In the Internet, however, it is an entirely different story altogether. Your domain name is the only clue to your online business. You do not have visual clues: no location, no look, and no store design. Instead, users have to type in a word or a set of words to reach your site. Your prospective visitor has no way of knowing what your site is all about until he/she finds it and reads its contents. Who can ever tell that Amazon.com sells books? Or that Excite is a search engine?
Your domain name can spell your success on the Internet. A good domain name is the best asset you can ever have. It can make your business stand out in the crowd, or just float aimlessly in space.
The need to provide immediate clues to an online business led to the prevalence of generic domain names. Generic names instantly provide the user with an idea of what a business is all about, what to expect and look for in a site. For instance, Etoys.com is a toy store.
The temptation of the generic name has been so powerful, that some companies even paid ridiculously high prices to get the name they want, such as:
* Loans.com and Wines.com were both bought for $3 million each.
* Telephone.com was acquired for $1.75 million.
* Bingo.com sold for $1.1 million.
However, generic names do not necessarily create the “buzz” that you’d like surrounding your website. Branding has always been about proper names:
* McDonald's did not name their store Hamburger.
* FedEx is not Mail Carrier.
* Microsoft is not Computer Software.
For better branding results, your domain name should be memorable and easy to remember. Remember the following tips when creating a domain name:
* Domain name should be short.
* Domain name should be simple.
* Domain should be suggestive of your business category.
* Domain should be unique.
* Domain should be easy to interpret and pronounce.
* Domain should be personalized.
* Domain should not be difficult to spell.
* Domain should not be difficult to remember.
