HOW TO SELECT A DOMAIN NAME

What Is In A Name? (Follow Hyperlink for Answer!)

Saturday, September 15, 12

DOMAIN NAME GUIDELINES(FOLLOW HYPERLINK!)

• Brand, Organization, or Company Name

• Naming is Strategic, NOT Tactical

• Shorter is Better

• Easy to Pronounce

• Distinctive

• Avoid Copyright Infringement

Saturday, September 15, 12

BRAND NAME

• Domain Name is (Usually) Your Site/Blog Title

• Purpose of Site Indicated by Domain Name

• Use Your Name or Close Variation to Promote Personal Brand

• Use Name of Your Business, Product, or Service if you already have a content focus/niche in mind

• Use Best Extension (.com or .org) even if need to go with second or third choice

Saturday, September 15, 12

STRATEGIC NAME

• Select a Name You Can Live With

• Select a Fluid Name: Broad, Evolving Content Focus

• Incorporate Key Words Someone Would Use to Find the Information on Your Site (name)

• Use Name Allowing for More Than One Blog Focus

• Do NOT Pick Trendy or Cutesy Name

Saturday, September 15, 12

SHORTER IS BETTER

• Name is First Impression: Keep it Simple

• Easy to Remember, to Type, and to Say

• Long Names Annoy Potential Visitors

• More Visually Pleasing (on resume or card)

• 12 Characters or Less is Best

Saturday, September 15, 12

EASY TO TYPE

• Use Easy-to-Spell Words or Sounds

• Avoid quirky Spellings: Thom, Waneta, etc

• Keep Your Brand Name in Mind

• Careful Using "q," "z," "x," "c," "ph," “gh,”

Saturday, September 15, 12

EASY TO PRONOUNCE

• Choose a domain name you will not need to spell when speaking

• Careful of homophones: sound same, but spelled differently (realize, real eyes, real lies)

• Avoid hyphens and numbers

Saturday, September 15, 12

DISTINCTIVE

• Choose Memorable and Distinct Name

• Make Association Between Domain Name and Brand Name Clear

• Do NOT Choose “Confusable” Name

• No Plural, Hyphenated or Misspelled Versions of Established Domains

• NO StuffingtonPost.com, Painterist.com, etc

Saturday, September 15, 12

AVOID COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

• Do NOT use name already registered by another individual or organization as a brand

• If using business name, check trademark/copyright status before registering domain name

• If using your name or close variation, copyright infringement is unlikely, but may depend how close name is to other organization or individual

Saturday, September 15, 12

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Saturday, September 15, 12