"How to Name Your Website"

In the past, during the planning stage of a business people would spend long hours thinking about where to set up their business. They would wonder about what old house to buy to turn into the shop. Or was it near enough foot traffic to sustain a business?

Nowadays, with setting up a business online things are a lot quicker and easier but we still have the issue of location, only it has changed.

The question has now become:
What web address / url will bring the most traffic to our website?

With the right URL, potential customers will see it and realize that this website may solve their problem. Or possibly, with the right URL customers will find it catchy enough to remember for a return visit, or to use as a word in conversation with friends.

The big debate amongst the big internet marketing gurus as to how to craft the perfect URL is this...
should it be more descriptive or more catchy?

This sounds like a silly debate. However, it can be one of the number one factors in the amount of profit that your online venture earns.

The name of a business may not seem important to you, the business owner, because you already know everything about your business. You know that you are offering products that are of good quality and that are at least interesting if not useful. You know that your buyers can trust you and that you are a nice person.

But your buyers do not know that yet, and the first thing that they will base their judgments of you on is your name. I know it sounds silly and it is. However, studies have proven that within 7 seconds of meeting someone we have already made crucial judgments about their character. If we make these sorts of judgments about people based on superficial factors such as the way the clothes they are wearing and their body language then what do people first judge a website on? It's name.

Many of the top business online right now have taken this into account.

If you look at many of the most popular websites on the internet right now, eBay for example, their names do not mean anything in and of themselves. The word "eBay" on its own wouldn't inform me that it is an online auction website with millions of members.

This URL drew traffic (when it wasn't famous) because it was easy to remember, quick to use in conversation, had a unique sound and was easy to type.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, http://www.howtomakeapotatogun.com is rather self explanatory. This URL draws traffic because it is also easy to remember and people know what they are getting.

However can there be a compromise?

Two of the most popular websites that exist are Myspace.com and Youtube.com To me they seem to be the compromise between these two opposites.

Both vaguely describe their websites but succinctly. These URLs are short, easy-to type traffic-pullers. They are easy to spell, remember and say in conversation but they allude to what they are about.

In your new business start-up you are going to want a brand that is recognizable. You are going to want your own "trademark" name. (Not literally trademarked immediately but you get what I mean.)

You also want your e-business website to be easily accessible and search engine optimized.

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Quick Tip

Check hard disk space

Double click on the My Computer icon on your Desktop and right-click on your hard disk (usually drive C). Click Properties to see the amount of disk space left on your computer.

Create a web shortcut

Right-click on a web page in your browser and select Create Shortcut to place a shortcut link on your desktop.

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Just for Fun or Useful Links!

BookMootch

"A community for exchanging used books. BookMooch lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want." No charge to sign up.

http://www.bookmooch.com/

PicNic

"Edit your photos the easy way, right online It's the easiest way on the Web to fix
underexposed photos, remove red-eye, or apply effects to your photos. It's fast, easy, and fun."

http://www.picnik.com/

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