Depends on the name. It does not need to be. I would always say to get your name, so no one else does, but I have a company that has a long name, kind of long to type, and that could end up adding typing errors as well. I got the company name, as well as a shorter, easy to remember name as well.
I have the shorter name re-directed (pointing to - I call it) the actual name webpage. Either one someone uses, they end up at the same place. It re-directs seamlessly, the user never even notices. My other biz has absolutely nothing to do with shirts, so I don't know if I can tell you the names as an example or not, bc of self promoting rules. If you want, you can pm me for them. Good luck...
It doesn't necessarily have to be, although I would agree that you should always buy your business name domain so someone else can't buy it.
I think the biggest thing is to make your domain easy to remember and easy to type into a search engine. Long URLs or URLS with hyphens are a pain. The easier you make it to remember and type your URL, the more successful it is likely to be.
The other part of the equation is to get a domain name that is not only easy to remember, but easy to SPELL too. If you can find a domain name that isn't easily misspelled, you'll be happier in the long run. If there are multiple possible spellings of your domain, try to buy each spelling and have them all point to the same website.
The other thing to consider is to pick one that you can say easy enough, so when people are asking what your domain name is, you can either say it and they know how it's spelled right off, or it's easy to spell out. I had an old domain name that had "tpgpu.." in it. Ugh, that was a nightmare
No need to make your domain name the same as your company name, unless of course you're trying to create a brand identity around the company name. In our current venture, we wound up naming the company the same as the brand of product we created.
Right... easy to spell counts, easy to remember counts. If you name is already both, golden.
Aonther way to make it easy to remember, if your name is long, is to make your domain "what you do". If a biz is Car Deal Connection (long - and could easily lead to typos on the word connection.) and it helps folks get better deals on their cars at the dealer, to make the site easier for folks to remember and type, one could use cardealhelp.com. It's good to have both, so no one else registers your biz name and causes confusion. Best regards.
Last edited by Girlzndollz; May 13th, 2008 at 11:19 AM.
Reason: Shorten....
Thanks guys. I purchased a domain name that was easier to remember and less characters to type. The only thing was , I guessed and it turned out well. Doesn't happen like that often enough.
Thanks, Mike
Did you get your real biz name, too? Just so there's no confusion. Sometimes folks will remember your name, and try it assuming that's your site if they don't know about the other one. Good luck, Mike.
Another thing to consider is that if you do local business and have established a business name and local customers use your web site then its easier if your business and web names are the same. But, many will recommend that your web name should contain searchable keywords so if your local name doesn't contain keywords then it would be better to have a different name for your web.
Thanks guys. I purchased a domain name that was easier to remember and less characters to type. The only thing was, I guessed and it turned out well. Doesn't happen like that often enough.
Thanks, Mike
Good! What was said before is also true, if you can also get an additional domain that matches your business name exactly, then get that one too. Have the short one redirect to the longer actual name if possible.
On a side note, be sure to remember to renew the domain each year, or set it to automatically renew! I have personally seen businesses who have had their business name domain lapse and be taken over by another startup, or even worse, their competition. It takes almost nothing to renew your domain, but it stinks if you lose it.
Great advice on the renewal, Chris. I live in fear of payment lapse. I'm auto renewal, but have to remember to keep the card on file current. Would never want to put alot into promoting the site, only to lose it in a silly way like that. Great post.
Business Name And Domain Name The Same? 
