Are you debating between using 2 or more domain names for your website?

One of my clients – let’s call him Dave Smith – asked which website address would better serve as his main domain name:

1) DaveSmithDelivers.com
2) HowGoodLeadersBecomeGreat.com (Note: This is not his actual domain name. I altered it for this blog entry.)

My thoughts:
- Both domain names are easy to say, easy to understand, and easy for prospects and customers to spell.
- Both communicate a benefit, in a distilled manner.
- Both website addresses support the brand we created for him.
- HowGoodLeadersBecomeGreat.com is a bit long, but not a show-stopper for his highly educated target audience. (Always uppercase each word in your website address to make it easier to read.)

A consideration is that Dave wants prospects and customers to easily remember his website address. For example, John says to Mary, “I’ve been working with Dave Smith, and he’s great! You should check him out. What’s his website address? Something about great leaders, but I don’t remember. You’ll need to Google it.”

For this reason, I recommend my client uses DaveSmithDelivers.com as his main website address.

In addition, he should strategically use BOTH domain names, for different circumstances. For example, my client could use DaveSmithDelivers.com as his main website address, plus our developer would set up the other URL as a redirect.

Now, Dave Smith can use the 2 website addresses almost equally. For example, articles and marketing materials promoting his book, workshops, and keynote presentations on the topic “How Good Leaders Become Great” would include the correlating website address. Other marketing materials would present DaveSmithDelivers.com as his domain name.

A great website address makes it easy for prospects and clients to find your website, and it can reinforce your brand. Here are 10 rules of thumb to select a great website address.

1. It’s easy to say.
This also means it will be easy for teleclass, workshop, and radio show listeners to accurately hear.
Poor: TeamSpecialists.com
Better: TeamExperts.com

2. It’s easy to spell.
Poor: PhenomenalMnemonicDevices.com
Better: GreatMemoryDevices.com
Best: MemoryTools.com

3. It’s easy to read, even when all letters are lowercase.
Poor: theenglishpoets.com
Better: englishpoets.com
Note: Always capitalize each word in your printed materials to make it easier for readers.

4. It’s easy to remember.
Example: FourthMeal.com
This is an actual Taco Bell website address used in their advertising. This example comes with a caveat. I don’t advocate eating a fourth meal of fast food late at night!

5. It’s clear, not cryptic.
Do you have a favorite phrase or industry jargon that’s meaningful to you? Put yourself in your prospects’ shoes – would they have a clue what your clever website address means?

6. It’s 1 to 3 words long.
A website address with 4 or 5 words may be too long unless the words are short.
Acceptable: WritingTipsForKids.com
Acceptable, but confusing when stated verbally: WritingTips4Kids.com

7. It has the fewest syllables possible.
Poor: ExperiencedCareerAdvisors.com
Better: CareerExperts.com

8. It communicates something about you or your business.
Acceptable: JaniceJones.com
Better: JonesCPA.com

9. It ends with .com.
Let’s say you want to purchase LeadershipStrategies.com, but it’s already taken. Don’t buy LeadershipStrategies.net! This will just confuse your clients. Keep researching – you’ll come up with a website address that fits these criteria. Also, if you live in Canada; your best choices would be .com and .ca.

10. It may use hyphens but not underscores.
Poor: Janice_Jones_CPA.com
Better: Jones-CPA.com
Note: In this example, Janice Jones is wise to own at least two website addresses: JonesCPA.com (her main website) and Jones-CPA.com. The latter helps protect her brand and is easy to read in printed materials. However, she must be sure to redirect visitors from Jones-CPA.com to her main site, JonesCPA.com.

More tips to select website addresses:

• Buy various versions to protect your brand – If Janice Jones, our fictional accountant, uses JonesCPA.com as her main website, she should consider purchasing JonesCPA.net, JaniceJones.com, JaniceJonesCPA.com, JonesAccounting.com, etc. This might seem expensive, but it will protect her brand if another Janice Jones happens to be a CPA.
• Purchase your business’s tagline and book titles – If possible, purchase the tagline of your business, since this is foundational to your brand. And purchase the website address that reflects any books, audio programs, or information products that you’ve created or plan to create. You can use these website addresses as sales pages to sell your product as well as protect your brand.
• Use redirects – If Janice Jones’s main website is JonesCPA.com, all her other website addresses can be set up to automatically transfer visitors to that main site. You can also redirect your product’s website address to the correlating page on your website.
• Buy common misspellings of your website address – What if our fictional accountant’s name is Janice Kavanaugh? She would be wise to purchase KavanaughCPA.com and CavanaughCPA.com. The misspelled website address should redirect to her main site. Remember, using redirects enables visitors to arrive at your website, even if they accidentally type a slight variation.
• Buy website addresses with hyphens – In print, website addresses with hyphens are easier to read. Again, buying these versions can help protect your brand.
• Use www.NameBoy.com to brainstorm names – This website offers an easy tool to quickly brainstorm oodles of potential website addresses for your business. You can purchase website addresses at NameBoy.com, GoDaddy.com, and multiple other websites. I use GoDaddy.com, because I like their customer service.
• Don’t wait! Make the investment now – If you have an idea for a book or information product that you may someday create, be sure to snap up the available website address now.

When selecting a great website address, explore the possibilities, keep your prospects and clients in mind, and be creative!