Comment: Registering a Domain Name from the User's Point of View

Web usability does not start from designing user friendly web application; it actually starts from very beginning: ie registering a domain name for your website.

Registering a user friendly domain is very important from both user as well as search engine point of view. A simple, short, sweet, easy to remember combination of words should be the basic criteria for choosing domain name for your website.

Well, this doesn't make sense if your company's brand is well known, you are lucky because you don’t have to think much but just go and register your brand as domain for your website and happily skip following guidelines.

Below are some important tips and guidelines on choosing a right domain name:
1. Keep it short - You are free to create a domain name of any length up to maximum of 67 characters, but registering lengthier domains would be of less help as people can forget such names easily. So when ‘toyshopnewyork.com’ can do a good job for your business then why to register a domain like ‘allkindsofkidstoysatjonysshopinnewyork.com’
2. Keyword rich domain – People who love and are very obsessed about their family names tend to name their business by family name. This is OK as far as physical office/shop is concerned but when it comes to online business you just have to leave it at your home because nobody in this world will search a business with someone's family name until and unless its a well known brand like "Ford". If you register a keyword rich area specific domain for your store like ‘toystorenewyork.com’, someone who wants to search for toys shop in New York will most probably use the key phrases already in your main domain.

3. Avoid Internet slang - Using slang like "4" in place of "for", "ur" for "your", etc while deciding a domain name creates confusion, eg if you register ‘something4u.com’, the chances are some user may type ‘somethingforu.com’, some may try ‘something4you.com’ and even some may use ‘somethingforyou.com’ to reach to your website. If you can't resist, then make sure you also register other combinations that sound same as your actual domain and forward them to the domain of your choice.
4. Abbreviated Domains - Abbreviated forms of less popular phrases should be avoided. It might be good for the owner but may not be a good idea from the users' point of view: they may well try the full form. Again, register both abbreviated and full form and forward the full form domain to abbreviated domain of your choice.
5. Hyphenated Domain Names - Hyphen-separated keyword rich domains are a part of search engine optimisation. But search engines give equal importance to the keywords in a domain name without hyphens too... Can't avoid hyphens in your website name? Register ‘some-thing-business.com’, but also register ‘somethingbusiness.com’ and forward it to ‘some-thing-business.com’
6. .com version - If the website is for your business, then you must register a .com version. You may need/want other extensions like .net/.biz/.org - register it as your first choice and then register the .com version of the same site and forward it to your main domain (.net/.biz/.org/other version). The .com version is oldest on Web and people are more likely to use it while visiting any site because many of us still think that 'if it’s a commercial website it should end up to .com'.

If you think that buying multiple domains can put a big hole in your pocket, then just think about the other side: can you afford to miss potential customers just for an additional $10* per year?

Last very important note: Today there are around 100M registered domains on the Web and the number is increasing, so the moment you think of registering a domain name for your website, buy it. Because there is the possibility that you might not get it the next minute.

*On an average domain registration fee per year comes to around $10 per year.

Associated Link: Read more on Web Usability and website optimization on Author's Blog

All change at the top for System Concepts
Source: System Concepts Ltd, 3 July 2009
 
Leslie Fountain has been promoted to joint Managing Director of leading usability consultancy System Concepts.

Life in UCD immortalised in fiction: you couldn't make it up
Source: UN, 2 July 2009
 
Sarah Herman's fictitious book on life in a user-centred design company has hit the shelves and The Guardian's book pages...

Interfaces Magazine - Issue 79: The Education Issue
Source: Interaction Group, 1 July 2009
 
The latest issue of Interfaces is now available as a free download from the Interaction Website.

Two new Behavioural research Tools from Noldus
Source: UN, 30 June 2009
 
Tool updates make on-site behavioural data collection easier.

Cell Phones that Listen and Learn
Source: MIT Technology Review, 29 June 2009
 
New software tracks a user's behavior by monitoring everyday sounds.

Top Six Don’ts for Usability Testing
Source: FutureNow Inc., 27 June 2009
 
Six tips for creating quality usability tests to ensure useful feedback from testers.

Usability: ‘Lovely software. But I can’t work it’
Source: FT.com, 26 June 2009
 
In a recent survey by Global Graphics, 77 per cent of office workers estimate they lose up to one hour a week because business software is difficult to use.

And what do you do?
Source: Dexo Design, 25 June 2009
 
How do you describe your job role? Here are the results of a recent 'Preferred UX/UI Title' Poll.

Most Doctors cite Usability as critical to Electronic Health Record Adoption
Source: TMCNet, 24 June 2009
 
It's all about 'meaningful use'.

Glossy monitors look good but can hurt
Source: QUT, 23 June 2009
 
A new advisory cites research which suggests high gloss monitors make users sit awkwardly.