registering your name

Once you come up with a name for your site, there are a few hoops to jump through before it's officially yours: Acquiring the domain name and registering the trademark or at least making sure that you're not infringing on someone else's.

To make the name yours:

• Register the domain name.

• Register the trademark.

register the domain name Just about everyone who's built a web site knows the frustration of domain-name registration. The process itself is simple enough: Just choose a name, choose an internet host, and pay the annual licensing fee. Easy enough if you can find an available name. More and more businesses come online each year and find fewer and fewer "dot-com" names available. Fortunately, there are now alternatives, like .biz and .info (See choosing a suffix, p. 34).

Provided that you find a domain name you want, you can register it through a web-hosting service (See acquiring a domain name, p. 35) for around $100/year.

register the trademark If you're serious about your web site, you should think about registering the name as a trademark. And even if you're not so serious, you should make sure the name doesn't infringe on another company's mark.

A trademark is a word, name, symbol, or device that uniquely represents a specific company or product, and cannot be used by others. For instance, the Nike name, the "swoosh" logo, and the phrase "Just do it" are all trademarked by Nike, Inc.

Trademark law applies in the online world as well as the terrestrial. If your domain name uses a word or phrase that is trademarked by someone else, they can sue you for it. And the last thing you need is an intellectual-property suit six months down the road.

So make sure you're in the clear. First, do a trademark search through the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov). Then do a web search on the word or phrase. You should know of any similar names before you make your choice.

The cost to register a trademark is around $350, and it can only be done for words or symbols that are or will be used for commercial purposes.

3 ways to name your site

1. dot-com names

Dot-com names are based on a generic word that describes the site's focus:

• artdealers.org

• drugstore.com

• efax.com

• weather.com

benefits

• Customers understand what you do because your business focus is communicated with your name.

• Customers remember your URL because it's straightforward and related to your line of business.

• Search engine rank improves because name contains important keywords.

drawbacks

• They're very 1999 and may not age well.

• They aren't distinctive. Customers can easily confuse you with similarly named competitors.

• They can be limiting if you plan to expand off the web.

• Dot-com names don't exactly inspire consumer confidence.

2. unusual names

Unusual names have little or no intrinsic meaning, so the name can be defined by the brand:

• Amazon

• Google

• Napster

• Yahoo!

benefits

• They're distinctive. Customers are less likely to confuse you with competitors.

• They lack intrinsic meaning, so you can "own" the word. You define its meaning as you define your brand.

• They're memorable.

drawbacks

• They're vague. Customers may have a hard time understanding what you do. You'll have to work harder to explain it to them.

• They don't help you rank well on search engines, because the name doesn't contain relevant keywords.

• Customers may pass you by not realizing you provide a relevant service.

3. combination names

Combination names take the middle path with names that are distinctive but clear:

• Ask Dr. Weil

• BabyCenter

• BlackPlanet

• Guru

benefits

• Customers quickly grasp what you do even if it wasn't immediately clear when they heard the name.

• They're distinctive. Customers can differentiate you from competitors.

• They're often memorable.

drawbacks

• They're easily mimicked. Though they're not entirely generic, combination names can often be closely copied by the competition.

• They don't usually help you rank well on search engines, because the name doesn't necessarily contain relevant keywords.

Required Reading

No student of the web should miss Josh Quittner's classic article on registering, McDonalds.com. "Billion Registered," Wired Magazine (August 1994) p. 124