Biggest Mistakes When Choosing a Domain Name/Company Name

As long as I'm on my soap box writing about annoying Naymz (next post), here are some mistakes to avoid when choosing a name for your company and a domain name to go along with it:

1. Don't name your company something just because the domain name is available on GoDaddy for $9.95
2. Don't give up on a great company name if the domain is taken or out of your price range... unless you are a 100% online business (e.g. Amazon, Fandango, Priceline, OpenTable) simply use a modifier (www.___online.com, www.drink_____.com, www.______inc.) - trust us, your customers won't care and they will still be able to find you
   
3. Don't get a domain name that is spelled differently than it sounds Naymz, Takkle)
4. Don't get cute and try to be like Flickr - unless you have a million dollar ad budget, you can't afford to leave out vowels
5. Don't put dots in your name like del.icio.us - it's dated, annoying and impossible to remember where the dots go
6. Don't come up with your name over a bottle of wine

Comments

[Clea Simon]

Have to disagree with the last one. Came up with the name of my first cat cozy (i.e., traditional mystery) over a nice Viognier. "Mew is for Murder" evokes the classic ("Murder in the Mews" and "M is for Murder") and clearly says there's a cat in there. Sometimes a buzz unleashes the out-of-the-catbox thoughts!