I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to domain names. I've probably picked a few of the worst ones myself. Below I've listed what I think should be the rules for selecting domain names. Take a look through and tell me what you think, I'd love to revise these and add more based on your experience and expertise.
1. Pick something that reinforces your organization's brand. If you don't really have a brand or your brand is not a good one, you'll have to start somewhere else. Your domain name doesn't need to be your organization's name, as long as it reinforces your brand. Also, avoid using your organization's acronym unless it is your brand, like the World Wildlife Fund at www.wwf.org. If someone further than 100 miles from your office won't recognize it, neither will anyone in Sandusky (unless of course you're within 100 miles of Sandusky).
Unless your organization's reach is local or regional and very well known, it's unlikely that your acronym will get people to your site. Northport Baptist Church at www.nbc.org probably thought it was a good idea to grab what appears to be some good online real estate, but I'd suggest that it's likely a confusing domain name.
2. Pick something meaningful. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, has launched its new site at www.preservationnation.org. While it breaks some of the rules mentioned later, it is consistent with its brand and is memorable.
3. Pick something without room for ambiguous interpretation. Make sure whatever you pick could not possibly be misinterpreted as something else. What do you think exists at www.denrescue.org? It's not a wolf advocacy organization, it's the Denver Rescue Mission (which helps people who are experiencing homelessness). Enough said.
4. Pick something that's not too long. I think that four syllables should be the max for any domain name. Preservation Nation (above) breaks that rule, but is otherwise pretty good. Consider future needs for domain names for your web presence. If you expect to have affiliate or program elements like ma.easterseals.com or www.jointogether.org/ca/
5. Pick the best real estate you can afford. For your corporate site, be sure to buy your domain name using the .org top level domain. The others (like .net, .mobi. and .us) usually aren't great ideas for your main site unless your organization's mission suggests it like Free Press at www.freepress.net. If you have a program site, a .com domain name is often good, like Free Press' other site www.savetheinternet.com. Be prepared to spend more than the annual domain name registration fee if you need to buy your domain name from someone else who owns it. I usually won't pay more than $1,000 for a domain name unless it's REALLY key to your web presence.
So those are my rules, anyone want to argue these?
