What’s in a name?
Never underestimate the value of your domain name to your sales success! The domain name is the series of letters between “www” and “.com” (o.net,.biz, etc.). It may be the most powerful strategy you employ to attract people to your site…and keep them coming back for more.
If you have an established business that needs a domain name OR your domain name dictates your business name, this post will tell you everything you need to know to successfully play the name game and win.
Start Smart: The Brainstorming Process
Do not be fooled. Most of the time, choosing a name is not as easy as it seems. There are many variables in play to ensure that your site can be found among your competitors and then stay in the minds of your customers once they leave.
Start the process by following this tried and true method of brainstorming:
- Give free rein to your thoughts: Sit in a quiet place without distractions and spend ten minutes writing down everything that comes to mind when you think of your product or service. Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation; just put your thoughts on paper.
- Highlight words with impact: Go through your list, highlighting the words and phrases that represent your company’s distinctive strengths and have the most impact. Think about what words your customers might use if they are searching for your product and include those too.
- Put the puzzle together: From your “power list” of highlighted words, try different combinations to form a new word or phrase.
- Check Availability – Take your 10-20 favorites and check availability online at a reputable registration service like Godaddy.com (see “Name Registration” for more details). Your favorite names may be taken, but most registration sites will give you a list of alternatives that will keep your wheels turning for more suitable options.
- Ask – Once you have a list of your available picks, vote with friends and family to see what comes out best. Listen to their opinions, what sounds great to you may sound fun to them, but remember to follow your instincts; Ultimately, you are the one who makes the decisions.
For example: If you sell authentic gourmet Belgian waffle mixes, some logical name combinations might be TheWaffleGourmet.com, AuthenticWaffleCompany.com, BelgianByDesign.com.
Game rules
- Only letters, numbers, and hyphens can be part of the domain name, but the name cannot begin or end with a hyphen.
- Most programs will not support any name longer than 26 characters.
- You must be careful not to choose a name that infringes another company’s trademark. Stay away from well-known celebrity names or variations of brand names.
What to do if…
Is the domain name of your established company not available?
If you’re ready to take your established business online but the name is already in use, don’t worry. Consider using a hyphen or choose a modified version of your business name that is similar enough to be remembered by your current customers.
For example: Jessie’s Jewelry may become Jessies-Jewelry.com, JessiesJewels.com, or JewelryByJessie.com.
Can’t decide on a name?
No problem. Use the checklist to compare names and determine which one will work best for you. Use it as your primary business name and purchase multiple domain names if your budget allows.
You have decided on a domain name but .com is taken?
Don’t be tempted to use .net, .biz, or another alternative suffix as your primary or unique domain name. Find a variation of your name that is available.com. You can buy alternative suffixes in addition to a .com address, but people tend to automatically add .com to the end of their domain name. You may be sending your customers to another website.
Is your product selection vast and it’s hard to decide on a name that best suits your offerings?
Try to choose a generalized term. For example, if you sell baby products, your site name might be BabyProducts.com or GreatBabyProducts.com.
Reserve Your Spot: Name Registration
Now that you’ve decided on a name (or names), it’s time to register with a reputable online registration service. There are hundreds of websites you can go to to make this purchase, but there are a handful of popular companies that are used by most online entrepreneurs, including:
- godaddy.com
- solutionsredes.com
- register.com
The main difference between each of these sites is the cost. Do some comparison shopping to find the best deal. If budget allows, buy your name for more than a year; many registry services offer discounts if you register your name for more than 5 years. In addition, it will save you the headache of having to renew every year. If you forget to renew, you may lose your domain name. There are some unsavory people out there looking for recently expired domains and quickly registering their name, hoping to resell them back to the original owners for a huge profit.
Don’t stop your search for availability at name registration sites. Just because a domain name is available online doesn’t mean there isn’t a business without an internet presence that has the same name. Look on your state’s corporate registration website. There, you can find out if your chosen name is already registered as a fictitious name with another company. Someone may be doing business under the name you want, but have not registered a website domain. If they were using the name first, you will definitely lose the battle in the courtroom, even if they didn’t have a registered domain name at the time.
