What Name Should I Use?

Site by Nite can't help you with specifics, other than to always recommend checking your domain name choices against any possible trademarks.

As for some general advice, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • company name - your company or organization name might be a logical choice, but you might also want to consider a name that incorporates a keyword that describes what you are about, and/or include your location. If your business is strictly online or in a particular city, using keywords or city name in your domain with your company name or instead, might help drive more traffic to your site.
  • think sound as well as sight - if your business will be promoted a lot over the radio or even TV, then it may be extra important that it is easy and memorable based on hearing it... creative spelling that differs from how it sounds can really bite you here.
  • limit words and length - one word names are quite rare now, and even two word names might be a challenge, but you should try to keep your domain to 2-3 words and 15 characters or less would be ideal.
  • careful with "-" - hyphens can be very challenging when vocalizing a domain and most people will assume words are run together when typing in a domain. Now, if your business name has a hyphen in it, this becomes even more challenging, but at least most people who know this will try this if they don't find your site without. This is also an excellent time to secure both names if they are available, and then pointing one or the other to your site, which Site by Nite can assist you with.
  • .com .net .biz .org .info .us etc. - this is the other challenging area. ".com" is by far the most popular and should probably be your first choice, but some of the others are gaining ground, but some more than others. Most of these are actually general in nature and can be used for any kind of site. If you are a non-profit (you don't have to be though), a ".org" might be an excellent choice. Informational sites might do well with a ".info" domain as they are gaining popularity. ".net" is probably the second most popular.
  • exceptions - like life, there are exceptions to every rule.