Informative Writings
» Choosing an Effective Domain Name
Before we get started, I'm going to put down a common misconception: there is no tried-and-true formula that can produce a great domain name every time. I'm sure many of you may have seen a few handy "online domain name generators" in the past, but I hate to break it to you: most of the time (and when I say "most", I really mean "bordering on all") these generators only produce absolute crap.
The reason for my hatred towards domain name generators is that they rarely ever produce anything memorable or worthwhile. The vast majority of the time, they only produce generic, unpersonalized and oxymoronic domain names that seven-year-olds probably think up, such as "happy-sadness". Generally, your website name should be able to establish who you are and what you're about in only several letters and/or numbers. Accomplishing that task can prove extremely difficult for a determined mind, so why on earth would you leave that same task of establishing your personalized identity up to a mindless generator?
Well, I've got news for you: I'm here to help you out. I'm not going to hand you your own domain name, but I will grant you the tools necessary to think up your own by informing you of several incredibly important factors that help determine whether the names you have in mind should be put to use or thrown in the trash.
So let's get started!
To start off, let's look to what we actually want in a domain name. The most important quality that a domain name can possibly have is memorability. If a person can't remember the name of the awesome website he visited that one time, then how is he supposed to revisit it without going through a long and troublesome Google search? Although I suppose he could bookmark the website if he has trouble with the name, ultimately, a domain name that isn't the least bit memorable means less hits (and you do want hits, right?)
The Criteria for Memorability
In order to have a memorable domain name, there are two criteria that should, in most cases, be fulfilled, and they are two large factors in whether or not a domain name is effective.
- Short Length
- Some of the most popular webpages on the internet, such as Google, Ebay, and Wikipedia, have easy-to-remember names and are incredibly popular at the same time. While it is true that "correlation does not imply causation"--meaning just because a site may have a short name and is popular, that doesn't mean it's popular because of its short name--a domain name that is short and sweet does certainly help a webpage toward success. When's the last time you saw a successful search engine that had a domain name of longer than 10 letters? Exactly. Google, Yahoo, Ask, and several other big names dominate the market, and I bet their short domain names have something to do with it!
- Originality
- Originality is obviously important. If you domain name is run-of-the-mill and isn't
distinct in any way, how do you expect for your visitor to easily remember it? Here are some examples of originality (or
lack thereof), just
so you can get a feel for what I mean.
- Good Originality
An example of a website that has a name that's original in a good way is Jemjabella.co.uk. The name of her website is concise and memorable, and to top it all off, it has a nice ring to it. - Bad Originality
An example of a possible domain name that is original in a bad way would be "1314-adsf". While the domain name is short, it's too complicated, and it's hard to remember. Although I doubt anyone would take their domain name to that extremity, I hope you get my point. In certain cases, originality can be used in a bad way. - No Originality
An example of a bad domain name that has no originality would be "lovelytragedy". This is relatively short (sort of), but the fact that it isn't original at all makes it harder to remember. Avoid oxymoronic domain names at all cost. Everyone uses them!
- Good Originality
Now, keep in mind that lack of originality doesn't necessarily mean cut-and-dry failure--there are numerous websites out there that have names that aren't exactly original, but at the same time, they are successful. Buy.com, for example, has a somewhat boring name, but the fact that it is simple and short makes up for its lack of originality--meaning it is an exception to this rule. However, remember that short and simple-to-remember names such as "Buy" are probably taken already, so because of this, it would be best for you to still aim towards having a good, original domain name.
What to Avoid
So, now that you've seen what you should strive towards, let's concentrate on what to avoid when choosing a domain name.
- Oxymorons
- Oxymorons such as "dreary-happiness", "deadly-life", and "shyly-outgoing" scream "pretentious!" and give me the idea that whoever uses them thinks they're "cool" and "artsy". Because these names are overused, people are less likely to remember them. Keep in mind that especially when you're making a personal website, you should try to use a domain name that describes you or relates to you in some way (because after all, your webpage is supposed to be personal, right?)
- Numbers
- "Numbers" is a bit of a grey area. Sometimes numbers are okay, but most of the time, they are hard to remember. If you're planning on using numbers, limit yourself to two or maybe three, but only use these if you know you can use them tastefully.
- Plural Words
- If your desired domain name is already taken, avoid simply making it plural. Because the "s" at the end generally won't be crucial to the idea of the name, people will be less likely to remember that there's an "s" at the end, and they might just drop it altogether by accident. The rule is this: If your desired name is taken, instead of making it plural, just ditch the name altogether and move onto another idea.
- Hyphens
- Hyphens can be okay occasionally, but the problem is that a hyphen is just one more character to remember. Unless you have this awesome domain name, and a hyphen is crucial for it to be read properly, avoid its usage at all costs. Hyphens disrupt the "flow" of domain names and therefore make them harder to remember.
- x's
- Adding little "x's" for the sake of it will not make your site's name memorable. If my site name read, "lolxrawrxlovexx, I'd bet you everything I owned that no more than five people would remember it. Use this as a general rule: When choosing domain names, make sure that the one you choose can be easily spoken (for instance "Google" is a household name and can be spoken easily). If the name you're choosing is hard to pronounce, chances are that it'll be hard to remember as well.
The Importance of Being Descriptive
You may have noticed that I mentioned this earlier, but I'm going to repeat it again: your website's name should describe you--especially when it's a personal website. High quality, original domain names are not only more pleasing to read, but they're also more memorable because of their originality.
In addition to this, webpages with domain names that are unique and that actually relate to the webmaster in some way are less likely to be tossed after a few years just because the site owner "got bored". While this may sound weird at first, it's true that when a person uses a more personally-oriented domain name, he becomes more attached to it and there's a lessened chance that he'll get sick of it in the future. This is all the more reason for you to choose your domain name wisely!
Well, ladies and gents, I believe you've reached the end of my guide. But before you leave and possibly forget everything I've told you, I want you to understand this: the best domain names take a lot of thought and can never be produced by a dinky little domain name generator. A good domain name is a name that describes what you're all about and that doesn't give others the idea that you just settled for whatever came to mind.
With that being said, I hope I've made your decision process a bit easier. Happy choosing, everyone!