- The video provides tips on how to choose the best name for a website.
- It is important to research to ensure the chosen name is not trademarked or copyrighted.
- Brainstorming keywords related to the business can help in creating a website name.
- Different domain extensions have different meanings and uses, with .com being the recommended choice.
- The name should be easy to type and not too long.
- If the desired .com domain is taken, alternatives such as adding a location or changing the name slightly can be considered.
- It is important to consider if the name is too specific and if it allows for expansion of the business.
- Using your own name can be a good option for branding, but it may make it difficult to sell the business.
- Consider the spelling and pronunciation of the name.
- A name that has a personal story or is memorable can be effective.
- Checking the availability of the name on social media platforms is recommended.
- Avoid using hyphens and numbers in the name.
- Ultimately, choose a name that resonates with you and that you will enjoy sharing with others.

In this video, I'm going to show you how to choose the best name for your website.

You've probably noticed by now the use of the words domain, URL, and website name.

What are people going to type into their internet browser to go to your website?

Mine, for example, is designitdigital.com.

Now if you notice here I typed it with the capital letters at the beginning of each word, but that is just for it to be easily read.

When you type it into the browser, it doesn't matter if you type it in that way or you type it in with all lowercase letters.

So it's important to choose a good domain name for your website business.

Make sure that the business name you've selected isn't trademarked, copyrighted, or being used by another company.

If so, it could cause you a big legal problem that could cost you a fortune, as well as make you lose your domain.

You can check available domain names by typing them into your web browser or your Google search bar.

But to be absolutely sure, I like to go to mydomain.com and type in names to see if they are available as domain names and or what extensions are already taken.

The second thing to do is brainstorm the 5 top keywords.

What words would people use to search for your business, products, or services?

Maybe you can use those in your website name.

That's how I came up with my domain name.

2 of my keywords were design and digital.

There were other variations that were already taken so I ended up with designitdigital.com.

Next I want to tell you about extensions and what they mean.

You may see some domain names that have something other than .com at the end such as .net, .biz, .org.

Here's what some of the most popular ones stand for and how they're often used.

Dot com is short for company, commerce, or community.

Dot co is an abbreviation for company, commerce, or community.

Dot info could be for informational sites.

Dot net is a lot of times used for technical or internet infrastructure sites or a network.

.Org is often used for non-commercial organizations and non-profits.

Dot biz is used for business or commercial use like e-commerce sites.

And dot me is often used for blogs, resumes, or personal sites.

My recommendation is to try to use dot-com if you can.

For most people, the thought of typing a long domain would discourage them from going there altogether.

For Alpine Capital Management, using the whole name is quite long to type.

Shortened to Alpine Capital is a good choice.

However, AlpineCapital.com was taken, so this company chose AlpineCapital.net.

The next 1 is Hidden Garden Benefit Tour.

Once again, the whole name is a lot to type, so they decided to shorten it to Hidden Garden.

Whether or not HiddenGarden.com was taken, they chose to use HiddenGarden.org because they are a nonprofit organization and wanted to reflect that rather than using .com as a company.

On the other hand, sometimes you might want to use a name that is a little long because you like it and because everything else you can think of is already taken.

Most people will go to sites just by clicking on links or copy and paste.

My next tip is what to do if dot com is already taken.

This local nail salon located in Utah found that there were other nail salons in other states with the same name, And of course, Nails21.com was taken.

So they chose to use the name Nails21Utah.com.

You can really be creative and add something to your business name to make it work for you.

Now, Jen found that EssentialHomemaker.com was taken.

She still wanted the .com, so she chose to go with The Essential Homemaker.com and branded the name with the into her logo.

The next thing to think about is the name too specific.

Now, can you still use your name if you expand your line of products or add to your business offerings?

For example, if you are Susan's Homemade Pies, what If later you want to include other desserts or you want to expand to entrees, something like Susan's Homemade or Susan's Homemade Delights might be a better choice.

Here's my example on how I was able to use my name to expand.

Originally, I had an online business where I created digital scrapbook designs.

After that, my business evolved to a digital scrapbook design boutique where I had other designers selling their work as well.

