So you’re creating a website, and you now must choose a domain name. But how do you choose? Do you just use your company name? Your product name? Dashes or no dashes? There are almost limitless options, so let’s explore some choices.

• Product Name or Company Name? – This is a tricky decision. Many SEO companies would suggest your company, while some would suggest your best selling product. Actually, neither of these suggestions is incorrect. The correct choice may just be whatever is searched more in search engines like Google. If you have an extremely popular product and a relatively unknown company, it may be beneficial to create 2 sites, one dedicated to the single product, and one showcasing all the other lesser known products you offer. And of course, be sure to include links between both.

• Should I include my city or state in my domain? – The answer to this is case dependent. If you are a global vendor, there is little use to including your state. However for a local business serving a limited area, it may be beneficial to include your city in your domain, as this is what people will search for in Google. At TriMark Solutions, we often suggest that our clients include their local (if limited) serving area. For example, we have a Window World franchised client in Kentucky which specifically serves the Louisville area. The domain we chose was www.windowworldlouisville.com. However, we have another client who serves network monitoring clients across the nation, and in that situation, we chose a domain with no location, www.iglass.net.

• Should I use dashes or no dashes? – I think the majority of SEO experts would suggest not using dashes, unless they are necessary. The classic example is www.KidsExchange.com. A domain such as this could REALLY use some dashes, only because without the capitalization, it could be read as “kid sex change”. This is obviously not what the domain owner intended, but these unfortunate situations do occur, and should be remedied by using domains with dashes. The downside to using dashes however, is that it makes the domain more difficult to tell people, and is harder to market through television or radio advertising.

Unfortunately, there are no definite rules for choosing a domain name. The best domain for you really depends on your business type and objectives. Simply thinking about what is best for you and your business will allow you to decide what domain name is best. TriMark Solutions is experienced in considering these and other factors of your business, and working with you to collaboratively decide the best domain for you.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under Internet Marketing, SEO - Tip of The Day, Tips & Tools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.