Choosing a domain name #3 - How long should my domain name be?
Posted on April 25, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized, domain names |
Nugget :
” They’ll need to remember it to come back ”
There are many perspectives to determining the ideal length for your domain name. A lot of them relying on very diverse techniques, some also delving into the study of human behaviour.
I choose to look at it from a simple point of view. As far as naming your domain is concerned the length is a pretty relative context.
The reason for this is that people may find it easy to remember a domain name that merges two ‘everyday’ words together (eg insidetechnology.com) as against a shorter but less obvious word.
So if your domain name consists of two words that average internet users should be familiar with then of course you’ll be able to use a much longer domain name than someone who’s trying to come up with a new but less familiar domain name.
In determining the ideal domain name length , every online business has a unique length. By asking yourself the following questions you probably will be able to come up with an appropriate range :
1. What age group do the bulk of my clients and customers fall into ?
Younger people will obviously be able to remember longer names and are more likely not to be bothered by them especially if your site offers them some form of value.
2. Are they likely to be internet savvy?
Such things as bookmarking relevant or interesting pages help the savvy internet surfer avoid having to type out long url’s, so they really dont mind making their way to your site the first time, since they probably won’t have to do all that typi ng again, but for clients that cant use these tools, having to type in your url all the time might be very dissuading.
3. Am I relying heavily on chance visitors?
If your site relies on chance drop-ins by visitors, then a shorter domain name will go a long way , since they’ll be able to look at it and remember it more easily ( especially if the name of your site is on the top banner on all your pages) . As an aside use visual cues to ensure that they pick the name of your site.
These questions give you an idea about the kind of people your online business will probably attract. Since your goal is to attract and keep these people, then picking a domain name based on their collective tendencies and proclivities is probably wise.