Have a great site, but no one’s visiting? Strangely enough, it might be your domain name itself that’s turning people off.

A great domain name is like a confident smile and a welcoming handshake–it greets visitors for you and gives them an idea of what your site’s about. If yours is lackluster, you might get some visits, but not a whole lot, even if your content is great.

To help you choose a domain name, whether for the first time or the fiftieth time, I have written the following article. Read on for tips and even a few hacks to get just the right domain name for your site!

The Shorter and More Descriptive Your URL, the Better

“www.robinstotallyawesomeonlinebookstore.com” is going to get significantly less visits than, say, “www.robinsbooks.com”, simply because the latter URL is easier to remember and easier to type.

If at all possible, choose the shortest and yet most descriptive domain name available. This way, you’ll get more return visits and word-of-mouth spreading, plus more people will be willing to type in the domain name manually (and be more willing to link to you, too!).

Not convinced you need a shorter domain name? Look at it this way: who would type in Facebook’s URL manually (or even remember it well) if the URL was “www.findallyourfriendsandstalkthem.com”? (No matter how fitting that domain name might be…LOL)

You May Not Need a .Com

Unless you’re selling stuff actively on your site, a .com domain suffix is not entirely necessary. It’s great if you can find a .com you like, but chances are that the .com name you like is probably taken already, given how many people use the Internet these days. Finding a domain suffix that is just as fitting will work well for you if you find yourself in this situation.

In fact, matching your domain suffix to your site’s purpose can be even more informative for your visitors (and can help to make or break your site’s first impression). See the following list for details on popular domain suffixes:

What Domain Suffixes Mean for Visitors

• “.com”: Possibly a commerce site, can also be a basic informational or interactive internet site
• “.net”: A little internet hub, likely run by one person or a small group of people
• “.org”: Either a small personal site, a non-profit organization, or a slightly educational site
• “.biz”: Possibly a good business site, but more likely to be shadier and more ad-ridden than a “.com” site
• “.info”: 99% possibility of being A) a virus-laden site; B) a site with fake downloads resulting in a spyware infection; C) full of copied or robot-generated content that makes no sense
• “.edu”: a genuine school’s website
• “.mobi”: a site designed mainly for mobile devices, which will look strange on full monitors
• “.nu”: Like “.net”, but “cooler” and for more experienced personal site owners (also way more expensive)
• “.tv”: A real TV show’s official website
• “.me”: Even more personal than a “.net” or “.org,” and even “cooler” than a “.nu”
• “.xxx”: Eek, I’m on the company computer, I shouldn’t be on this! (kidding)

See a complete list of all domain suffixes here @ ComputerHope.com.

Wordplay Works in Your Favor

If you can, include clever wordplay in your domain name to make it memorable. Silly as it might seem, this can really boost your image in users’ minds, as well as make your site a lot easier to return to. Alliteration, rhyming, puns, word combos, and even domain hacks (you’ll see what I mean) can give your domain just the right amount of oomph.

Alliteration

For instance, you can include some or all words beginning with the same letter (alliteration) in your domain name. This can make your site easier to remember because it includes a lot of the same letter or words beginning with the same letter.

Some examples:

• WithinMyWorld.org itself (if I do say so myself :P)
• BeautyBlitz
• GirlsWhoGeek
• Mixed-Metaphor
• WhoWhatWear

Also, implied alliteration works for sites like ReadWriteWeb (the implied repeated “r” sound).

Assonance and Rhyming

Assonance and rhyming (similar vowel and consonant sounds across a word or phrase) also sound and look nice to website visitors. Domain names like lookbook.nu and desiretoinspire.net are more memorable because they use these tricks. Not only do these sites sound more pleasant to the ear, they also sound more legitimate and well-kept–like someone actually cares about running them.

Puns and Word Combinations

You can also have a little fun with your domain name’s actual words, while still making it descriptive of your site’s content. Puns are awesome for this, as well as combining words together to make a shorter yet still descriptive URL. Including humor or a tongue-in-cheek joke as part of your domain name can work magic–we humans always remember things better with humor. Some examples:

• So Much Pun (so much fun with puns)
• Autocowrecks (autocorrects that wreck communication)
• Overskill (skill overkill)
• Architypes (pun on the word “archetype,” meaning defined type/model–the site is about types of architecture)
• FreeCycle (recycle for free)
• Musicovery (music discovery)

Using the Domain Suffix as Part of the Word

Though Delicious has long since dropped the “del.icio.us” domain name, it was still an awesome way to get a shorter domain name without losing any of the site name. This is called a domain hack, at least according to Wikipedia.

Examples of domain hacks include TheDailyWh.at, Instagr.am, Youtu.be, and Scrumptio.us, among many, many others. Use of country-specific domain suffixes is almost necessary when trying to construct a domain hack; you also want to pick an unusual word that defines your site without being too campy.

These wordplay tricks are all clever ways to both get your audience’s attention and get across the meaning of your site as well. After all, isn’t that what a domain name is about?

P.S. Numbers in your domain name can be too cutesy, but for sites like decor8, it shortens the domain name right up without being too kiddy. All the same, use numbers in your name with caution!

Make Sure Your Desired Name Doesn’t Have Shady Ties in the Past

The best way to check about a particular domain name, once you’ve settled on one that you want, is to run it through Whois.sc‘s lookup. This will get you a good bit of information on what kind of site owned your desired name in the past.

Why is this a good idea? Well, for instance, you want to make sure your desired name doesn’t have ties to pornography and other such activity–domain names like “whitehouse.com” and even “jesuschrist.com” have been tied to porn sites in the past. You don’t want to get hold of your dream domain name only to find out that people are avoiding it because it used to be a VERY different site.

If you have to, pay for a complete history of the domain name before you buy it–paying a little now can save you headaches in the future!

Where to Buy Domain Names?

GoDaddy.com (I’ve been personally registered with them since 2004 and have had good service)
NameCheap.com
Register.com
Domains.org
Name.com
DynoNames.com

Know of any other good domain registrars? Tell me in the comments!