Choosing a Domain Name

Selecting a domain name is one of the first things most people do when starting a new web site. It's an important decision, but it's often made in haste and with little forethought. SEOmoz recently posted a list of 12 rules for choosing your domain name that should be read by anyone who's registering a domain name for their business. The basic rules covered in the article are:

1. Brainstorm 5 Top Keywords
2. Make the Domain Unique
3. Only Choose Dot-Com Available Domains
4. Make it Easy to Type
5. Make it Easy to Remember
6. Keep the Name as Short as Possible
7. Create and Fulfill Expectations
8. Avoid Copyright Infringement
9. Set Yourself Apart with a Brand
10. Reject Hyphens and Numbers
11. Don't Follow the Latest Trends
12. Use an Ajax Domain Selection Tool

One thing I might add, which goes hand-in-hand with numbers 4 and 5 in the list, is "make it easy to say". When you're talking face to face or over the phone with your customers, you want a domain name that can be easily transmitted verbally. Novel spellings, homophones, and wordplay may seem like cute ideas at first, but you'll find that they lose their charm after you've had to spell your domain name letter by letter for the 20th time.