"Choosing a great domain name is one of the most important points for building a successful business."

Your domain name is the first thing your customers will see. It is your brand! It will eventually become your most valuable online asset, so therefore always remember to choose carefully, although this is sometimes easier said than done. As you will notice most of the obvious and most desirable names have already been registered, but don't despair! There are some little-known tricks and tips we here at One Time Design have come accross and learnt that can help you when trying to find a domain name that you will love.

Here are the things you should think about.

Tip 1 - A Domain Name Is For Life, Not Just For Your Website Launch

Once you have built your website around a particular domain it is very hard to change the name. If you do change it, all the valuable links from other websites will be broken and your marketing activity to build your brand will have been wasted. So when choosing a domain name try to think about all the ways your website could evolve. Choose a name which will still make sense as the website changes and grows with your ideas for the future.

Tip 2 - Is A ".Com" Domain Really The Best Choice?

This answer is a no brainer and its a definte 'Yes', but... and yes there is a but. The 'but' is other domain name extensions may be more suitable to certain businesses / websites, depending on what your website is and will be covering.

.com - is definately the most popular domain extension. It is truly international and it is the name that is most frequently searched for. If you can find one for your site, it has real benefits.
.net - is a good second best choice. Like .com, it has no geographic bias, so can be used for sites with global appeal.
.org - is suitable for charities, associations, clubs etc. Not really suitable on a commercial basis.
.tv - this domain extension is becoming more popular and is a good choice particularly if you plan on having multimedia content or a television presence.
.co.uk, .fr, .nz, etc. - national domains are only suitable for sites which will only EVER cover national subjects. It you site could be expanded to reach a global audience don't have a national domain name, always try and get the .com!

Tip 3 - Brainstorm Keywords

When choosing a domain name, the first thing you should do is brainstorm keywords. Sit down with a pen, paper and computer and write down every word you can think of, related to your subject. Use www.thesaurus.com and search all your words for any other alternatives, second Google all your words and see if any other inspiration comes to you.

Tip 4 - Add Simple Words In Front Of Your Keyword

There are some simple words that can preceed a keyword, to make a good domain name, for example:

'my' e.g. mysite.com
'your' e.g. yoursite.com
'i' e.g. isite.com
'e' e.g. esite.com
'pro' e.g. prosite.com
'best' e.g. bestsite.com

Top 5 - Add Simple Words After A Keyword

As before there are many descriptive words you can add after your keywords. Examples include:

Gazette – e.g. SiteGazette.com
Times – e.g. SiteTimes.com
Post – e.g. SitePost.com
Spotlight e.g. SiteSpotlight.com
Update e.g. SiteUpdate.com
Outlook e.g. SiteOutlook.com
Briefing e.g. SiteBriefing.com
Bulletin e.g. SiteBulletin.com
Advisor e.g. SiteAdvisor.com
Flash e.g. Siteflash.com
Report e.g. SiteReport.com
Journal e.g. SiteJournal.com
News e.g. SiteNews.com
Forum e.g. Siteforum.com
Chronicle e.g. SiteChronicle.com
Link e.g. SiteLink.com
Insider e.g. SiteInsider.com
Net e.g. SiteNet.com
Online e.g. SiteOnline.com
Central e.g. SiteCentral.com
Finder e.g. SiteFinder.com
World e.g. SiteWorld.com
Site e.g. YourSite.com
Beat e.g. SiteBeat.com

Tip 6 - Repeat a Word

Some short words can be repeated in a domain name, to create something brandable, unique and easy to remember, for example:

DoshDosh - www.doshdosh.com - a successful website about making money
ShinyShiny - www.shinyshiny.com - a girls guide to gadgets
WiiWii - www.wiiwii.com - a site about the Nintendo Wii

Tip 7 - Slang And "In Jokes"

If your website is aimed at a niche audience who will be aware of unique slang words or phrases, these can be used within the name. For example:

Tie The Knot - www.tietheknot.com - a site about weddings and getting married
Who Ate All The Pies - www.whoateallthepies.com - a site about soccer/football
LifeHacker - www.lifehacker.com - a site about making life easier using technology and other shortcuts

Tip 8 - Names To Avoid

Try to avoid:

Misspelling common words e.g. OnlineBizness.com
Hyphens e.g. start-a-food-franchise.com
Registered trademarks e.g. ebay-world.com
Numbers replacing words e.g. fun4kids.com

Tip 9 - Buy A Name

If after all this work you still haven't found a domain you are happy with, then you can look into buying one. This can be expensive, but your domain name will be your online business' most valuable asset, so it could be worth the investment. Best way I would recommend if your domain has already gone is to type a domain you like into your browser. If the website that comes up has not been updated for a long time and looks unloved, there is a fair chance that the owner will be happy to sell it. If you can't find the contact details of the owner on the site, try typing the URL into Whois.net and the owners details will appear, send a friendly email asking if they would be happy to discuss selling there unused domain.

Conclusion

"Finding a great domain can be a frustrating process, but stick at, as it's worth the effort. If you find a name you love, you will be much more enthusiastic about the website you launch."