A Rose of Any other Domain Name: Just as Sweet?

Author: April Hall

Internet Copywriter

Alas, is what Romeo proclaimed true? Is “a rose by any other name” really just as sweet? Does it actually matter what you choose for your domain name? The answer is yes, yes, and yes. (And, our boy Romeo would agree.) Names matter; both for brick and mortar businesses, and especially for internet marketing. So, how do you choose an internet domain name?

If you have a unique business name, it is quite simple to choose a domain name. For example, the owner of Bob’s Tuna Supply could probably register the name bobstunasupply.com and find that it is available, fairly cheap to register and suits his purposes to a tee. On the other hand, the proprietor of Tommy’s Cars might find that the simple domain tommyscars.com is already taken. In cases such as poor Tommy, we need to look for a rose of a different name; however, that rose’s name needs to be easy to remember, logical and affordable.

When deciding on a domain name, keep the following ideas in mind:

• Dot coms are almost always better than dot orgs. And dot coms are always better than dot nets or (Yikes!) dot tvs. The fact of the matter is, every business prefers a dot com domain name. It is simply more recognized, more professional, and most importantly, more likely to be plugged into the browser. Think about it: if you are looking for cheap cars online, would you likely plug in cheapcars.com into your browser rather than cheapcars.net? There is one exception to this rule, of course. Web hosting companies should be able to work with you to find a dot com that is appropriate for your particular business. If you are running a nonprofit organization, you will want to register as a dot org.
• If your business name is taken or otherwise unavailable, choose an abbreviation or very similar name. Let’s go back to Tommy. If the name tommyscars.com is taken, perhaps carsbytommy.com is not; or maybe even tcars.com. Just try to get as close as you can to your business name–it makes it much easier for your customers to remember and find on the web.

There are many other ideas to keep in mind as your are choosing your rose, ahem your business’ domain name. Just remember that you need to choose a name that is as simple as possible, as well as one that internet searchers may even discover on their own. Romeo, as young and star-crossed as he was, was right. Names matter.