Choosing a domain name

When choosing a domain name, try to follow these guidelines:

 1. Choose a short domain name. Will it fit nicely on printed materials? A domain such as www.ThisDomainNameIsWayTooLong.com will have trouble word-wrapping in paragraphs and fitting in marketing materials such as business cards. This is especially true if your e-mail address is JohnDoe@ThisDomainNameIsWayTooLong.com. A domain like www.ShortDomain.com is far better.

2. Use keywords or your name. If you sell cars, we wouldn't recommend a domain like www.WeSellForLess.com. You need a domain like www.WeSellCars.com. Also, if your business name is Johnson Automotive, you'll probably want to use www.johnsonautomotive.com. We would only recommend keyword-based domains if there were no domains available which contain your name.

3. Always try to go with .com. The most widely-recognized domain extension is .com. If you can't get a .com, consider changing your domain so you can. If you would have to drastically change your domain, you should then consider a ".net". If that doesn't work, use .info. And finally, .us. There are other extensions publicly available: .ws, .cc, .tv, and .biz.

Many spammers and malicious websites use .biz. The .ws and .cc domain extensions are not very well known, and .tv is usually used in the media (but rarely). The non-profit extension of .org is fine for non-profits, but we still recommend .com. All the other extensions (.edu, .eu, .travel, .pro, .co.uk, etc.) have restrictions and we don't support them. Never, ever use .biz. 

If you are an official government agency, you may be required to use a .gov.  We can host .gov domains, but you will need to acquire them through the .gov registry.

4. Sleep on it! If you are uncertain about a domain name, don't jump and register the first one that comes to mind. It is best to give it a day or two to think things through.