How find Dream Domain Name

You're right, it is getting more difficult to create business names that are free of trademark conflicts and also available as Web site domains, especially in the computer and consulting industries. The problem is that everybody wants the online equivalent of beachfront property, but "It's a little too late in the Internet land-grab to have such high expectations for an exclusive domain," says Steve Cecil, a business-naming expert with Wherewords.com in San Mateo, Calif. "All the common-usage dictionary words have already been registered."


But don't despair. Branding and naming experts suggest that you worry less about your domain name and more about finding the right name for your company itself. Your domain name can be any number of slight variations on your company name, or it can even be another string of words entirely. If it's properly optimized for the major search engines, and you're delivering good value to your customers, your business can still find success.


Finding a good domain name is helpful, but it won't make or break your business, says Michael Weiss, partner at Imagistic.com, a Southern California software and services firm. "Being able to have santabarbaraloans.com would be great for your branding and name recognition, there's no doubt about it," he says. "But sbloans.com is not bad, and neither is sbmrtge.com."


Cecil agrees, "If you can't afford to buy the beachfront property, another option might be ocean-view property instead," he notes. "Space.com, tube.com, and snap.com were not available—but myspace.com, youtube.com, and snapfish.com were. Google (GOOG), Cingular, and Joost were devised because googol.com, singular.com, and juiced.com were already registered. Skype (EBAY), Zillow, and Kazaa, on the other hand, are fanciful neologisms, which can be imbued with any meaning in the way an empty bottle can be filled with any liquid."


Internet business expert David Ross, of Oak Park, Calif., suggests that you start by choosing the best name for your business without worrying too much about the domain name. Once you've got a business name you're happy with, draw up a list of workable domain names. These may be plurals of your business name, or the name with hyphens, numbers or words such as "pro" or "online" added, suggests Caroline Melberg, founder of Small Business Mavericks. Most important, your domain name should be short, memorable, not easily mistaken for another popular domain, and tough to misspell, says Truman Hedding, vice-president for Internet marketing at Boulevard New Media in Los Angeles.