Here are some guidelines to selecting the best domain name.

• .com is by far the most recognized and best
• Select your exact business name, rather than promote two differing names, a business name and domain name
• Avoid hyphens
• Shorter, fewer characters, is better

• Top Level Domain (TLD): Select .com
  DOT COM (.com) is best; it is always what all Web visitors will presume. When domain names are bought or sold, .com is the primary consideration. However, if you are a network operator, .net is most appropriate; if a non-profit, maybe .org; and a school should have .edu.
• The Number Of Characters
  Easy to remember is best; fewer characters almost always is easier to remember. If you ever chose to sell a domain name, the length is the secondary consideration.
• Length Of Words
  Which words compose the domain name you are considering? Are they short? Simple? Memorable? Describe your business - or the products or services?
• Number of Words
  Count the number of words that comprise your domain name. Unless very descriptive, fewer is better.
• Does Any Firm Own A Shorter Version?
  If you are considering a domain name with more than one word, who owns the other, shorter versions of the name, e.g. the one, two, or three word versions? For example, if you were considering NetworkEquipmentResellers.com - who owns Network.com and NetworkEquipment.com?
• Number of Hyphens
  Web visitors perfer not to type hyphens and find them hard to remember. We suggest you avoid them, although even large firms, such as Delta Air Lines used delta-air.com before they finally purchased delta.com!
• Word Length & Ease Of Spelling
  This plays on the length of words in characters, but also the ease with which your targeted Web visitors can accurately spell your domain name.
• Industry Value & Terminology
  One method of naming is to select a name that describes your product or service. Other possibilities are standard, descriptive industry terminology. Another is to choose the latest of industry buzzwords, which could accelerate name recognition or backfire if the term fall from favor.
• Common Usage
  Usage relates the semantic relevance to typical online activities, such as "Shopping" or "e-Commerce". Examples include terms, such as "software", "construction", "CPA" or "Biz".
• Name Availability
  If the name is taken in .COM, you may wish to consider .NET, .BIZ, or .ORG. A name that is already taken in one or more of these TLDs will garner a higher value based on the assumption that this indicates that the name is more desirable.
• Web Frequency of Terms
  The frequency with which similar domain name appear on the web, containing many of the same words, can confuse Web visitors and dilute the online recognition of your name.
• Search Frequency
  Look up the frequency with which your domain name appears - as a text search - in search engines, such as Google, MSN, Yahoo!, Lycos, etc. Therefore, if your proposed company name and domain were sincerelyyours.com, look up "Sincerely Yours" on seach engines and note how much noise - extra unrelated search results - might exist confuse your target audience and prevent them from finding your firm.
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