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Getting your domain name or web address right is vitally important in making sure your website gets the exposure it deserves. Here are some ideas to think about before you choose it.

1. Use top level names: If your business or organisation is in a single country choose a top-level country-specific domain such as .co.uk or .de. This will not only give you better exposure, but will look more professional. If you are aiming for worldwide sales or exposure or are in the United States go for .com
2. Include keywords: Try to include keywords relating to your business in the domain name. So if your business is called xyz and you sell soft toys go for something like xyz-soft-toys.co.uk. This will improve your chances of a high ranking in Google and other search engines.
3. Hyphenate names: These give an advantage in search engine results. The downside is that they are harder for people to type. However there’s a good chance that the un-hyphenated version of the name you want is not available so you may as well include the hyphens and get better search engine rankings.
4. Long names are OK: Short names are easier to type and have long been thought of as the best option, but unfortunately the huge majority of short names have long since been snapped up. However, a descriptive long name can be easily remembered and could include useful keywords. Don't use an abbreviation - no-one will remember it and it will be useless for search engines.
5. Buy two or more versions: Think about buying more than one version of your domain name to increase your chances of being found. For instance buy both .com and .co.uk, or the hyphenated and un-hyphenated versions of the name, and set up one of them as an automatic redirect.