Domain names – get creative!

When looking to register domain names from places like GoDaddy, you might find that availability for good .com’s is scarce (i.e. www.joespizza. com). Here are a few tips on how to find an available website name that still holds your company image.

See if there is anything besides “.com” available. While “.com” is by far the most popular, there are other options. For example, “.net” or “.org” might suffice. If you own a store called Joe’s Pizza and www. joespizza.com isn’t available, to see if joespizza.org or joespizza.net is available.

Use a hyphen “-“ in your website title. While it may not always be ideal and could make it a little more difficult for customers to find you, it may be worth it if you can nail that brand name. For example, www.joes-pizza. com might be available for purchase if www.joespizza.com is already taken.

Add words or letters. You can always add words or letters (that make sense) to the website name. For example: If Joe’s Pizza is located in Minnesota, it might be a good idea to see if www.joespizzamn.com is available. This may be even more benefi- cial considering it won’t get confused with the hundreds of other Joe’s Pizza places of the world.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Just keep a few things in mind: First, it’s never a good idea to make your website name too long. Brevity is very important on the Internet. Second, make sure the name makes sense and is relevant to your business. Third, make sure it’s something people will remember and won’t get confused by. For example, don’t make www. joespizza.com into www.joezpizza. com. Substituting the S with a Z will only confuse people.

Now go out there and find a website that works for your business!

Sean Rosensteel is the Director of Marketing at Savvy Pro Web in Eden Prairie, MN. He specializes in effective web design, web marketing, and social media. www.savvyproweb.com.