverbial 64 million dollar question and we have made it easier for you to go about choosing the right domain name. The following ten factors will give you an indication of how suitable your domain name is:
1. Include keywords
Keywords are the oil that keeps your website engine running effectively. Keywords describe
what your business is about in a nutshell. For example if your site sells laptops, possible keywords could be - cheap laptops, best laptop deal, laptops for sale, notebook.
Strive to include your keyword as part of your domain name, it may help with search engine results page ranking.