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orion_joel
10-17-2008, 02:54 AM
Hi All,

Hoping for some point of views here. I am looking for a domain for a new project, i know what i want, but i am also looking for some back up idea's. One option i have thought about is is using some initials then a word. As an example (not the actual one) cbphones.com (which would be initials for crazy bobs phones).

I have one domain already earmarked which i think will work but not sure if it will be catchy enough but have an idea for a domain in similar format to the above which i think would be much more catchy. But not to sure on the initials approach.

Business Attorney
10-17-2008, 11:10 AM
I am not a marketing professional but I'll give you my two cents worth: it depends on how you plan to use the domain and how you plan to market it.

On the one hand, I believe (based on my personal experience and what I have read) that having your keywords in your domain name is helpful to your search engine ranking. My IllinoisBusinessAttorney.com and LimitedLiabilityCompanyCenter.com domain names are long and cumbersome but they rank well in every major search engine. The names are also self explanatory. To me, that is what I wanted.

On the other hand, domain names which contain generic terms are not distinctive. Would you rather market "YouTube" or "OnlineVideos"? "Flickr" or "OnlinePhotos"? Without marketing (viral or otherwise), the name Flickr is meaningless. With marketing, it is a much more valuable mark than a generic domain name.

KristineS
10-17-2008, 12:39 PM
The best domain names are easy to remember, easy to enter into a search engine and relevant to your business and your site.

Longer domain names or domain names that are quirky can, as David pointed out, be useful, but they will take a lot more marketing to imprint in people's minds. If you're willing to put in the time and effort you can make almost any domain name work. Some will just take a lot more effort than others.

Dan Furman
10-17-2008, 02:56 PM
My .02? Buy them all.

If you think of ten, buy ten. It's like $10 each for the year. Then, after a year, for the ones you never used, let them expire. But it's such a nominal cost that it's not worth hemming and hawing over a name - plus, if you start doing well, it'll be good to have several variations of the name anyway.

orion_joel
10-17-2008, 02:57 PM
I am planning to primarily use it for a new blog, plus product sales that complement the theme of the blog i am planning to create. I think i have the one that i am going to go with, but will let you all know soon the outcome.

billbenson
10-17-2008, 04:09 PM
I'd use a domain with keywords either hyphenated or not, and a 301 redirect from a more memorable domain if possible. Its kind of a "depends" thing but I've had very good results for a domain containing hyphenated keywords with adwords.

For this type of site the example above IllinoisBusinessAttorney.com makes sense to me for an IL Business Attorney.

orion_joel
10-18-2008, 02:46 AM
Well, i end up registering a domain, it will be www.nofixedoffice.com. It will in due course feature a blog, but i need some time to get it worked out because this one is going to have a proper theme, i will create rather then the default theme i have been using for the moment on my other blogs.

vangogh
10-18-2008, 03:35 AM
Interesting domain. What are you planning for the topic of the blog? I can see a few different ideas given the name.

Harold Mansfield
10-18-2008, 10:44 PM
My .02? Buy them all.

If you think of ten, buy ten. It's like $10 each for the year. Then, after a year, for the ones you never used, let them expire. But it's such a nominal cost that it's not worth hemming and hawing over a name - plus, if you start doing well, it'll be good to have several variations of the name anyway.

I second this for anyone else contemplating domains. First of all it is almost impossible to find any good domains out there in the ext that you want, and most people want a ".com".

Just about any and all keyword related domains are gone, and are either in use, or sitting in someones portfolio waiting to sell them.
The best approach IMO is a domain that you can market, is memorable, and above all else, actually makes sense.

I agree with the above, at $10 a swipe, if you can find anything remotely close to what you want and you can market it effectively...get it. By the time you "dilly dally" around wondering should you spend the 10 bucks, someone will grab it.

orion_joel
10-19-2008, 04:26 AM
I had the similar thought, i was of two minds on nofixedoffice, as i had really wanted portableoffice, which was already taken. However i just bit the bullet and paid the money and got it. The other domain, i had thought of would have been not as memorable, and probably would have not get me as motivated.

As for the topic, it is somewhere i am going to talk alot about the ability to work anywhere, and make your office not one fixed place but, something that is portable and can be taken anywhere you want to work. When i put it online yesterday and wrote the place holder post, i found it was maybe the easiest post i have had to write and probably the most flowing, because i knew exactly where i wanted it to go.

vangogh
10-19-2008, 04:25 PM
The topic is a perfect fit for the domain name. I also agree with everyone that if you're unsure about two domains you should buy them both. At $10/year it's not exactly a huge investment and inevitably when you come back later the domain you didn't purchase is taken. I've lost a few domains because I waited too long to buy them.

orion_joel
10-19-2008, 07:29 PM
I agree, and in most cases i would probably have gotten both however i could not find the attachment to the second domain which i passed on this time, and that was mostly because it would have been much more difficult to make the connection then the one i have ultimately chosen