The name of your website is as important as the name you carry around with you in the world every day. It’s your online identity; it tells people who you are. And, on the great worldwide web, it might even tell visitors whether or not they want to visit at all. So, how do you choose a dynamite domain name? Follow these four principles.

Make it relevant

Just like your actual name represents you, your domain name has to represent your website. Therefore, it should tell people who you are as soon as they hear or see it. By keeping your domain name relevant, you’re also making it easy for visitors to remember it. So if you’re running a recipe site, robsrecipes.com might be a good idea, or bestsouthernrecipes.com. Both of these examples are relevant to the content of the website.

Of course, if you’re running a website for a business, it’s natural to want the domain name to match the business name, but this isn’t always possible. Even though you might be the only one with that business name in the area, the online world is global and someone may have already snatched that one up. When that’s the case, tacking your location onto the end can make it unique, and still all about your business.

Keep it short

There’s no actual limit on the length of your domain name, but in general it should be kept short, no matter than one to three words. This just makes it easier to remember, easier to say, and even easier to promote!

Make it memorable

So haven’t we been talking about all the different ways you can make your domain name memorable? And about how you can do it by keeping it short and relevant? That’s true, but there are other ways to keep it memorable, too. Make sure the domain address isn’t spelled incorrectly, or simply in an odd way, and try not to use dashes or hyphens in it.

Keep it in line with your brand

This is different than keeping it relevant and it’s also different than possibly using your business’ name. Your domain name needs to have the same tone that your website has. It is going to be the first thing people hear about your site, after all. So if you have a fun and fresh site, try to choose a name that’s the same. If your site is going to be more formal and professional, you probably won’t to choose a silly or quirky name.

There’s a lot that goes into choosing a domain name – that’s why so many website owners spend so much time thinking about it before taking the plunge. Start with these four tips and you’ll end up with a domain name that’s dynamite!