Robert Sable Consulting

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Robert Sable Consulting specializes in developing accessible, standards compliant websites, e-commerce solutions and web based applications.

How To Pick A Good Domain Name

One of the first steps in creating your new website is the selection of a domain name. It gets harder by the day to find a name that’s still available but there are several things to keep in mind while searching for your name.

Make It Memorable

A good domain name must be easy to remember. An easy test is the memory test. If you can tell someone your domain name and they’re able to remember it and type it into their browser, you know you’ve got a winner. This means the name must be easy to spell. And try not to include dashes or any out of the ordinary abbreviations. So if your lawfirm is named Rosencrantz, Steinmeltz, and Szyzinski you’re probably not going to want to use RosencrantzSteinmeltzSzyzinski.com as your domain name.

Choose Something Relevant

While its tempting to select a name like “Amazon.com” because you think its catchy, you’ll be better served by selecting a name that has meaning in your field of business. Potential customers and new associates are more likely to remember a name that has something to do with your field.

Use Keywords

If you’re looking for traffic from search engine results, you’ll want to include keywords in your domain name. If you search for some common terms on Google you’ll notice that keywords are highlighed in domain names. For example, doing a Google search for Robert Sable will return this site as the #1 result. Sure, not surprising you say, but you’ll notice that robertsable is highlighed in the domain name portion of the search results meaning the words I searched for were found in the domain name of this site.

Brainstorm

You don’t have to settle on the first available name you think of. A great new domain name search tool is the Instant Domain Search. Search for options. Keep searching. Then search some more. The first name you think of isn’t necessarily the best.

Extensions

When in doubt, go for .com. It’s no coincidence that internet related companies are referred to as “dot coms.” Its the first extension people think of when searching the web. Its also the default extension most modern browsers will use when in doubt. So if possible, go with the .com name. You might also want to reserve the corresponding .net, .org, .biz and/or other names to avoid potential conflicts.

The bottom line is that the selection of a domain name is one of the most important first steps in getting a website online. Take your time and use common sense when selecting a name. Test out potential names on friends, colleagues, or contact us to ensure that you’re selecting a good domain name.