The document provides guidelines for selecting a domain name, including choosing a name that is related to your brand or business, keeping it short (12 characters or less), easy to type and pronounce, distinctive and avoiding copyright infringement. The name should indicate what the site is about and be memorable while allowing flexibility for future content changes. Descriptive and keyword rich names are recommended over trendy or cutesy names.

1. HOW TO SELECT A DOMAIN
NAME
What Is In A Name? (Follow Hyperlink for Answer!)
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2. DOMAIN NAME GUIDELINES
(FOLLOW HYPERLINK!)
• Brand, Organization, or Company Name
• Naming is Strategic, NOT Tactical
• Shorter is Better
• Easy to Pronounce
• Distinctive
• Avoid Copyright Infringement
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3. BRAND NAME
• Domain Name is (Usually) Your Site/Blog Title
• Purpose of Site Indicated by Domain Name
• Use Your Name or Close Variation to Promote Personal
Brand
• Use Name of Your Business, Product, or Service if you
already have a content focus/niche in mind
• Use Best Extension (.com or .org) even if need to go with
second or third choice
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4. STRATEGIC NAME
• Select a Name You Can Live With
• Select a Fluid Name: Broad, Evolving Content Focus
• Incorporate Key Words Someone Would Use to Find the
Information on Your Site (name)
• Use Name Allowing for More Than One Blog Focus
• Do NOT Pick Trendy or Cutesy Name
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5. SHORTER IS BETTER
• Name is First Impression: Keep it Simple
• Easy to Remember, to Type, and to Say
• Long Names Annoy Potential Visitors
• More Visually Pleasing (on resume or card)
• 12 Characters or Less is Best
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6. EASY TO TYPE
• Use Easy-to-Spell Words or Sounds
• Avoid quirky Spellings: Thom, Waneta, etc
• Keep Your Brand Name in Mind
• Careful Using "q," "z," "x," "c," "ph," “gh,”
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7. EASY TO PRONOUNCE
• Choose a domain name you will not need to spell when
speaking
• Careful of homophones: sound same, but spelled differently
(realize, real eyes, real lies)
• Avoid hyphens and numbers
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8. DISTINCTIVE
• Choose Memorable and Distinct Name
• Make Association Between Domain Name and Brand Name
Clear
• Do NOT Choose “Confusable” Name
• No Plural, Hyphenated or Misspelled Versions of Established
Domains
• NO StuffingtonPost.com, Painterist.com, etc
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9. AVOID COPYRIGHT
INFRINGEMENT
• Do NOT use name already registered by another
individual or organization as a brand
• If using business name, check trademark/copyright status
before registering domain name
• If using your name or close variation, copyright
infringement is unlikely, but may depend how close name
is to other organization or individual
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