In a previous post I touched on branding yourself and how you really need to be blogging on your own domain, not on borrowed space. This opens up the door for you to promote and brand yourself with a unique domain name.

To brand yourself correctly you need to choose the right domain name. Your domain name should:

  • Say something about your business. (not the cardinal rule, if you provide a unique service and have a catchy name like yahoo.com then you’ll probably be alright;)
  • Be as short as possible.
  • Be easy to spell. (no different spelling possibilities unless the domain is 6 or less characters)

When your domain says something about your business the average Joe can look at your domain and get a feel for what you do. In today’s world of information overload it’s your job to help the user figure out if they want to stick around. Just remember that if your domain does a good job of this, you could potentially gain a visitor that might come back for more.

Choosing the wrong domain name can be disastrous. If you name your site projectbillionaire.com and you run a domain related service, you will have a rough time getting started. I’m not saying it can’t be done, it’s just an unnecessary roadblock.

The easiest way to get started is to choose something memorable and meaningful. Ask your friends what they think of your domain name or if they even understand what it means. When looking for a domain this is a good way to get started.