Numbers, Domains, And Your Brand

Avoid numbers in your domain name unless it is part of your business name. If your business is called 1-hour Photo, it is perfectly normal to have the number one in your domain name. In case you had to have the chocolate.com domain name, but it was not longer available, please don’t register chocolate847.com. Unless, you have a great reason to have a number in your domain name avoid it. A great idea for domain names with numbers is when your phone number is your domain.

If you don’t want to have your phone number as your domain name by itself, you could combine it with your company name. It is possible to have your toll free number as your domain name. Before you commit to a toll free number, check with a domain registrar to make sure the domain name is still available. Your phone company usually gives you 5 or more toll free numbers to chose from, so if the first number is not available ask for another one.

Including a number within your domain name may create problems, as when you tell your customer your web address, you will always have to tell them it's a number and not the word. For instance, if you have chosen a domain name such as bestonlinebusiness4everdotcom, if you were to tell someone your web address, they may try to type it as bestonlinebusinessforeverdotcom ' instead of bestonlinebusiness4everdotcom.' This kind of domain name would create mix-ups.

Both hyphens and numbers make it difficult to communicate your domain name verbally. In addition, they may be hard to remember. Avoid using spelled-out or roman numerals in domain names, as both can be the source of confusion. The same rules apply to domain name with numbers and hyphens as it is to domains without them.

Your Web address should be part of your overall marketing strategy. Make sure you add your Web address to all of your marketing materials. All of your marketing materials should feature your Web address and your e-mail address. When you print your business card, catalogs, brochures, letterheads, always have your domain name included.