Photo by Konstantin Sutyagin

It’s really hard to find a good domain name these days because everything is taken. So when you find one, you better snatch it up fast, right? Well, yes you want to be speedy about it – but if you act without thinking, you could make a mistake.

Awhile back, I was looking for a new domain name for my future girly blog. (A blog where women come together and, well, talk about girly stuff!) After finally thinking of the title “A Chick’s Place” for the blog and matching it with the domain name (achicksplace.com), I purchased it. Then, I went to type the url in after my purchase just to see what the page displayed. My reaction was complete shock when I was directed to a porn site! Why was I directed there? Because I left off the “a” in achicksplace.com. BAD NEWS! What if my mom was going to my site and left out the “a” by accident?…I can only imagine her face when she would see what’s coming next.

1. Buy several versions of your domain name.

Make sure that common variations of the domain name don’t lead to bad sites. It’s also a good rule of thumb to purchase a domain name that is very similar, so that if someone typed it in slightly different, it would still lead to you.

Example: I own www.acowboyswife.com but some people tend to leave the “a” off, so I also purchased www.cowboyswife.com. I was lucky it was available. I’m sure I would’ve lost potential readers because that one little letter was left off.

Rules to remember when purchasing a domain name:

• Keep it simple.
• Keep it short.
• Avoid excessive dashes or other symbols within your main domain name.
• Choose a “.com” domain name if possible, if you plan to operate an online business. Or, choose “.org” for an organization, “.edu” for an educational site, and so on.

A few things to consider before deciding on a domain name:

• What’s your company’s name?
• What products or services are you promoting?
• Who’s your target audience?
• Are you planning to do heavy advertising and branding for your domain name, or small business marketing?

2. Know your keywords.

If you are looking at your domain name from an SEO perspective, you want to use keywords.

Example: My gal Kate started a new blog a long time ago called Blogging for the Money with the domain name bloggingforthemoney.com. This is great, because when someone does a search for “blogging for money”, her chances of getting her blog seen first increase.

3. Select your blog’s title well.

If you are looking for a domain name for a personal blog, you want to consider your title. The earlier you show up in the alphabet scale, the earlier you’ll show up in listings and blogrolls.

Example: For my new girly site, (that’s not ready for promotion but you can have a peek) I wanted my title to match the domain name AND I wanted it to start with an “a”. Why? Because when you submit your site to directories, obviously “A” comes first making it seen before the others. Get it? So I chose “All Chick Stuff” as the title of my blog with the domain of allchickstuff.com. As you can see, the title and domain match perfectly. The domain is short and simple, it starts with an “a”, and ends .com. It also targets women and what we like..’stuff’!

4. Use a reputable service.

If you are buying domains but don’t plan on setting them up anytime soon, I recommend you use Godaddy. If you are looking for a reliable web host, I recommend Hostgator but you can see my top 10 and make your own choice.

I hope these tips help you in your domain name decision making. These are just a few simple tips to get your blog started off right and one step closer to having a better blog.

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If you have any questions, feel free to start a discussion over at the Blissfully Domestic Living! Oh! and come pay me a visit too at A Cowboy’s Wife.