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The list of the most popular baby names of 2014 was just released.

Names.

Ahhh, how important is the name? What’s in a name?

This got me thinking about the process of naming and everything that goes into it. Since I’m always looking at things through a budding entrepreneur’s lens, I couldn’t help but bring this back to something we have all been through…the pain/pleasure of picking the perfect website name. So, I thought it would be a good idea to create a quick guide.

“Perfect” is a relative term of course and just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

I’m going to share some of the most important considerations you should take when picking your website name.

By the way, Jeff was NOT in the top 100 this year. I know, shocking.

I did a look up on the full list of baby names and found that “Jeff” is ranked #356 this year. While that doesn’t sound good, it’s actually up from #438 last year. Focus on the positive! “Jeff” peaked at #44 in 1962. Yes, that was many years before I was born.

How do You Start?

Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Here are some quick things you can do to spark the fire.

• Jot down some keywords relative to your industry or niche
• Think about what your core business will be
• What value will you be providing to you potential audience?
• Do some research on others in your industry or niche to see what has been done in the past

What are Some Considerations to Take Into Account Once You Have Some Ideas?

Congratulations! You have an idea and you are ready to think of an actual domain name. This may not seem like much, but it is. Don’t take for granted the effort required to come up with a legitimate idea that you are passionate about.

The mindset you need as you enter this phase is to always think about one thing.

Think about that one person sitting at their keyboard getting ready to type in whatever you have come up with as your domain.

Think about how easy, or hard, it would be for that person to type it in.

Here are some quick considerations…

• Easy to pronounce – Make sure it’s easy to pronounce – don’t use complex words or words that are difficult to spell.
• Make sure it has longevity – you don’t want your domain out of date in a couple of years due to a trendy name selection.
• Avoid abbreviations if possible – There are some abbreviations you might be able to get away with such as “Dr”.
• No hidden messages – Make sure there are no hidden words or meanings in the full domain name.
  • Here are a couple of examples, see if you can spot the problem
    • Whorepresents.com
    • Speedofart.com
    • Therapist.com
  • TIP: If you want to limit the risk of this happening this is what you can do. Type out the full domain name in lower case letters and see if you can spot any hidden words or meanings. If you want to be a real ninja, go pull grandma away from the crossword puzzles and word finders and have her throw her skills at it.
• Keep it simple – Don’t get too cute with it.
• Avoid made up words – Don’t make up words that people won’t be able to associate with your business. This may work with some businesses but it will take longer to build that brand awareness.
• Avoid special characters or fancy ways of spelling words.
  • For example – PotzandPanz.com instead of PotsandPans.com
• Avoid hyphens if at all possible – Think again about that person you are telling your domain to. Do you want to say “hyphen” when telling them the domain name?
• Try to keep it as short as possible – This is harder to accomplish these days as domains are taken all the time.

What Tools Can You Use to Check Availability or Generate Other Ideas?

There are a number of free tools out there that allow you to research and even generate domain names. Here are some of the main tools I use.

• Domain Name Providers – I use GoDaddy for most of my domains. They have a nice easy interface for checking domain availability. There is a simple search bar on the homepage. Type in your proposed name and see what comes back. Even if it isn’t available, there may be other options provided that might work. Network Solutions is another domain name provider you can use to research names.
• Domain Name Generators – There are quite a few tools out there that will actually generate domain names for you. Some are better than others. Two that I recommend are Wordoid.com and Panabee.com. Both of these services will provide numerous options for you to look into as potential website names.

What If It Is Taken?

You have the next big thing and you are ready to grab the domain, but there is a problem. Some clown has already beat you to the punch! Here are a few things you can do in the event your wonderful domain choice is not available.

• But It From Them – Sometimes the current owner will be willing to part with the domain for monetary compensation. Depending on how much you want to spend, this could be an option. Go out to WhoIs.com and you can reach out to the domain owner.
• Wait For It to Free Up – While you are out on WhoIs.com, take a look and see if it is due to expire soon. If so, mark your calendar and check back after that date. You might be able to scoop it up then.
• Maybe It Just Costs More – Sometimes it will look like the domain is not available but it is actually available via auction or as a premium domain. This just means you’re going to pay more for it.
• Alter Your Domain Name Slightly – This is one of the old tricks in the book. Simply adding “HQ” on the end, or “The” to the front, can make your domain available without losing relevance.

It’s Available! What Should You Do?

Um…buy it!

I have a problem buying domains. Every time I have an idea or think I’ve stumbled upon the next big thing, I buy the domain. Now I have a bunch of half baked domains sitting around. I need therapy.

Given the low cost of domains today, go ahead and buy the domain even if your business isn’t fully hashed out. It really isn’t that big of an investment for what could be the start of something incredible.

TIP: Since most of us are parents, I have a homework assignment for you. Go grab your kids’ domain name. I bought my daughters domains a few years ago. I highly recommend you go try and grab that domain while you can. If it isn’t available see if a slight variation is there. Someday, when they are borderline famous, they’ll love you for it. Oh, and grab yours too!

5TIL

In this week’s 5 Things I Learned, you’ll learn about…

• Apple’s intriguing patent that reminds of of cats
• My love for my new iPhone 6 and two hacks that you’ll love
• More improvements with Facebook Ads
• “Better Call Saul”
• Twitter’s new image filter features

 Other Links Discussed

• HowManyofMe.com