What makes a great domain name: 7 qualities to look for
A domain name is the one piece of your brand that people have to type, say and remember exactly. These seven qualities are what make that easy.
1. It is short
Every extra character is another chance for a typo. Most strong names are one or two words and under about 15 characters. If yours is longer, ask what each word is earning.
2. It is easy to say
Names travel by word of mouth, in meetings, on calls and on podcasts. Say the name out loud to someone and ask them to write it down. If they get it wrong, so will your customers. This is sometimes called the radio test.
3. It is easy to spell
Clever respellings look good on a logo and cost you visitors. If you have to say "that is with a K and no E", the name is working against you. Doubled letters where two words meet, as in presssolutions, cause the same problem.
4. It says something true about you
A name does not need to describe the whole business, but it should point in the right direction. coastalfreight tells you more than cfsolutions. A relevant word also helps people decide to click when they see the address in search results.
5. It leaves room to grow
A name tied to one product, one city or one year can box you in. austinlawnmowing is clear today and awkward the day you add a second city or a second service.
6. It has no hyphens or digits
Both get lost when a name is spoken. People forget the hyphen, or wonder whether "4" is a digit or a word. There are exceptions, but each one needs a reason.
7. It is yours to use
A name can be free to register and still belong to someone else as a trademark. Search the name, look at who already uses it in your field, and check trademark records before you build on it.
How to use this list
Few names score perfectly on all seven. The point is to compare candidates on the same terms. Line up five or ten names you could actually register and see which ones fail the fewest tests.
YourDomainSpy does part of this for you. It scores every name from 0 to 100 on length, word count, pronunciation and a few other points, so the strongest candidates appear first.
Find available names with YourDomainSpy