How should I choose my domain name?

Every website uses a unique domain name (website address) which you choose. It could be a domain name you already own, or one that is still available to register. The domain should be:

• short
• memorable
• evocative of your business name or your services

Certainly, there are other criteria to consider but these are far and away the most important.

Short: if your potential customers can remember your domain name, they will be more likely to visit your site and request your service. A long domain name will be more difficult to remember, will not be as readable on a business card, and domain names longer than 32 characters cannot be used with a Google AdWords campaign. We recommend that you use the shortest domain that still corresponds to your business name or your services. For a business with a long name, such as Very Fine Precision Widgets Inc., a domain name like widgetsinc.com might serve much better than veryfineprecisionwidgetsinc.com which would not be as easily typed or remembered.

Memorable: an easily-remembered website address will result in more visits to your site. Continuing with our example widget company, a domain vfpwi.com would certainly be shorter than widgetsinc.com, but most people would find this letter sequence difficult to remember. The domain name ideally will be simple, as well as short.

Evocative of the business: if the domain name is like your business name, it will be easier for potential customers to remember how to reach your site if they know your business name. As an alternative and especially if you cannot get a domain that is like your business name, a domain that is like your services will be the next best thing.

Some other considerations

Using a TLD other than .com: in the United States, .com is the standard TLD (Top Level Domain, the last letters after a period in a domain name) that Internet users associate with domain names for businesses. Other TLDs can be used, however it is not usually recommended unless it is unavoidable in obtaining your best possible domain name. Business owners in other countries may wish to use the TLD for their particular country to emphasize their location (.fr for France, .uk for United Kingdom, etc.). You can use the .net or .org domain if the .com domain you want is not available, however .net is normally associated with network technology companies such as Internet Service Providers and .org with non-profit organizations. The next best alternative if your .com is not available would probably be .biz or .info.

It is easy to check available domains. You can go to the website of a domain registrar and use their search feature. For example, you could go to ProfessionalSitesLLC.com and use the search box in the center of the screen. If the domain name you entered is not available, the site will make some suggestions for alternates. Important: we are not suggesting that you use a registrar site to register a domain name. If you have us register for you, it will be far easier to set up your site and it will further save you money and trouble over the long term while we maintain the domain for you. This is just a recommendation for how you can check for available domains.

If you cannot get your ideal domain name, take heart: in most cases, an Internet user will use a search engine such as Google to find your site if they cannot remember the domain name or reach a site which is obviously not for your business. We offer quite a bit of assistance in getting your site to appear prominently in searches for terms related to your location and services.

We can take care of domain registration for you! When signing up online, in the screen for domain options you can choose to have us register a domain for you. We will keep this domain renewed for you at no extra cost for as long as you are a subscriber. If at any time later you would like to own it yourself we will be very happy to go through the transfer process with you for a $15 fee.

We would be very happy to suggest potential website addresses for your site and register a domain for you. Just give us a call or send an email!