How to Create Internet Domain Names

Once you have a website idea and plan for construction, the next step is to create a web site domain name. Creating the best internet domain names requires a bit of work to make sure they're both a good fit for you site and optimized for search engines, so read on and learn exactly how to create the best internet domain names.

Instructions

1. Base your web site domain name around the content of your site. If you have a site about computers, for example, include the word "computer" or a computer-related word in the site name. Try to be specific, but keep in mind getting too specific can cause problems later on if you decide to expand what your site is about.

2. Keep your web site domain names short. Search engines prefer two and three-word internet domain names over 20 and 30-word names even though the latter could be loaded with keywords. A shorter name is also easier for your visitors to remember, which means more people will remember your website, and more people will come back for more.

3. Go for ".com" internet domain names. A website with the ".com" extension will be much easier for your visitors to remember, as it's what people tack on by default when they think of a web site domain name. If the name you want is only available with the ".net" extension, that's a good choice as well. You can also use ".org" if you're an organization.

4. Avoid punctuation marks. Punctuation such as hyphens in internet domain names can help you get the name you want, but will be more difficult for you visitors to remember. If they forget the hyphens, they may be led to a competitor's site and forget you ever existed.

5. Make it simple to say. You should be able to say your web site domain name over the phone, and the person on the other end should understand exactly how it's spelled. This means avoiding using ambiguous words, letters, and numbers like "0" for "O", "2" for "two", "4" for "for", "8" for "ate", "3" for "e", or "u" for "you." The exception is if you have to use an actual number in your domain name.

6. Watch out for double letters. This happens when the last letter in one word is the same as the first letter of the next. For example, phrases such as chocolateelephants, foresttyrants, and raspberryyams should be avoided, as it can be difficult for visitors to remember whether each word has its own letter, or if both words share the same letter.

Tips & Warnings

• Stop competitors from registering similar internet domain names and stealing your traffic. Register common misspellings and alternate extensions of your name to make sure traffic that was meant for your site gets to your site.

• If you must get a web site domain name with double letters, make sure you register both versions. For example, register both raspberryyams and raspberryams so you don't lose traffic because of the name of your site.