When it comes to choosing a website name there are a few things to consider before you order it and lock yourself in by putting the address out there to the world.
Google the name you want to see what comes up. I was recently asked to produce a web series and when I searched for their show page on Facebook I had to scroll down four pages to find it – I’m not exaggerating. There were four pages of Facebook sites with the same name.
Let’s face it, unless you’re considering working on the show, or your kid is in the show, or you’re trying to impress a girl or boy by knowing about the show, you are NOT going to scroll down four pages to find the link to their page.
One of the first things we did after that little experiment was tweak the name. It made it a bit longer but when you Google it now, it comes up second from the top on the first page.
You will inevitably go through a number of options before you settle on your final choice, but as you’re going through this process type out the website names you’re thinking about. Pay attention to how it feels to type the address as you’re doing it. I type mine out quite a few times before choosing and some times it just feels awkward. I know it’s a small thing, but the more small things you pay attention to the easier it is for big things to happen.
“But won’t most people simply click on a link to the site?” you ask?
Yes some will, but you want it nice and easy for people to search for it on Youtube and Google.
Another way that this comes into play is how the name of your website will reflect on your email address that goes with it.
The email address I created years ago that is now my standard go-to email address is brutal. I have four letters in a row with the “e” sound.
When I’m trying to tell people on the phone where to email me it is an exercise in patience both for me and the person I’m speaking with. I would certainly do it differently now. So say it out loud before you commit to it. Do you have to spell it for people to understand it? See if there is a way you can avoid that.
These things might seem small but you need to make your product as easy to find as you possibly can. It might seem like small potatoes now, but, and I know I’ve said this before, if your show goes the way you want it to go there will be a lot of people looking for it online. So make it easy for them and they will in turn make it easy for you.