[Abstract]: How to choose a domain name for effective online marketing? A good domain name should possess six basic elements: brevity, ease of memory, low likelihood of confusion with other domain names, resistance to spelling errors, relevance to the company name/trademark or core business, and avoidance of cultural conflicts. This article provides a detailed introduction to the general principles of selecting and registering a domain name from the perspective of an online marketing consultant.
The reason why the selection of website domain names and domain registration in Beijing are included in the issues of Beijing website construction is because the quality of the domain name also affects the effectiveness of online marketing strategies. A good domain name is crucial for website promotion. Therefore, from the perspective of online marketing, website promotion issues should be considered when choosing a domain name.
**General Principles for Choosing a Domain Name**
Domain resources are limited, and one could even say they are very scarce. A company or website's domain name is more than just an identifier; it is also an important marketing resource that requires careful consideration during the registration process. A good domain name should have the following six basic elements:
1. **Brevity**
In commonly used domains with .com or .net suffixes, many short words or word combinations with meaningful connotations may already be registered by others. However, there are still ways to create relatively short domain names. You can use abbreviations of words or combine abbreviated letters with meaningful simple words. For example, "cnnews.com," which recently had a domain dispute with CNN, combines the abbreviation "CN" for China with the English word "NEWS." Despite this, its meaning is still clear.
Additionally, sometimes English words may all be registered, but coincidentally, short Chinese pinyin that hasn't been taken is available, making such pinyin-based domain names a great choice. Numeric-only domain names are also common, like 8848.com or 85818.com.cn.
How many letters should a domain name contain? There is no absolute standard. Currently, a domain name can include up to 67 letters and numbers (including the three letters of the suffix). Internationally registered domains, such as networksolutions.com, are quite long. Therefore, the number of characters in a domain name is relative. Ideally, keeping it under five characters is best, but this shouldn't be rigidly adhered to and is only for reference.
2. **Ease of Memory**
To make it easier for others to understand and remember, apart from having fewer characters, being easy to remember is another important factor. Generally, generic words are easy to remember, such as Art.com, business.com, pets.com, bank.com, china.com, internet.com, etc. However, other domain names with special effects or pronunciations are also easy to remember, such as yahoo.com and Amazon.com.
The ease of memory also means that it’s easier to explain when recommending it to others. Therefore, domain names with confusing pronunciation or containing hyphens are less ideal. For example, the Four Directions Group's domain is stone-group.com, and when recommending their URL, you always need to explain that there is a hyphen between "stone" and "group," which can be troublesome.
3. **Not Easily Confused with Other Domain Names**
There are several reasons why domain names can be confused. One is the use of hyphens to separate parts of a domain name, as mentioned earlier. Another situation is when .com or .net domain names belong to different owners, such as the confusion between "163.com" (Netease) and "163.net" (email service). A third situation is confusion between international and domestic domain names, such as "85818.com.cn" (a Shanghai Melco online shopping site) and "85818.com" belonging to a different website.
4. **Resistant to Spelling Errors**
This point is equally important. A misspelled domain name is like dialing the wrong phone number and can lead to significant losses if exploited by competitors. Some websites even capitalize on others' spelling mistakes to increase traffic. Additionally, long character counts or irregular abbreviations in domain names can easily lead to spelling errors.
5. **Relevant to Company Name, Trademark, or Core Business**
Seeing "ibm.com" makes us associate it with IBM Corporation, while "etravel.com" or "auctions.com" immediately brings to mind online travel or auction sites. This undoubtedly represents a huge asset, which is why some special domain names can sell for millions of dollars. For this reason, some companies have to spend significant resources resolving issues related to trademarks or company names being registered as domain names by others.
6. **Avoid Cultural Conflicts**
It would clearly be inappropriate for a reputable company to use "Hitler.com" as its domain name. In mid-2000, the domain name "sina.com.cn" of Sina.com, the largest Chinese-language website, was questioned and even requested to change its name. The reason was that "SINA" sounds similar to "Shina" in Japanese, and "Shina" is a derogatory term used by Japan's right-wing groups to refer to China. As a result, Sina.com's domain name caused dissatisfaction among some Chinese people living in Japan, leading to heated debates. Although Sina.com ultimately did not change its name due to this issue, it serves as a warning that potential cultural conflicts should be avoided when choosing a domain name.