Anyone planning to set up a website will need to acquire a domain name. You'll want to get in quick before someone else registers the domain before you do. But how do you select a great domain name for your business? Here are our tips.

1. A great domain name is reasonably short
2. A great domain name is memorable
3. A great domain name isn't easily confused with others
4. A great domain name is hard to misspell
5. A great domain name relates to your business name or core business
6. A great domain name sounds solid to your target audience

1. A great domain name is reasonably short

A short name - if you can get it - is important for several reasons. It is easy to fit into logos, makes a better brand, is more easily recognisable, and is harder to misspell. Some companies have 40-character long domain names spelling out their whole company name. That's unwise. Long domain names don't fit in forms, on billboards, or in Google PPC ads. Try printing a long domain name onto your vehicle - chances are fellow road users won't be able to read the small print.

Having said that, short domain names are in short supply - virtually all 3-character domains have been registered long ago. You can either try to purchase the domain name from the existing registrant or adapt to an available domain name. Our point is to keep it reasonably short.

2. A great domain name is memorable

You remember generic names, such as Art.com and Garden.com. But you also remember more unique names such as Amazon.com, Google.com, and FogDog.com. Putting together strange combinations of words is fun and can be very productive. It helps if it rhymes like FogDog, or repeats sounds such as Google, or is sing-songy like WilsonWeb. Say your prospective domain name out loud to listen to its sounds. See if your tongue gets twisted around any syllables. Whatever your domain name, it should stick in the mind.

3. A great domain name isn't easily confused with others

In their desperation to find a domain name, some grasped at hyphenated names and put "the" in front of a word, as in TheStandard.com. The problem is confusion. Trademark laws are designed to prevent customer confusion. If the holder of a similar domain name is first to trademark his combination, it could threaten your domain name, or at least your ability to use it as a brand. Be sure to check with the IP Australia Patents Database.

Another consideration is how you'll need to say your domain name over the phone. If you always have to say "spelled ding-hyphen-doodle.com" you'll soon wish you'd left out the hyphens. Do your best to find a name that can't be confused.

4. A great domain name is hard to misspell

If people can misspell something, they will. The longer and more complex your domain name, the harder it is for your customers to type it in correctly. Many of them can't type well to start with, so to type in a long name may lose you lots of business. At the low price of domain names, it may pay you to purchase the misspellings of a domain name, too. This way you'll get the traffic intended for your site and discourage poachers from buying up the variants. Poachers can be driven off by lawsuits if you have trademark protection, but you don't want that hassle.

5. A great domain name relates to your business name or core business

It's best if your domain name can be guessed from your company name. But in your search for a domain name, don't give up if you can't find the domain for your exact business name. Find functional names, names that describe your uniqueness, names that express an emotion or attitude.

6. A great domain name sounds solid to your target audience

If possible, get a .com.au domain name. You can get a .biz or .info, or .cc, .ws, .tv, and .to. (The latter are the country top level domains of the small nations of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, (Western) Samoa, Tuvalu, and Tonga, respectively). The problem is that the general public, is accustomed to .com.au, and perhaps .net.au (though .net.au and .org.au aren't nearly as well regarded). Offbeat domain names sound ... offbeat and suspect. Your main domain should be the one that people expect it to be. In Australia, that's .com.au.

If you want to appeal to an international audience, .com is probably best. Having said that, I think it's wise to buy up other common domain name endings. They're cheap. If you become successful you'll wish you had kept them away from poachers. This helps your main domain name stay unique.

FYI, regarding TLD (Top Level Domain) designations

Internet Names Australia - Australian Naming Authority
.com.au : For commercial entities
.edu.au : For educational institutions
.gov.au : For government and semi-government entities
.org.au : For various forms of affiliation groups
.id.au : For individual zones
.oz.au : For entities which are visible within the ACSnet domain
.info.au : For major Australian informational and service resources
.net.au : For network infrastructure and providers
.asn.au : For associations
.csiro.au : For CSIRO
.conf.au : For conferences and exhibitions requiring short duration Internet connectivity

Internic - US Naming Authority
.com : For commercial organisations anywhere in the world
.org : For non commercial organisations anywhere in the world