It’s almost 2010 and the internet is only getting bigger and better. You absolutely will need a great domain name to help you stick out from the masses.
Here are 5 quick and snappy rules to keep you clean and out of domain name trouble:
Take the .Com
If you’re looking to build a business and make money online, ditch any domain name that doesn’t end in .com.
If you can’t get your perfect name in .com, then it’s not perfect. Find a new one.
Don’t Settle for a Mediocre Name
Part of being a professional is having a professional domain name, which is why something like mysurfinglessonshawaii.com wouldn’t work.
Even if you were a great surf instructor with the best equipment fronting an awesome beach, people will not visit your site with an amateur domain like that. It sounds like you slapped it together because everything good was already taken. Plus, it has zero brand potential.
Take your time when choosing your domain name. I cannot stress this enough. I’ve coached a few people with their name and it’s usually at the 4th or 5th round of brainstorming they come up with something brilliant. Not before.
Don’t Spend More than $10 For a Domain Name
That’s right—stay away from “premium” domain name auctions and transactions (except if you can get your dream name in a $59 aftermarket auction nobody cares about at SnapNames. I did this for Wordful.com)
The way I see it, domaining is a dirty business whose time is coming to an slow but inevitable end. Think about it: there are only so many premium, portfolio-worthy names out there. How many times can they possibly exchange hands until people starting actually using them to build their sites? That number is getting smaller every day.
So while it may be a coup to own surfing.com, it’s not realistic and it’s certainly not going to be affordable. I can think of 10,000 better ways to spend your money.
Spend Your Creative Capital Instead
That’s right, creative capital—one of your greatest assets when bootstrapping a web business. What you lack in money you can often make up for in creativity, especially when creating your domain name.
Instead of focusing on an obvious, keyword-rich domain, go for something more quirky and out of the box. Or something with a twist. You may not pick up initial momentum with the search engines, but with enough clever content and marketing you can find yourself at the front of the pack in little time.
Successful domain names of the future will rely less on keywords and more on creative branding. Remember that.
Get Some Free Help
The Name Inspector: What blog naming style do you use?
Problogger: Choosing the Domain Name for your Blog
Seth Godin: The new rules of naming
Wordful: Blog Naming 3-Part Series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
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Photo by Engage-toi.
Swiss Web Hosting
Great tips! Getting an affordable domain name and getting it ranked would be a success but would require lots of hard work. One should be consistent with the task! With the application of all these tips, I don’t think there will be lapses during the process.