Things You'll Need:
- creativity
- the internet
-
Step 1
Consider your traffic sources
If you are an attorney, most of your traffic may come from search engines and clients that already know your firm name. In these situations, you may benefit from just using your company name and can even use a .org or other dot something name.
If your site is getting most of its traffic from England, a .co.uk name may suit you well.
In most cases though, you want a catchy name that ends in .com. Let’s face it, all of us are used to .com and we use it by default and by habit. How many times have you accidentally typed in Craigslist.com instead of .org? I rest my case. -
Step 2
What does it mean
What is your site all about? If it’s about all sorts of things, you may want a name with no meaning at all, like Google.com.
If your site is light-hearted, you may consider taking a normal word and “funizing” it -aka, making it an unreal word, like my website, Muttskis.com.
If your company is serious though, you may want something that’s more standard. An accounting firm would need to sound professional and knowledgeable. Even in these cases though, you can always consider abbreviating the words or combining the bases of two separate words into one word. For example, Webmd.com or Wikipedia.com. -
Step 3
Throw out keywords
What’s your site all about? What words do you like? If your website is about skiing resorts, your list may include: slopes, snow, ski, white, winter, board, bunny, skiing, lodge, resort, powder, etc. -
Step 4
Be punny
If you can combine any of your keywords into a common phrase, try it. For example, I once experimented with the domain Strangerswithhobbies.com because it worked well for a hobbies site connecting strangers. -
Step 5
Short and sweet
The longer your site name, the more likely people will make typos and won’t reach your site at all. Short names are easier to type and to remember –two important factors in a good site name. Also make sure it’s easy to spell. Onomatopoeia is a great word, but the average person won’t remember how to spell it. -
Step 6
Make a list & check it twice
You’re sure to check your domain names as you come up with them, but don’t commit to a name right away. Write down your favorite available domain names and then check them for availability again when you’re ready to purchase. -
Step 7
Get a second opinion
You may think you have a great domain name, but when you say it out loud, it may not sound as cool to someone else. I myself was quite fond of baudyvillians.com for a dirty vaudeville website, but when you say it out loud, you end up saying “body villains” –not quite the same. -
Step 8
Check for other meanings
We’ve all heard the story about Pens Islands using their company name for a domain name and having it appear as penislands.com. You don’t want to be like this. Double check your name to make sure it doesn’t spell out something else when it’s all combined into one word. -
Step 9
Buy it
Once you’re sure you’ve got the right domain name, buy it right away. If you don’t, someone else might get it in the meanwhile.
