Your domain name shouldn’t be too long, though.

If it is, it will be hard to remember. Most visitors will click on a link from another site or bookmark your site if they’re interested. But if someone hears your domain name and wants to visit, wouldn’t you want them to be able to do so? If they can’t remember it, you miss out on a potential sale. Bummer.

With that in mind, it’s also a good idea to avoid using abbreviations, numbers instead of words, and words that are hard to spell (like “4u” instead of “for you,” etc. and superkalafragalis…. You get my point…)

Hyphens in domain names – should we or shouldn’t we? It’s debatable.

Once upon a time, it seemed that, when ranking for the keyword phrase appearing in the domain name, search engines favored domains with hyphens between the words. But today, that doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Today the most common reason for using hyphens in your domain name is to get one that is already taken in the non-hyphenated form. As long as you don’t use more than a couple of hyphens, it shouldn’t have much of an impact on your type-in traffic.

Which domain extension is best?

As far as extensions go, it’s best to try for a .com domain first. It’s still the most familiar extension to the average Internet user. But if you can’t get a good .com for your niche, try another extension. .net is a good one, and .org makes people think that your site is trustworthy (psst… anyone can get an .org domain). Are you promoting products that are seen on TV? If so, then a .tv extension is perfectly acceptable.

Variety is the Spice of Life. If you get a really good domain name, it might make sense to get several forms of it. Variations like hyphenated and non-hyphenated, .com, and .net are good to have. You should even think about purchasing common misspellings of your domain. You don’t have to do this for every domain. But if you’re lucky enough to get one that contains a commonly searched keyword phrase, it could be worth it.

Choosing a good domain name can definitely have a positive impact on your website traffic.

The list of available domains is constantly shrinking. With a little creativity, though, you can find one that’s both memorable and appealing to the search engines. Start your search for domain names today at Name Cheap (Affiliate link)