Choosing New Domain Name

photostuff · June 3, 2009

Hi, Im new to smugmug. :wave
I also have a photo website that Ive built myself but have decided last week to migrate my photo galleries to a smugmug power account website since it will be easier to maintain. I love the fact that it will be very customizable. One thing that I have struggled with is choosing a new .com custom domain name for my new smugmug home. Since thousands of .com names have been hoarded, it has not been an easy task to find a suitable one. My website will focus primarily on animals and the world outside, but not exclusively. I have tentatively chosen www.primevalphoto.com as the name but it is not too late to change it since I have just started the website. I have also considered terryphotolight.com, soulsinthewild.com, lifeofthewild.com and nightskyphoto.com as alternatives So I would appreciate your opinion regarding my chosen domain name before I finalize my decision. Which one(s) would be the most appealing to you and easy to remember? Thanks very much for any and all input. :bow
--Terry

photostuff · June 3, 2009

Anybody have an opinion?

wadesworld · June 3, 2009

photostuff wrote:

Anybody have an opinion?

The best names are short and easy to remember. While a company's name should give an indication of what the company does, that doesn't have to extend to the domain name. Cisco Systems, Inc is just "cisco.com."

So if they're not taken, I'd lean more towards something like "primephoto.com" or "terryphoto.com."

Search engines are going to find your site - so you don't have to worry that the name doesn't describe what you do. What you want is to get a sale from the person you talked to when you didn't have a business card on you because your domain name stuck in his head long enough for him to go to it that evening. So even if it's something like "click.com," "natureshot.com," (all taken I'm sure - but you get the point) i.e. just a related word/phrase, it will still work.

So worry more about making it memorable and less about it describing your services.

photostuff · June 3, 2009

wadesworld wrote:

The best names are short and easy to remember. While a company's name should give an indication of what the company does, that doesn't have to extend to the domain name. Cisco Systems, Inc is just "cisco.com."

So if they're not taken, I'd lean more towards something like "primephoto.com" or "terryphoto.com."

Search engines are going to find your site - so you don't have to worry that the name doesn't describe what you do. What you want is to get a sale from the person you talked to when you didn't have a business card on you because your domain name stuck in his head long enough for him to go to it that evening. So even if it's something like "click.com," "natureshot.com," (all taken I'm sure - but you get the point) i.e. just a related word/phrase, it will still work.

So worry more about making it memorable and less about it describing your services.

Thanks very much for your input. It is well understood. You are correct...all of your examples are taken and I have tried them along with probably about 1000 other variations. It is very frustrating. Even though nightskyphoto.com really does not describe the type of photos I take, I think it may be the most memorable name.

Naturally, blueskyphoto.com is taken! primevalphoto.com is cool sounding but probably harder to spell for some people.

anwmn1 · June 3, 2009

If you already have a website why don't you just use that same name or another version of it?

photostuff · June 3, 2009

anwmn1 wrote:

If you already have a website why don't you just use that same name or another version of it?

Thanks Aaron for your suggestion. Believe me, I have thought of that. My current website is a .org site. I want a .com site this time and the .com version is.....you guessed it......taken! Its amazing how many .com names have been bought up. There are plenty of good .org names still available, but finding desirable .com names is requiring much more creative thinking.

Art Scott · June 3, 2009

My way of looking at this was.......what do I want people to remember my work by........my name or some cool name for a website........how will I sign and copy right my photos (well that is supposed to be done with your name)......so what is wrong with Terry (insert last name here) Photography .....if that is taken change the spelling of Photography to something like FOTOGRAPHY, Fotografie......
Also if you're doing this part time and it has your name for the business name you can just add it to your regular income at tax time......it simplifies things in the beginning.........I went thru several names over the years trying to find myself so to speak and realized I wanted my work to be know as MY WORK............

photostuff · June 3, 2009

Hmmm, Do you think tortoisephoto.com or survivalphoto.com is memorable enough? I actually do have many galapagos tortoise photos on my website, so it would be more pertinant. However, which one is the most memorable, if either one?

photostuff · June 3, 2009

Art Scott wrote:

My way of looking at this was.......what do I want people to remember my work by........my name or some cool name for a website........how will I sign and copy right my photos (well that is supposed to be done with your name)......so what is wrong with Terry (insert last name here) Photography .....if that is taken change the spelling of Photography to something like FOTOGRAPHY, Fotografie......
Also if you're doing this part time and it has your name for the business name you can just add it to your regular income at tax time......it simplifies things in the beginning.........I went thru several names over the years trying to find myself so to speak and realized I wanted my work to be know as MY WORK............

