The+7+Characteristics+of+Good+Domain+Names%0d%0aDomain+names+are+the+real+estate+of+the+Internet.+Just+as+a+good+location+is+vital+for+a+bricks+and+mortar+business%2c+a+good+domain+name+will+be+the+corner+stone+of+your+website%e2%80%99s+success.+But+how+to+identify+them%3f+Below+you+will+find+the+7+characteristics+of+good+domain+names.%0d%0a%0d%0a1.+They+are+short+Good+domain+names+are+short.+It+is+not+a+coincidence+that+all+the+three-letter+and+four-letter+.com+domains+are+already+gone%2c+and+that+the+five-letter+ones+are+going+fast+as+well.+There+is+no+definite+number+of+characters+that+you+should+aim+for%2c+just+remember+that+the+shorter+the+better.+If+you+really+need+some+guidance%2c+try+to+go+below+10+characters%2c+and+never+exceed+20.+As+for+the+number+of+words%2c+one-word+domains+are+gold%2c+two-word+ones+are+good%2c+three-word+domains+are+average%2c+and+above+that+it+is+usually+a+bad+idea.+Example%3a+Quotes.com+is+a+superb+domain+and+probably+worth+millions+of+dollars.+ProQuotes.com+is+a+good+two-word+domain+worth+thousands+of+dollars.+ProQuotesNow.com+is+an+average+domain+and+could+be+used+for+a+website.+YourProQuotesNow.com+is+plain+worthless.%0d%0a%0d%0a%0c2.+They+are+easy+to+remember+Many+Internet+users+do+not+use+bookmarks.+They+just+memorize+the+domains+of+their+favorite+websites+and+type+them+whenever+they+wan+to+visit+one.+Guess+what%2c+if+your+domain+is+complex+and+not+easy+to+remember+you+will+lose+these+visitors+along+the+way.+Example%3a+Brcwr.com+is+a+short+domain+name%2c+but+is+not+easy+to+remember+at+all%2c+so+it+would+be+a+bad+idea+to+use+it+for+your+website+(unless+the+initials+represent+the+name+of+the+website+or+a+memorable+message).+3.+They+are+easy+to+spell+The+last+thing+you+want+is+visitors+misspelling+your+domain+and+ending+up+somewhere+else.+Avoid+unusual+foreign+words%2c+words+that+have+complex+pronunciation%2c+strange+combinations+of+letters+and+anything+else+that+might+cause+someone+to+misspell+your+address.+Example%3a+CappuccinoBar.com+might+be+problematic+for+English+speaking+visitors.+Cappuccino+is+an+Italian+word%2c+and+not+everyone+is+aware+where+the+doubles+are+placed.+4.+They+have+a+.com+extension+Organizations+might+prefer+to+register+a+.org+domain%2c+and+companies+targeting+very+specific+geographical+regions+might+want+to+register+a+local+domain+(e.g.+.it%2c+.co.uk%2c+.cn+and+so+on).+Apart+from+these+cases%2c+however%2c+a+.com+domain+is+always+the+best+way+to+go.+This+extension+is+the+most+popular+around+the+around%2c+and+it+is+already+stuck+in+people%e2%80%99s+mind.+Visitors+coming+to+your+site+via+search+engines+or+organic+links+will+pay+attention+mostly+to+the+name+and+not+to+the+URL.+The+next+time+they+want+to+visit+your+site+it+is+very+likely+that+they+will+just+type+its+name+followed+by+a+.com.+Guess+what%2c+if+you+are+not+there+when+they+hit+enter+they+will+just+go+somewhere+else.+Example%3a+Darren+Rowse+created+his+popular+blog+on+Problogger.net.+Despite+having+a+strong+brand%2c+some+visitors+were+still+going+to+Problogger.com.+After+a%0d%0a%0d%0a%0ccouple+of+years+Darren+decided+to+buy+the+.com+version+for+%245%2c000+and+redirect+it+to+his+site%2c+so+that+no+more+visitors+would+leak.+5.+They+are+descriptive+Many+visitors+will+come+to+your+site+through+the+search+engines+and+via+direct+links+on+other+websites.+That+is%2c+they+will+come+if+the+domain+that+they+will+see+will+be+appealing.+Having+a+descriptive+domain+name+will+give+visitors+an+idea+of+what+your+site+is+about+even+before+they+enter+it.+If+related+keywords+are+present+in+the+domain+it+might+also+help+your+search+engine+rankings.+Example%3a+You+would+be+able+to+guess+what+TelevisionGuides.com+is+about+even+before+visiting+it+right%3f+Put+it+in+another+way.+Suppose+you+are+searching+for+a+movie+review.+You+make+a+quick+search+in+Google.+The+first+result+comes+from+MikesLair.com.+The+second+result+comes+from+MoviesCentral.com.+Which+one+would+you+rather+click%3f+6.+Or+brandable+A+brandable+domain+will+have+a+nice+pronunciation%2c+an+interesting+combination+of+letters+or+simply+an+appealing+visual+effect.+Sometimes+they+will+not+be+descriptive%2c+but+they+can+be+equally+efficient.+Brandable+domains+will+make+your+visitors+associate+the+name+with+your+website+and+its+content.+(Notice+that+brandable+domains+can+be+descriptive+at+the+same+time%2c+but+that+is+not+always+the+case.)+Example%3a+Kotaku.com+is+one+of+the+most+popular+gaming+blogs+on+the+Internet.+The+domain+is+not+descriptive+at+all%2c+but+the+brand+is+so+strong+that+gamers+immediately+recognize+it+across+the+web.+7.+They+don%e2%80%99t+contain+hyphens+or+numbers+Domain+names+containing+hyphens+and+numbers+are+cheaper+for+a+reason.+They+suffer+the+same+problem+of+domains+not+using+a+.com+extension+or+with+complex+spelling.%0d%0a%0d%0a%0cConsider+Tech-World.com.+The+names+that+will+stick+in+people%e2%80%99s+mind+are+%e2%80%9ctech%e2%80%9d+and+%e2%80%9cworld.%e2%80%9d+Many+visitors+will+just+forget+the+hyphen+along+the+way.+Eventually+they+will+try+to+access+your+site+by+typing+TechWorld.com%2c+in+vain.+Numbers%2c+on+the+other+hand%2c+will+confuse+people+with+the+spelling.+Suppose+you+registered+Tech5.com.+Visitors+might+mix+it+with+TechFive.com%2c+if+they+manage+to+remember+the+number+in+the+first+place!+Example%3a+Coolest-Gadgets.com+is+an+extremely+popular+gadget+blog%2c+with+over+70%2c000+RSS+subscribers.+With+such+a+huge+readership+you+get+people+often+typing+the+domain+directly+on+the+address+bar.+Needless+to+say+that+many+of+them+would+just+forget+to+add+the+hyphen.+The+owner+of+the+site+bought+CoolestGadgets.com+afterwards+to+fix+the+problem.+Final+remark+Do+not+get+discouraged+if+your+current+domain+doesn%e2%80%99t+have+all+these+characteristics%3b+or+if+you+can%e2%80%99t+find+one+that+does.+These+are+just+factors+that+you+should+consider+when+evaluating+domain+names.+There+are+plenty+of+examples+of+popular+websites+with+domain+names+that+lack+in+one+or+two+points+covered+on+the+list.+Just+make+sure+that+your+domain+has+most+of+the+characteristics+and+you+should+be+fine.%0d%0a%0d%0a%0c