Eventually, when I decided I really loved creating websites, the name still worked for me and I now use it for my web design business.

Another option for a domain name is using your own name.

My client, Risa Lynch, is a health coach and wanted to brand her business with her name.

It works well if you're branding your business around you as an expert in your field.

But another advantage is that you have the option of switching between different businesses without worrying about the name.

It will still be you in the business, just you doing something different.

Another consideration is if you should ever want to sell your business.

If it is branded around your name, it would be difficult to sell.

But if you had named it something else, it would be easier to transfer to another owner.

Then again, if your name is hard to spell or pronounce, it might not be a good choice.

My husband uses markwyckoff.com because he is branding himself as a speaker consultant.

So, in the correct spelling with a C and a K, we also chose to purchase the name with only a C and the name with only a K, just in case they spelled it wrong.

Then I just have those domains forward to the correct domain name of markwyckoff.com with a C and AK1 other thought on spelling is how the words look together.

Sometimes I've looked at a domain name, but wasn't sure which letters went with which part of the words.

Also, if you use something like princessally.com, there are 3 S's there.

But would you look at that and think it was Princess Allie or Princess Sally?

You might Consider a name that doesn't describe your business but may have a story behind it that makes it dear to your heart.

For example, there is a company that sells unique and creative camera bags for the style-conscious photographer.

Their name is Cheeky Lime, and the domain name is cheekylime.com, which doesn't tell you anything about what it is, but I certainly remember it and I love their bags.

With names like this, you can have fun with your branding.

On her About page, she shows a family photo with her 3 kids, which she calls her 3 birds.

And when you join her list, she says, join the flock.

She describes her business with, think warm knits, pretty laces, things that sparkle, and a touch of leather.

Think patterns and textures you'd expect would clash but instead mesh perfectly.

Even when we touch upon a trend we carry it somewhere new.

Doesn't that sound like a bird nest that is layered but cozy and comfy for little chicks?

You may also want to check to see if your name is available at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or whichever social media platform you want to use.

It's nice if you can use the same name with all of them.

It's not always possible, so you may have to be creative with those other platforms.

I think it's best if you avoid hyphens and numbers.

Think about how are you going to tell people what your website is.

Are you going to get tired of spelling it and explaining numbers versus spelling them or making sure they add the hyphen?

So most of all, after you consider all of the tips that I've told you about, Choose the name that resonates the most with you, 1 that you will enjoy telling others about.


Speaker 0: In this video, I'm going to show you how to choose the best name for your website. You've probably noticed by now the use of the words domain, URL, and website name. They all mean the same thing. What are people going to type into their internet browser to go to your website? Mine, for example, is designitdigital.com.

Now if you notice here I typed it with the capital letters at the beginning of each word, but that is just for it to be easily read. When you type it into the browser, it doesn't matter if you type it in that way or you type it in with all lowercase letters. So it's important to choose a good domain name for your website business. Let me give you my tips to help you out. 1.

Research it. Make sure that the business name you've selected isn't trademarked, copyrighted, or being used by another company. If so, it could cause you a big legal problem that could cost you a fortune, as well as make you lose your domain. You can check available domain names by typing them into your web browser or your Google search bar. But to be absolutely sure, I like to go to mydomain.com and type in names to see if they are available as domain names and or what extensions are already taken.

The second thing to do is brainstorm the 5 top keywords. What words would people use to search for your business, products, or services? Maybe you can use those in your website name. That's how I came up with my domain name. 2 of my keywords were design and digital.

There were other variations that were already taken so I ended up with designitdigital.com. Next I want to tell you about extensions and what they mean. You may see some domain names that have something other than .com at the end such as .net, .biz, .org. Here's what some of the most popular ones stand for and how they're often used. Dot com is short for company, commerce, or community.

Dot co is an abbreviation for company, commerce, or community. Dot info could be for informational sites. Dot net is a lot of times used for technical or internet infrastructure sites or a network. .Org is often used for non-commercial organizations and non-profits. Dot biz is used for business or commercial use like e-commerce sites.

And dot me is often used for blogs, resumes, or personal sites. My recommendation is to try to use dot-com if you can. That's my first choice. My next tip is to make it easy to type. For most people, the thought of typing a long domain would discourage them from going there altogether.

