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What can I use as a domain name?

Home » Web Hosting » Selecting a Domain Name » What can I use as a domain name?

Purpose of your site
Think of www.dictionary.com, an online dictionary. That domain name would not make much sense for a craft company, but it is a natural thing to think of when you want a dictionary.

Topic of your site
If your website is information-based, or if it is a fan site for, for example, certain couples on a TV show, you can entitle your site to be that topic.

A generic name
You can use this if your domain name is for a business. The generic name will not indicate just your company, but your entire market. The website www.autoinsurance.com targets the entire auto insurance industry, giving the company with that site an edge over its competitors.

Your company or site name
Think of Google, Yahoo, Wal-Mart, and others. All of those use the name of their website for their domain name, and they are highly successful. (Note, though, that the success did not come because of the domain name being the site.) That the domain name is the name of the company or website helps with brand recall.

Metaphor
You can also use a metaphor or a catchy description for your domain name, as long as you have your site purpose or topic clearly stated on the front page. Web searches will find it, and fans or visitors will be apt to remember it.

You can even, if you can afford multiple domain names, buy more than one type of domain name for the same website.

Next Page: Which ending should I use?

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