The question of suffixes
The internet is constantly evolving and as such there are always new avenues to explore. Just a few years ago there were only three or five common suffixes, but now there are dozens. Here are the most popular suffixes and their intended uses:
- .com: business and personal sites
- .net: Companies involved in the internet infrastructure
- .org: non-profit organizations
- .gov: government agencies
- .edu: schools, colleges and universities
Personally, I recommend that your domain name always have the .com suffix. Then, if possible, consider registering multiple suffixes so competitors can’t capitalize on your popularity with the same name/different suffix in the future.
Protect your business: registration of trademarks and fictitious names
Once your domain name is registered, it’s time to think about applying for trademark protection with the US Patent and Trademark Office (uspto.gov/trademarks/). This is completely optional – you can conduct business online without a trademark, but it is recommended that you establish your rights to your domain name. Doing so will strengthen your power in court if you ever need to assert your rights against competitors or others trying to use your name. If that time ever comes, you’ll be glad you took the extra steps to protect your business.
Any business that does not use its legal name (the official name of the person or entity that owns the business) as part of its business name may register an “fictitious name.” You can do this with your state and usually with your county clerk’s office. Each state has slightly different requirements for how and where to do this. Do a Google search to find out how to register your business as a fictitious name in your state.
more tips
Include keywords – this will increase your position in search engines and shopping portals. Search sites are likely to respond to search requests based on the number of keywords that match a domain name. For example, if a potential customer were looking for hot sauce, HotSauceWorld.com would be closer to the top of the list than SpicySauces.com.
Think in alphabetical terms: choose a name that begins with a letter close to the beginning of the alphabet. Manufacturer’s “Where to Buy” pages often list the retailers that carry their products in alphabetical order. Most customers will start at the top and shop at the top sites, never making it to the bottom of the list.
Register multiple names – It’s a great idea to pick a lot of relevant domain names and have them all point to your main website (ie forward URL). This means that you can have more than one address landing at the same location.
Consider the potential confusion: Most customers don’t take the time or patience to try different spellings if they don’t get it right the first time. Think about the possible mistakes potential customers could make when typing your web address. For example, if your domain name contains a commonly misspelled word or homonym (there/your, too/two, etc.), you may want to simplify the name or register multiple names so that even if a mistake is made common, your customer will find your site.
Direct purchase: If you have really decided on a domain name that is not available, go to Whois.net to find the owner and contact him. Domain name owners will occasionally sell a name if they are not using it. You can also check out GoDaddy Auctions to bid on domain names for sale in an auction-like format. This is also a great place to search for keywords and see if there is a domain name available that would not show up on other registration sites.
Avoid numerical spelling: Don’t be tempted to use domains containing ‘2’ for ‘To’, ‘4’ for ‘To’, ‘u’ for ‘you’, etc., even if they sound ‘cool’. customers will be easily confused. If you go this route, consider buying both the numeric name and the spelled version. For example: Register both Stuff4Kids.com and StuffForKids.com.
Look for possible offenses: Domain names don’t allow spaces, so be careful that the words you form don’t create a word you don’t intend. For example, if your business name is John Jack Associates, you don’t want your domain name to be Johnjackass.com.
In summary
The domain name is a unique name that identifies your website. It can be the same as your company or a variation of it. Make your name as memorable and relevant as possible to the product or service you offer. A clever and unique name can also help you stand out from the competition. And think about the words the customer might use to find your product in shopping directories and search engines. Try to include as many of these keywords as possible to achieve a superior listing. Finally, be sure to double check the legality of your name by researching existing trademarks and fictitious trade names for the same name.
IMPress Action Checklist:
Below is a list of the steps involved in choosing an effective business name. Be sure to check off each task as you complete it to stay focused on this critical first step to success online.
- Brainstorm a list of name ideas
- Check the availability of your favorite names
- Evaluate the names on your available list against the following criteria:
- Is it memorable?
- Is it easy to spell?
- Does it quickly and accurately describe your product or service?
- Does it contain keywords?
- It’s unique?
- Is it legit? (Research fictitious names and trademarks)
- Ask others for their opinion on your favorite names
- Register your name with an online registration service
- Register your name with your state
- Register your name with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
- Register relevant domain names and point them to your main URL
