K-I-S-S. "Keep-It-Simple-Stupid" is good advice for everything from home dcor to parenting to engineering; there's beauty in personal, aesthetic and mechanical simplicity, and when it comes to registering a domain name, one can hardly go wrong incorporating this pithy-sweet advice. Since your website will be a major point of interaction between you and your customers or clients, it is important that they be able to find you easily and that you display a sense of order and market savvy that will be lost if your domain name is unmemorable, gimmicky or otherwise confusing. Here are some tips for keeping the process of selecting a domain name simple and maybe even fun!

DO:

Keep it simple.

As I've already alluded to, short and memorable is far better than long and bulky. Internet users rely on speed and ease to make the process enjoyable and productive. For this reason, shorter is betterfor example www.flyfishing.com compared to www.becauseyouloveflyfishing.com. No brainer!

Keep it on-brand.

If you have or are establishing a brand, your domain name should reflect your brand. For example, if your company is called Rose Soaps, then www.rosesoaps.com is the best choice. If that is unavailable, sticking as closely to the brand name is ideal.

Keep it professional.

In the world of internet marketing .com domain names get the most respect, hands-down. If you want to be taken seriously, register a .com domain name. If you can, it is a good idea to also register alternates like .biz and .net, redirecting them to your .com site in case a visitor mistakenly types the wrong extension. You don't want willing customers floating lost in cyberspace!

Keep it fun.

Obviously, certain businesses and products require seriousness. You want to earn respect. However, realizing that all of your customers like to have a little fun from time to time can play into your domain name as well. Naming your company, product, and website something catchy and entertaining will keep your customers coming back, sometimes simply for the smile they get when they type in that address!

Now that we've touched on some key "Dos," here's a brief word on "Don'ts." Don't get gimmicky. If your company is called "Food To Go," stick with www.foodtogo.com, rather than www.food2go.com. Don't change s's to z's unless you have a good reason. Don't add fluffy extra words like "online" or extra hyphenations or punctuations, unless necessary. Don't try to imitate other successful sites. You can be inspired by their wit, but don't attempt a knock-off. If they're already established, you may never step out of their shadow. Blaze your own path!

And most importantly, don't panic! Domain registration can be challenging because of how many domain names are already registered, but if you take your time, put on your thinking cap, gather some friends to help brainstorm, and keep these simple tips in mind, it can be one of the most exciting steps in the life of your website. Just remember to keep it simple . . . and if you use all of these tips, you can change that last S in the acronym to stand for Smarty!

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