You’ve decided to create a website, you know what it will be about and you may have even started writing the content. But what will you call your site? Choosing a domain name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when creating a new website, and below are some tips for choosing a successful domain name:

1. Identify keywords. What’s the purpose of your website? What is it all about? Think of the keywords which summarise the goals of your website. These will provide a good starting point for choosing your domain.

2. Make it sticky, keep it short. You want your domain name to be easy to remember: Ebay, Yahoo!, Google; they’re all simple to recall and roll off the tongue easily. In general, the shorter the domain the better. Lengthy domains containing more than a couple of words can be difficult to make memorable (unless you have the financial muscle to be able to hire a team of meerkats to front your advertising campaign). If possible try to avoid hyphens, and numbers can sometimes lead to confusion as to whether it’s the digit or the word.

3. Register similar domain names. People make mistakes. They will mistype your domain or enter the wrong domain extension, so if possible try to allow for this by registering variations to your website’s domain name. You can then redirect these to your main domain to ensure no potential customers slip through the net.

4. Choose your domain extension carefully. If you can’t register the same domain under different extensions, consider which domain extension will offer the most value for your site. Despite the ever increasing range of possible domain extensions, many people remain largely unaware of all but the .COMs. However, a country code extension such as .CO.UK or .FR can add a local touch to your site, while .CO is rapidly increasing in popularity.

5. Search deleted domains. Nearly half a million domains are released back into the wild every day, either deliberately or simply because the owner forgot to renew them, all just waiting to be snapped up again. Domainmonster.com’s lists of expiring and expired domains are a great place to find that hidden domain gem to complete your new website’s brand, as you can search using the keywords you’ve identified for your site. If it’s expired, grab it; if not, Back Order with us and we’ll try to snap the domain for you.

6. Check for copyright. Although not the most exciting part of the domain search process, it’s never fun losing your new domain due to copyright issues. There are many sites you can use to check if there are any possible conflicts with the domain you’re about to register, including:

• U.S Patent and Trademark Office - http://www.uspto.gov
• Thomas Register - http://www.thomasregister.com
• The Trademark Association - http://www.inta.org
• Nameprotect - http://www.nameprotect.com

Your domain name is your first chance to make an impact with your visitors, and with so much competition online it’s never been so important to make a great first impression. Choosing your domain name is one of the most important steps when creating your website so take the time to consider the tips above and choose carefully. Happy hunting!