Some home truths about choosing your domain name.

Brand names are important on the Web and on the Web, brand name equals domain name.

Your domain name not only serves to locate you on the Internet, it is your identity on the Internet.

It goes without saying, therefore, that you should choose your domain name very carefully.

For existing businesses, the choice of domain name is obvious: it must reflect your real-world brand name.

It is frustrating for customers when they can't find you easily and frustrating for you when they wind up at the website of an unrelated company.

It is also a matter of trust.
Web users want to do business with brands they trust so your site should highlight its relationship to your real-world business and your real-world brand.

For internet start-ups, the domain name takes on a whole different perspective.
Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo!, Google, YouTube and PayPal are some of the most recognised brands on the Web, but they all had to establish their brand name from scratch.

So what can you learn from them?
Big marketing budgets and enormous media coverage aside, all of these organisations have developed strong brand recognition because they went for names that are: