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10 Sensible Steps To Take Before Choosing Your Domain Name
Author: Emma Kalson

With such a huge growth in the number of websites and the resulting difficulty in finding an available domain name, it is tempting to grab the first one that sounds like it might do the trick. However, a small amount of homework will pay big dividends – follow the ten steps below to obtain the optimal

domain:
1. AVAILABILITY
If it's not available you can't have it – simple!
2. COPYRIGHT
Ensure that you do not breach copyright or infringe trademarks with your choice of domain.
3. EXTENSIONS
It's widely acknowledged that the best TLD (top level domain) is .com. However, in the UK, web users are more than used to .co.uk so this is equally acceptable for UK websites. If .com isn't available and you use .net instead (for example), check that .com isn't either a competitor or that the .com site content is acceptable! Always try to get the .com, your country TLD or .net in that order. Web users are still not used to .biz or .info.
4. BE GREEDY!
If more than one TLD variant is available, buy as many as you can afford and set them all to point to your website. This is a form of brand protection and prevents unscrupulous competitors trying to cash in on your hard-earned web traffic.
5. BE MEMORABLE
Make sure that potential web users will remember your domain name and that they can spell it properly.
6. BE PRONOUNCABLE
Try telling people your web address over the phone – can they understand what you tell them? Or do they give up and try someone else's website.
7. BE DESCRIPTIVE
If you are a new business, very few people will remember or search for your domain name if it is your company name. Try choosing a domain name that is descriptive

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