Hyphenated domains would be better human-readable too. What’s the thinking behind the non-hyphenated domain name?

I have experimented with this on many sites and the first example always comes up first.

The same is true for http://www.dataentryreviews.com vs. http://www.data-entry-reviews.com. The 2nd website used to have a PR of 5 but the first one has beat it already.

So keep that in mind. I would spend at least an hour if not more brainstorming on your domain names. This is critical.

I would also check out Wordtracker.com

Good Luck,

Max

back to the topic, .com and second .net are better remembered

(1) Objective of a good domain name: Easy to remember the brand/product. So, how come you would like your readers/customers need to remember the .net or something? Just let them focus on “brand-name”.com…..

(2) People without tech knowledge will not remember .net/.org/.us/.ca/etc. as well. Even they don’t know what is “http://”, online bookmarking, web2.0, etc…. We, as a technician, need to consider for them (We are serving them:). Domain as simple as possible.

(3) Just typing “domain-name” in browser and press [ctrl]+[enter], it will go to http://www.domain-name.com. Good for lazy people (e.g. ClubEddy). Remember that lots of people are using old browser which does not provide .net shortcut.

However, there is an exception:

In Hong Kong, there is an actor called Ho Kwok Wing. He is an Australian working in Hong Kong for many years. To let HK people identify him as a popular Hong Kong actor. http://www.hokwokwing.hk is the best domain for him. At least, people will know that this guy with western face comes from HK!! Same as point (1): Branding is everything for a domain.

Another exception is that, non-profit organization should avoid .com. Because .com seems present a profit digging “company”. Using .ca or .net are okay.

Therefore, only use domain other then .com, EXCEPT only very specific purpose.

~Sorry for bad English~

Another advantage is that it is more brandable.

My advice, spend the time gather all the words you like mix match, mashup, until you find a URL that works in .com. My perfect domain name was http://www.rivet.com, but it’s taken. (oddly enough by a rivet manufacturer, where does he get off).

http://www.techrivet.com was a close second.

I have a project with absolutely the best name, let’s say, Hanky Panky.
I own hankypanky.co.uk, but hankypanky.com is owned by a store specialising in large women’s clothing and .net, .org etc. are all taken.

Do people think it would be a good idea for me to use http://www.hanky-panky.com? Or is that no good?

I’ve been putting this off for a while, but it’s getting to the point where I need to make a decision. Please help.

Go for a national domain if you are writing for or about that nation, can get one and aren’t in the US. If you are writing for France from France, for example, I’m pretty sure you’ll get the ‘hairy eyeball’ if you are not using .fr.
Otherwise, go for a restricted domain (like .coop) if you are entitled to it.
Otherwise, go for a .com.

.com – the TLD of last resort.

I’m disgusted by the reports above of .org being classed as spam and an online bank not allowing .be – what broken broken software!

You don’t need to be living IN Canada to register .ca, and there are many options for non Canadian citizen .ca registration. Here’s the list of those who can register .ca:

Canadian citizen
Permanent resident
Legal representative
Corporation
Trust
Partnership
Association
Trade union
Political party
Educational institution
Library, Archive or Museum
Hospital
Her Majesty the Queen
Indian band
Aboriginal Peoples
Government
Trade-mark registered in Canada
Official marks

The details can be found here: http://www.cira.ca/en/cat_Registrar.html

Oh CIRA! What’s with the PDFs?

Someonw else mentioned that .com’s get type-in traffic, which is true, but not for all domain names, and mostly just short, popular ones, and many of those domains already have sites or those stupid parking pages on them(don’t click on the ads, it only encourages their use.).

So what happens when housing is short in a certain area? That’s right, prices and demand goes up, but also expansion into other areas. This is why I feel that getting a domain with another extension is not only much easier, it’s a smart investment. After .com, I think the .US domain will become the most popular as people realize it’s there. But almost any of the others including the “low rent” .info will provide you with the address you need.

Just try to get a good, short domain for your site and don’t worry so much about branding and SEO. Having a good site and good marketing will take care of the “branding”.