What’s Really In a Name?
Aug 7th, 2007 by msdanielle
A great domain name can make all the difference in the world when it comes to internet marketing. Many highly successful online entrepreneurs give very effective tips and advice about what to do — and what not to do — when formulating a new domain name. Here are a few articles that I’ve come across recently that got me thinking more in-depth and out-of-the-box regarding domain names:
Seth Godin on The New Rules of Naming
…having the perfect domain name is nice, but it’s WAY more important to have a name that works in technorati and yahoo and google when someone is seeking you out.
According to Seth Godin, not only is it important to have a name that’s memorable, but also one that’s not so generic that when someone searches for you, they get 965,483 relevant results. Here, he suggests picking a name that is both memorable and unique to search engine results. A funny side-note: I think some people searching for “msdanielle” or “ms danielle” are looking for a porn site. Yay for me. But that’s no big deal to me since a search of “ms anything” these days is probably spurned by a search relating to (and gives results to) sites relating to sex.
Aaron Wall’s Disagreement of Seth’s Rules and More
If your product or service is truely remarkable you should be able to redefine the meaning of language. That is what remarkable people & companies do.
You don’t really establish a cult status until after many people are talking about your product…. You shouldn’t think of your site starting from zero and every page that has the term you want to rank for as competition. You should compare the quality of your idea to the quality of the top ranking ideas and see if you think it is possible to outrank them based on that.
While Aaron Wall acknowledges Seth’s naming tips, he points out that a great company will earn merit on its own and result in a strong, loyal following, thus enforcing its memorability. Touché.
I also came across a great interview of domain investor Frank Schilling by Aaron Wall, which I think is a great read for anyone looking for domain name advice, or insight on the domaining industry as a whole.
Dosh Dosh’s 5 Steps to Choosing a Domain Name
Maki over at DoshDosh.com wrote this great tips article about how to come up with a great domain name. I recommend checking it out, as it’s a straight-forward guide on what to consider when coming up with a brand new niche domain name. It’s also choc-full of useful resources that you might not have seen yet.
Put Your Research to the Test!
I was inspired to write this post because Ed Lau and Michael Kwan are trying to come up with a new name for their emerging hockey blog site collaboration, which they’re running as a contest to help generate ideas. Ed asked me if I was going to participate, and while I was planning on entering, I thought it would be best to enter after doing some domain name research and writing something I thought was useful to them as well as to my readers.
I encourage you guys to enter Ed and Michael’s contest, where you can win not one, but two, iPod Nanos. Check out the articles I mentioned above to see if it inspires some creative entries. If you’re not familiar with Ed and Michael, Ed runs an awesome personal blog filled with rants, reviews, and his own personal photography [Ed’s contest post here]. Michael’s freelance writing blog covers arts and entertainment, sports, and current events, among a host of other topics [Michael’s contest post here].
It would be cool to win, but I wouldn’t keep the iPod Nanos since I already own a Video and a Shuffle…and neither of the prizes are hot pink! That would’ve probably swayed me to keep one of them. Oh well, if I do win (which I just might because I’m trying to do my research!), I’ll be contesting away these two iPods just like I did with the Microsoft Zune that I won from John Chow…only I’ll be giving them away one at a time. 
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I agree that a domain can make all the difference and the easier the domain is to remember, the more return readers you will get. I also entered the Ed Lau and Michael Kwan contest but I didn’t get a confirmation from them!
I’m sending those out once a week…meaning today.
Michael and I are also working something out for readers who don’t have blogs of their own.
lol okay! ill be waiting for that. Did you like my name suggestion?
i haven’t even submitted any ideas yet. but i have 2 weeks… i’m gonna come up with something GOOD!! LOL
The whole issue is nightmare Ms Danielle. As a newbie to domaining and blogging I’m having to continually rethink my approach!
Anyway valuable post, thanks!
http://domainpain.blogspot.com/
hi tony
you have some interesting domain names. lol good luck in the domain name game. i have a few that i’m gonna swoop up too, but i’m not telling anyone what they are just yet! (well, they’re not purchased yet that’s why) 
make sure to read the interview. it has some great insight. also do you check the digitalpoint forums? there are ppl on there buying and selling all kinds of domains. check it out http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=59
The whole issue is a nightmare Ms Danielle. As a newbie to domaining and blogging I’m having to continually rethink my approach!
Anyway valuable post, thanks!
http://domainpain.blogspot.com/
You got it! The domain name you choose will have a bit to do with your overall level of success. But of course, you can overcome a bad name with great content, etc…
thanks, chris. if it’s a quality site you are building, yes good content can definitely help boost any mediocre domain name.
Hi
well in my opinion a name independently if it is
net oriented or not, for shure, should be unique;
There’s a thin line between Names and Brands
(having in mind advertisement) both are used to distinguish
some unique features (tangible or not) usually related with strategic
marketing plans; There’s a portuguese author Miguel Esteves Cardoso, that said “….. as long as they’re talking about me….”
Somehow i agree with him, but it will depend always of course of target public where we’re aimed to.
Pandemic (in sense of massive) marketing can also be dangerous because people can and usually get tired to hear something continuously even on the net (e.g. spam or mailings);
ciao
gallardo
3dthought.blogspot.com
I feel as though growing up in Canada and playing hockey for 14 years will give me a slight edge in the hockey contest. I could be totally wrong though…
That’s pretty much what me and Mike do…
Send us some suggestions!
Working on it! I have some pure gold coming your way.
Great article on choosing a domain name. I see a big trend moving away from keywords in the domain name to focus on a branding a memorable name. I agree with Dosh Dosh that if you primary focus is to build a small niche site then you should choose a keyword domain.
However if your strategy is to brand your business and create a central website, then you’ll want to go for a more memorable name. Of course it all doesn’t mean a whole lot unless you’ve got quality content that keeps people coming back.
Great job Danielle on building this blog so fast in such a short time. You’re doing it all right
Best regards,
Matthew Sherborne
hi matthew
thanks for your input and your kind words. yes, i can see what you mean about branding. like, if we’re trying to help ed and michael come up with a site, should it have “hockeyblog” in the domain, or a uniquely branded phrase…
btw, interesting forum you have there. i will be visiting it again soon.
@michael fultz - i agree, especially if it’s a niche domain like matthew’s talking about. having a domain name like “themoneyblog” would mean nothing if the site sucks.
Name can make a difference in a sense it would help people recall faster, if your blog does not have great content then name would be worthless. so in the end, content wins.
A good domain name is a good name, but make sure you live up to your name, or folks will see through you..
I just registered a couple new names with these tips in mind…
perfect, i’ve been trying 2 think of a new domain name
I agree that naming a blog or website can be a huge undertaking. I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a name for my site and then everytime I thought of something, it was not available. I finally settled for what I have now, and while I feel comfortable with it, I’m not always sure it was a real great choice. Hopefully, over time I will get enough branding that it won’t matter any more.