Shakespeare once quipped, “What’s in a name?” When it comes to your domain name, one domain name is not necessarily as sweet as another. Also known as website address, or URL, your domain name Url is the address people use to find you on the internet. Your name needs to let people know what you do, offer instant brand awareness, and also work well with search engines. Here we offer tips on how to choose a business domain name that works.

Domain Names and SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) provides search engines like Google with an easier way to find you. Your domain name needs to help with your SEO so you get more “organic” traffic. Organic traffic results when your SEO efforts begin to indicate to the search engines what you do. When this happens, queries related to your business are directed to your URL. In order to increase the effectiveness of your SEO, try using an SEO-friendly address using keywords or geo-locations to make it easier to find you.

Short and Sweet

While it might be tempting to get overly creative, the KISS theory works best. Avoid trying to use slang or industry “buzz” words that could miss the mark by limiting the audience that will understand your name. Short and simple makes your domain name more memorable, not to mention easier to enter. Typos with complicated domain names lead to frustration and make it more likely people will just give up and go elsewhere. Also, unless your company name is literally a number, adding numbers or hyphens is harder to remember, a pain to type, and less appealing.

Adopt the Right Domain Extension

Also known as a “top-level domain,” these are the suffixes that appear after the “dot”. The most common TLD is .com, but others include .net, .edu and .org. Many less traditional TLDs have been popping up ranging from locations to professions. However, it’s always best to choose the one that suits your business, which, in most cases, will be .com. The one exception is when you discover someone has already acquired your preferred domain name. In this case you can try a different TLD, but this often just leads to confusion for people trying to find you or the other guys.

Choose Something Scalable

Scalable? Yes, scalable. What your business does today might expand into many different areas. A company that sells strictly cookbooks, for example, might eventually add cookware, recipe cards, software, aprons, and more. Choosing the name cookbooks.com narrows your reach.

Do Your Research

Search your choices to see if they come up on Google. If all is well, do a search on USPTO.gov to avoid trademark issues. It’s late in the game to look for a domain name, which means you might be faced with trying to buy your domain name from the owner.

One last thought: the less informative your name, the more you’ll need to invest in marketing to explain what you do. Whether it’s to entice visitors to come back to your site or to make it easier to remember your domain name from your marketing, a memorable name makes it easier to encourage visits. Register your domain name here.