In Part 1 of this series we discussed finding the right idea.

In Part 2 we will explore:
▲finding the right domain name.

Finding the right domain name
…can be very difficult for two reasons. First, lots and lots of good names are already taken, and second, you must have a name that is easy to spell and easy to remember. Hint: Always look at your potential name in all lower case to make sure it doesn’t spell out something bizarre or obscene. For example:

A manufacturer’s (Dickson) website, is misread as DicksOnWeb.com
A CAD software company called Via Grafix is misread as ViagraFix.com
A teacher’s community group, Teachers Talk, is misread as TeacherStalk.com.

You get the idea. I encourage you to use as many hard consonants as you can since a string of vowels (e.g. oiaarea.com would be difficult to translate into Oia–a region in Italy–Area. OiaStreet or OiaRegion would be easier.)

Coming up with a name can be tricky. I discourage strange spellings, like KupKache.com (people will never get it right), anything you have to explain, anything hyphenated or with an underscore. A name that’s too long is hard to remember, and an odd name that is non-descriptive will take marketing dollars. Two websites I found helpful with finding a name are: WhoIs.net and The Site Wizard.com.

Here are some common questions about domain names:
Should I use .com or are other endings such as .mo or .net okay?
►.com is the easiest for people to remember, however, .net has become very popular.

Should I use my own name?bigstockphoto_dude_3384511
►If you are Han Solo or Mickey Mouse I would say yes. If you are selling your own products (like ebooks or CD’s) and you have an easy to remember name it’s probably okay. If your name is unusual at all you will probably regret doing this. Sometimes a familiarization of your name (like Uncle Bobs Fishing Tricks) can work well as people will have an easy time remembering “Uncle Bob”, or “Sweet Sue,” or “Vinnie’s Voice.” You notice alliteration works well also.

Should I use my product name?
►This is usually a good choice. It helps build brand as well. Make sure you’re not infringing on any trademarks.

What’s the best choice?
►I recommend choosing a name that describes simply what you do. For example, in the case of our camera parts business we’ve discussed we could check out such names as “Camera Parts,” which is already taken, or “Camera Bits and Pieces” which is available or “KensCameraParts” which is also available. I go to WhoIs.net or GoDaddy.com or BlueHost.com to check domain availability. Again, just because a name is available you may still need to check trademark information.

NOW HERE’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE VIDEOS:

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