Website Domain Names

Many people have the wrong Website Domain Names for their sites. I know, I have the wrong one for mine.

Iceni-it.co.uk means nothing to anyone unless you lived in my part of the UK. It has been around now for 12 years and is linked with me but is not a good way to start.

Your website domain name should be:

• Relative to your job. If you are a ‘Virtual Assistant’ then it is a good idea to put that in its name.
• Sound right. I hope that I don’t upset anyone by saying this but a VA site called ‘Virtual Secs’ will get some very funny comments and may even get 'phone calls'!
• Angel Typing is fine if you just type, but what happens if your work changes and you find the last thing you are actually doing is typing.
• I am also not very sure about putting your name into your business domain name but it works for many people. Having an interesting blog with your domain name as your name can inprove your reputation and help your business.

Lets look at how the ‘Big Companies’ sort out their names.

Why does Coca Cola sell more drinks when blind testing proves that more people prefer Pepsi Cola. Roll the words around in your head and you will find an affinity to Coca Cola. There is a bit of the brain that likes sounds like that. Big Mac or a Wendy’s – you choose. I am sure you can think of other names that sound and feel good. Perhaps Iceni-it does fall into that category even though it was an accident.

An example of names that fall off my tongue are:

• Paper Chase
• Word Smith
• Flower Power (florist- -I loved it)
• Sony (normally No 2 brand after Coke – see we have even shortened a good name).

I used to use a knitting machine from Knitmaster – it was made by Silver Corporation but that just did not have the ring to it.

This site is called VA Marketing – because that is what it is dedicated to – Virtual Assistant Marketing but Virtual Assistant Marketing seemed like too much of a mouthfull. It also covers general Small Business Marketing advice so I did not want to put others 'off' the site if it could be beneficial to them.

One of the fastest growing companies at the moment is Facebook – I had to use it and I am now one of the millions that use it every day – text conversations with no spam…

If you have not Twittered yet you have not lived – again a perfect name for another way of keeping in touch.

Some names that have taken some getting used to are Squidoo, Hub and Digg, but they do make sense when you use them.

Have a brainstorm with friends and family to come up with your website domain names, because once you have got them you are stuck with them.