Selecting a memorable domain name is not just a task for online companies. Every brick-and-mortar business needs to maintain an online presence in order to compete for today’s buyers. Why you ask? Consumers are increasingly turning to the internet as their primary resource for shopping or locating businesses. In Australia the number of internet subscribers grows almost 15% per year. Mid 2011 subscriptions reached 11 million, and that doesn’t even include those who access the web via mobile phones. No business can compete successfully long-term if such trends are ignored.

Create an SEO Friendly Domain Name

The ultimate goal of creating a website is to increase your businesses visibility to prospective customers. Your first step to building a strong online marketing campaign is to select a competitive domain name. You can do so by using SEO friendly keywords in your domain name that illustrate your products and services. By doing so you are assisting both your target market and search engines when identifying your niche. In saying this, if your business already has an established reputation and following, it may be more advantageous to simply use a version of your company’s name.

Things to Remember When Choosing a Domain Name

Every domain name is required to be unique, though there may be several similar versions using different top level domains (TLDs). The TLD is at the end of the addresses, such as .com, .info, .net, and so forth. Some businesses prefer to purchase more than one version, using a global domain (.com) as their official website and designing the others to refer people to their global domain. You can also include a geographic designation, such as ".com.au" for Australia or ".com.nz" for New Zealand.

Whichever approach you choose, the goal is to create a memorable domain so customers can easily find their way back to your site and share your information with friends. Avoid using words which are difficult to spell, or tags which may seem clever but are hard to recreate. If someone has already claimed the name you desire, don’t just change a singular word to a plural or deliberately misspell one of the words to create a unique name. While you may be able to reserve such a domain, it is unlikely many people will find you. A name which clearly identifies the type of business you have will be significantly more memorable, a key to garnering repeat traffic.

Domain Name Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid choosing a .net or .info version of a domain name that is already in use as .com. For instance, if would like the name partyguru.com, but it’s already taken, don’t just settle for partyguru.net. Most customers start with a .com search and you could be helping your competition build their business instead of yours! It’s a much better idea to try a different version, such as bestpartyguru.com instead. Also, try to avoid domain names that are excessively long. Short and sweet is easier to remember!

It’s also essential to avoid copyright or trademark infringements. If you have a question about whether a term you wish to use is registered to another company, check first and avoid future difficulties.