10 Things to Ponder when Picking Your .com

1. Proper names VS Common Names. First of all there are two different kinds of names, proper names (unique words, person, place), or common names (things like cars or cheese.) The types of names that will have good lasting effect on the internet are proper names. Think of some of the biggest sites on the internet, such as yahoo or google, why are they the most popular search engines in the world and not searchengine.com? Simple, the average consumer will group names of things with there .com names. If the names are too similar they get lost in the mix. That is why no one names there car dealership cars. Sure cars are what they sell, but image the conversation, Frank asks "what dealership did you buy your car from?" Jim replies "cars" as you can image it would get really confusing. A lot of dealerships use proper names such as XYZ Motors. That is why a lot of sites such as cars.com aren't doing as well as say vehix.com.

2. Real world Brands. The most successful brands on the internet are not "real world" brands. That is why amazon.com does over three times as much business as Waldenbooks.com or Borders.com combined. Internet branding is something completely new. In my opinion, the sites that are going to last on the internet are the ones with proper names. Proper names can be anything, names, and unique words. Use your imagination just as long as it is catchy and unique. It was a good idea to put www.what you are selling here.com back when the internet was young. People used the URL as a directory tool. This is a dying fad.

3. KISS Method. Keep It Simple Stupid. The best sites out there have simple easy to remember names. Alexa.com Excite.com you don't see many popular names like incrdiblesearchingpower.com

4. Shorter means better. If there is a shorter way to use your name do it. There is a reason cnet.com isn't computernet.com and schawb.com isn't charlesschwab.com. The less I have to type in the search box the happier I am.

5. Spelling 101. Make your .com easy to spell. Back when your product was mailed by the postal service spelling wasn't as important. You could get away with misspelled words and it would still be delivered. But now you have to enter your .com name exactly right for it to work.

6. What is in a name? Words that are better for search engine names and brand names all together have less total letters. That is why Datsun which has 6 letters to make there name changed to Nissan which has 4. As general rule brand names do better with the lower this number is. Such as Yahoo it takes 4. Google, it takes 4.

7. Abbreviate. Take a look at America Online. They didn't make there site www.americanonline.com they made it AOL. Other abbreviated names include, MSN and Cnet. This goes with the keeping it shorter rule but it is another possible helper.

8. Name it after a person. In 1987, PC's Limited changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation. In 2003, the company became Dell, Inc. Dell, Inc. became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world. Dell sounds a lot better than PC's Limited.

9. Hidden meanings. Most names have hidden meanings such as Amazon which is the largest River on earth, is the largest book store on earth. I recommend you take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_company_name_etymologies

10. Run names by friends and relatives. They can be your best source for ideas, and best of all they will tell you if something sounds good to them or not. Ultimately what ever .com you choose it has to sound good to you!

I decided to pursue my passion, internet marketing. I have spent countless hours reading books, and listening to lectures. I finally decided to take the plunge. I created http://www.awesome-possum.com June of 2005. I hope in time to be a webmaster and internet marketer full time. I hope this article was helpful and informative. Email me webmaster@awesome-possum.com anytime. I am always happy to help.

Thanks Ryan Churchill

Related News

SIDN quarantines expired Dutch domain names for 40 days - Telecom Paper (subscription) SIDN quarantines expired Dutch domain names for 40 days Telecom Paper (subscription), Netherlands -Jul 3, 2008 Dutch organisation SIDN, which manages .nl domain names, intends to quarantine terminated domain names for 40 days. The object being to prevent domain names... ICANN Press Release Acknowledges Theft of Its Domain Names - Associated Content ICANN Press Release Acknowledges Theft of Its Domain Names Associated Content, CO -3 hours ago ICANN is the organization which is charged with regulating the use of domain names among other things. Having its own domain names stolen is comparable to a ... Watch out! Web’s doomsday clock is ticking - Sify NDTV.com Watch out! Web’s doomsday clock is ticking Sify, India -12 hours ago In fact, domain names are only a convenience for people who have better luck remembering to type, say, www.google.com, than they would have trying to ... Waiting for the internet meltdownTimes Online Online address registration body loses its ownEconomic Times all 60 news articles Domain name gold rush begins - SmartCompany.com.au Domain name gold rush begins SmartCompany.com.au, Australia -Jul 3, 2008 Every country has a country code domain name, such as .com.au and co.uk. But the changes mean new names could include company names such as . ... The basics of Domain Name Registration - Best Syndication Best Syndication The basics of Domain Name Registration Best Syndication, CA -Jul 4, 2008 The first step to starting your website is to choose a name for your website, which is also known as its domain name. You can only choose a domain name that ... What's in a name? - Globe and Mail What's in a name? Globe and Mail, Canada -Jul 3, 2008 Proposed domain names must also be unlikely to cause confusion with other domains, and pass muster according to trademark laws, to say nothing of the United ... Domain name decision looks like Web.disorg -- editorial - The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com Domain name decision looks like Web.disorg -- editorial The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com, OH -Jul 4, 2008 The people who run the nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers think opening up domain names -- those last few letters at the end of ... Go Daddy milestone: 30 million domain names - Arizona Republic Go Daddy milestone: 30 million domain names Arizona Republic, AZ -Jul 2, 2008 The unidentified Go Daddy customer registered the domain name www.ruleofsaving.com last week, bringing the Scottsdale-based Internet domain name registrar ... ICANN Loses Control of Its Own Domain Names - Slashdot ICANN Loses Control of Its Own Domain Names Slashdot -Jul 5, 2008 NotNormallyNormal writes "CBC picked up an AP story about ICANN recently losing control over two of their domain names on Thursday, June 26. ... Who Could Hack Web Regulators? - Infopackets Who Could Hack Web Regulators? Infopackets, Canada -Jul 4, 2008 ICANN and IANA manage the routing system which allows web users to type in a domain name (such as www.infopackets.com) rather than having to know the ...