Thanks Art. You have excellent points and I have thought of using my own name, but I have been resisting it because it is not the most memorable last name! That would be terrynuttallphoto.com. I think people would mispell it all the time, dont you? By the way, you have a very nice gallery at your website (not that I'm trying to suck up or anything!

)

photostuff · June 3, 2009

I think I may have found a concise, easy to remember and spell domain name, Micronphoto.com. What do you think? I think it is remarkable in that it was not taken. By the way, thanks to all who have offered suggestions and ideas. I will welcome more if offered. By the way, I found this terrific domain search tool. It identifies taken or available names as you type in real time! It is a great time saver: http://instantdomainsearch.com/
--Terry

Tango · June 4, 2009

hmmm. i thought micron went out of business 10 years ago....

sounds to tech-y imo...

Tango · June 4, 2009

hows NZPA.com ? it that taken?

photostuff · June 4, 2009

AaronNelson wrote:

hows NZPA.com ? it that taken?

NZPA? New Zealand Photo Association?? I don't know what that is. Maybe I will give up the .com idea. Maybe .org or .info or .net.

Art Scott · June 4, 2009

photostuff wrote:

Thanks Art. You have excellent points and I have thought of using my own name, but I have been resisting it because it is not the most memorable last name! That would be terrynuttallphoto.com. I think people would mispell it all the time, dont you? By the way, you have a very nice gallery at your website (not that I'm trying to suck up or anything! )

i appreciate the good words thanx for the compliment.....never taken as a suck up:D

Art Scott · June 4, 2009

photostuff wrote:

I think I may have found a concise, easy to remember and spell domain name, Micronphoto.com. What do you think? I think it is remarkable in that it was not taken. By the way, thanks to all who have offered suggestions and ideas. I will welcome more if offered. By the way, I found this terrific domain search tool. It identifies taken or available names as you type in real time! It is a great time saver: http://instantdomainsearch.com/
--Terry

The only prob here, at least to me , is I would expect to see just photos thru a micro-scope ot macro images at least.....that is the first thing that comes to mind with that name.......

photostuff · June 4, 2009

Art Scott wrote:

The only prob here, at least to me , is I would expect to see just photos thru a micro-scope ot macro images at least.....that is the first thing that comes to mind with that name.......

Your input along with Aaron's and others are well taken. Thank you. I have other ideas in my head too. The search continues. To be continued......

Art Scott · June 4, 2009

photostuff wrote:

Your input along with Aaron's and others are well taken. Thank you. I have other ideas in my head too. The search continues. To be continued......

We're here waiting to see next post and if we can help then that is a good thing.................................i hope.

Dave P · June 6, 2009

Domain name, etc.
Terry:

IMHO, you want your site to find clients for you. If you have to point your site out to potential clients, things may not go so well, as far as Internet advertising goes.

Your domain name should include a key word or phrase, regarding your service. "Photography," "photo," "images," "pro photo," "camera," etc., come to mind.

Run a Google, MSN and Yahoo search for folks advertising in your service area. Type in key words that "Joe Customer" might punch in, when looking for your specific services. You might be surprised at how few services pop up on page one, or how many are lumped into a group by "referral services."

Sorry to ramble....

Domain name is not as important as your site's key words, layout and format, as far as the big 3 search engines go. I'll shut up now.

Dave

Dave P · June 6, 2009

Of course, the above is assuming that you want to draw people in.

photostuff · June 6, 2009

Dave P wrote:

Of course, the above is assuming that you want to draw people in.

Of course I do, otherwise what is the point? I agree totally with your previous post. Keywords and content of the site are very important and ultimately moreso than the domain name. The domain name is like a very brief one line intro and, of course, the address to the site. Keywords in the domain name can be helpful too. What do you think of "wildworldphoto" as a domain name? I tentatively bought the .net and .org versions. Of course the .com is taken. What else is new? I now think the importance of .com is also highly overrated however. I had been looking at some .com names that I would not ordinarily consider because so many thousands have been swallowed up by domain brokers, making it hard for ordinary people to find good ones. No more. I have given up on .com which opens up so many more options for names.
Thanks for your valuable input. --Terry

Dave P · June 6, 2009

Terry:

Indeed, I believe ".com" is overrated, as well. It is superior when people can't quite remember your site URL, though.

I like "wildworldphoto.net." Dot org might instill the common thought that one is getting something for free, discounted, or dealing with a government agency.

My only concern would be search results if folks type in partial words, like "wild + photo + ________(fill in the blank with anything)." That probably won't happen, but some "interesting" sites might pop up if it did. :wow

Keep us posted!

Choosing New Domain Name

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