Domain Names:

A domain name is the actual name of your site (i.e., www.yoursite.com) . While domain names are pretty cheap to purchase and easy to change, it’s always best to do it right the first time to avoid bigger problems later.

The trick to having a good domain name is to pick a name that is easy to remember and easy to spell. For starters, always try to get a .com extension. Reason being, most people think .com when they think of websites. If you pick a name with a .net extension there is a good chance you might loose traffic to the .com extension of that name or worse, people may never find your site at all. If however you are a non for profit, .org is the best choice for you..

Avoid choosing names that are too long. The longer the name the easier it is for people to make typos when trying to find it. Also, keep in mind that the name you choose with also be you email address. Long email addresses create tons of problems and can quickly become aggravating.

Avoid using (–) hyphens or (_) underscores in your domain name. Companies with names containing hyphens or underscores always have problems receiving emails and getting website traffic. Reason: people forget to include the hyphen or underscore or confuse the hyphen for the underscore.

So what do you do when your name has been taken or your name is too long?

Try abbreviating. If your business name is Bill White Construction Management try:
Bwcm.com , Billwhitecm.com , Bwhitecm.com , Bwcmgroup.com, bwinc.com...

If your business is local but your name is taken try adding your state initials after it. If you business name is Furry Friends try: Furryfriendsny.com , Ffny.com

Bottom line, keeping your name short and easy to remember and spell will save you MANY headaches in the long run.