Finding the perfect domain name

August 19, 2012

As of August 2012, 105 million .com domain names have been registered. If you thought finding the perfect domain name is frustrating, the task will become even more difficult as that number increases daily.

Before getting frustrated because you can’t find that perfect available domain, there are a few things you should first consider.

Does your domain really have to end with a .com?

Think about who you’re catering your product to. If you live in Canada and hope to target the Canadian audience, why not grab a .ca domain? Since there are just under 2 million .ca domain names registered, you have a greater chance finding that perfect domain.

Can a domain name use hyphens?

If PaintsExpress.com is unavailable, why not register paints-express.com instead? Google reads hyphens as spaces, so if someone searches for “paints express”, your website has a good chance of appearing within the listings!

Does your domain have to be your company name?

Think about what unique trait your company has, and translate that into a domain name. For example, if PaintsExpress.com is taken, you could alternatively register TorontosBestPosters.com. If I am located in Toronto and search for posters to be printed, guess whose website might pop up in the search listings?

Finally, and most importantly: does your domain name really matter?

What is a Google or a Yahoo or a Bing or a Twitter or a… I can go on all day. No one really cares about your domain name, as long as the website is relevant to its user’s needs. No matter the domain name – if your website content is great, your website will have a great ranking on Google.