fdk submitted a new resource:

 

[plain]How to Choose The Perfect Domain Without Losing Your Sanity![/plain] - [plain]Choosing a domain name that's right for your website[/plain]

 

How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name Without Losing Your Sanity

 

Choosing a domain name is a little bit like naming your first pet - except this time, your website or forums' success might depend on it. But don’t worry! Here’s your quick guide to finding yourself a domain name that shines through.

 

[HEADING=2]Keep It Simple and Sweet[/HEADING]

Your domain name should be easy to remember, spell, and pronounce. If your domain name, or even email address, sounds like a password...

 

Read more about this resource...

Also:

 

• If you find a cool name that looks great and sounds like what your site does and is of any quality, DO NOT publish that name online asking if you should register it. Because if it is a good domain someone else will register/buy it and hold it hostage for higher than reg/buy fee, faster than you can hit page refresh.
  
• Carefully look at the spelling. Is it Therapist.com or TheRapist.com to the viewers minds eye. Gotta be careful of how other people may perceive your branding.
  
• Don't be stupid. Stay away from registering any domain that even hints at trademark dilution. You might get some good traffic in the beginning. But it can be legally ugly.
  
• When choosing a registrar to house your domain, you shouldn't be paying more than $13/yr and you can pay less than $10/yr. And don't get with a registrar that makes you get on the hook for more than two years, preferably just one. You will have to renew on a schedule anyway, usually annually.
  
• You can change/transfer to other registrars mostly anytime you want if you are not satisfied with your current one. Rarely do they catch you with a transfer fee.
  
• Set your domain privacy protection to ON.
  
• Set your domain transfer lock to ON.
  
• Set your domain to auto-renew if using credit card. This way it will not expire and not slip away from you forever if you miss the renew date.
  

Edited January 12Jan 12 by CTS

When choosing a registrar to house your domain, you shouldn't be paying more than $13/yr and you can pay less than $10/yr.

Depends on the domain extension. Some you are not getting that cheaply and you will not have a choice in the matter. Things like .io and .ly come to mind - these often have limited access to registrars and usually at higher prices. (E.g. I can’t find an .io registrar that will sell me one for less than $30 for the first year and $50 annual renewal, and even then that’s a special offer.)

I personally like to come up with a name for my new website, and then I go and see if the .com is taken or not. If it is, then I look at other tld and if they're all taken well I come up with a different name or use a less popular extension like .zone for example. That's how I purchase my domain names, in fact I've always done this.

Also:

 

• Set your domain to auto-renew if using credit card. This way it will not expire and not slip away from you forever if you miss the renew date.
  

 

This specifically is a great additional point. I have lost a great domain in the past to not having auto-renewal activated, and having the domain registrar on an email I didn't check often. It actually "cost" me a few hundred dollars potentially, as the domain name was good enough to sell for a reasonable price.

Also:

 

• If you find a cool name that looks great and sounds like what your site does and is of any quality, DO NOT publish that name online asking if you should register it. Because if it is a good domain someone else will register/buy it and hold it hostage for higher than reg/buy fee, faster than you can hit page refresh.
  
• Carefully look at the spelling. Is it Therapist.com or TheRapist.com to the viewers minds eye. Gotta be careful of how other people may perceive your branding.
  
• Don't be stupid. Stay away from registering any domain that even hints at trademark dilution. You might get some good traffic in the beginning. But it can be legally ugly.
  
• When choosing a registrar to house your domain, you shouldn't be paying more than $13/yr and you can pay less than $10/yr. And don't get with a registrar that makes you get on the hook for more than two years, preferably just one. You will have to renew on a schedule anyway, usually annually.
  
• You can change/transfer to other registrars mostly anytime you want if you are not satisfied with your current one. Rarely do they catch you with a transfer fee.
  
• Set your domain privacy protection to ON.
  
• Set your domain transfer lock to ON.
  
• Set your domain to auto-renew if using credit card. This way it will not expire and not slip away from you forever if you miss the renew date.
  

I love your tip that focuses on perception. I think this is often overlooked and it can be damaging. On the opposite side, it can drive traffic to you. The question is whether it’s the kind of traffic you want?

 

I also used AI to help generate ideas. I fed it concepts, ideas, and parameters which helped come up with an idea I liked. This let me get some feedback prior to settling without risking someone taking the domains.

 

Great article and talking points!