For Alpine Capital Management, using the whole name is quite long to type. Shortened to Alpine Capital is a good choice. However, AlpineCapital.com was taken, so this company chose AlpineCapital.net. The next 1 is Hidden Garden Benefit Tour. Once again, the whole name is a lot to type, so they decided to shorten it to Hidden Garden.

Whether or not HiddenGarden.com was taken, they chose to use HiddenGarden.org because they are a nonprofit organization and wanted to reflect that rather than using .com as a company. On the other hand, sometimes you might want to use a name that is a little long because you like it and because everything else you can think of is already taken. Most people will go to sites just by clicking on links or copy and paste. So don't worry. Sometimes it's okay to break the rules.

My next tip is what to do if dot com is already taken. This local nail salon located in Utah found that there were other nail salons in other states with the same name, And of course, Nails21.com was taken. So they chose to use the name Nails21Utah.com. You can really be creative and add something to your business name to make it work for you. Now, Jen found that EssentialHomemaker.com was taken.

She still wanted the .com, so she chose to go with The Essential Homemaker.com and branded the name with the into her logo. The next thing to think about is the name too specific. Can you expand your business with it? Now, can you still use your name if you expand your line of products or add to your business offerings? For example, if you are Susan's Homemade Pies, what If later you want to include other desserts or you want to expand to entrees, something like Susan's Homemade or Susan's Homemade Delights might be a better choice.

Here's my example on how I was able to use my name to expand. Originally, I had an online business where I created digital scrapbook designs. After that, my business evolved to a digital scrapbook design boutique where I had other designers selling their work as well. Eventually, when I decided I really loved creating websites, the name still worked for me and I now use it for my web design business. Another option for a domain name is using your own name.

My client, Risa Lynch, is a health coach and wanted to brand her business with her name. Luckily, her name was available. Using your name can be a great choice. It works well if you're branding your business around you as an expert in your field. But another advantage is that you have the option of switching between different businesses without worrying about the name.

It will still be you in the business, just you doing something different. Another consideration is if you should ever want to sell your business. If it is branded around your name, it would be difficult to sell. But if you had named it something else, it would be easier to transfer to another owner. Then again, if your name is hard to spell or pronounce, it might not be a good choice.

My husband uses markwyckoff.com because he is branding himself as a speaker consultant. But our last name is always misspelled. So, in the correct spelling with a C and a K, we also chose to purchase the name with only a C and the name with only a K, just in case they spelled it wrong. Then I just have those domains forward to the correct domain name of markwyckoff.com with a C and AK1 other thought on spelling is how the words look together. Sometimes I've looked at a domain name, but wasn't sure which letters went with which part of the words.

Also, if you use something like princessally.com, there are 3 S's there. But would you look at that and think it was Princess Allie or Princess Sally? Something to consider. You might Consider a name that doesn't describe your business but may have a story behind it that makes it dear to your heart. For example, there is a company that sells unique and creative camera bags for the style-conscious photographer.

Their name is Cheeky Lime, and the domain name is cheekylime.com, which doesn't tell you anything about what it is, but I certainly remember it and I love their bags. Another 1 I found is 3birdnest.com. With names like this, you can have fun with your branding. On her About page, she shows a family photo with her 3 kids, which she calls her 3 birds. And when you join her list, she says, join the flock.

She describes her business with, think warm knits, pretty laces, things that sparkle, and a touch of leather. Think patterns and textures you'd expect would clash but instead mesh perfectly. Even when we touch upon a trend we carry it somewhere new. Doesn't that sound like a bird nest that is layered but cozy and comfy for little chicks? You may also want to check to see if your name is available at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or whichever social media platform you want to use.

It's nice if you can use the same name with all of them. It's not always possible, so you may have to be creative with those other platforms. I think it's best if you avoid hyphens and numbers. Think about how are you going to tell people what your website is. Are you going to get tired of spelling it and explaining numbers versus spelling them or making sure they add the hyphen?

Try to avoid them if you can. So most of all, after you consider all of the tips that I've told you about, Choose the name that resonates the most with you, 1 that you will enjoy telling others about.

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