Question

Topic: Branding

Domain Name Dilemma: Need New Site Name!! Pls Help

Posted by Anonymous on 4/7/2006 at 1:42 PM ET 125 Points
Hi there!!

I have been a lurker for a long time now, but finally decided to join in the hopes that someone can help me!

I have a situation on hand, and I am hoping to resolve it. I am the owner of a company called Clark Business Solutions, Inc. I own the domain name "www.clarkbusinesssolutionsinc.com" I would have preferred to have a much short name, but most names were taken, including clarkbusinesssolutions.com.

About a month ago, I contacted the owner of clarkbusinesssolutions.com and asked him if he would sell me the name since he had the domain name parked and it was coming up for renewal. He told me that he was going to use it, and would be renewing and would not sell. I was fine with that.

Well today I received an email from the NEW owner of that domain name who recently bought it, and he told me that he was going to put up a porn site (or other REALLY offensive material) on that domain name. I nicely replied and asked if he would sell it to me, and he told me that he preferred to put small businesses in a tight spot and that he would bet money that many of my customers forgot to add the "inc" to the end of my domain name. And betting on that, they would soon be going to a porn site.

I am not happy about this. So I am thinking that maybe I should "scrap" the idea of using my business name as my domain name, and instead having a catchy phrase that people would go to in order to visit my site and it would have my business information and website on the page. For example, a company that sells doggie doors... it might be called Don's Animal Fencing and Doors, but the URL would be dogdoors.com.

Unfortunately I can't think of anything that fits my business and the services I offer. I would love some help here. I would kindly request that you visit "www.clarkbusinesssolutionsinc.com" and get a feel for what I do. Then please make a suggestion for a domain name that would work with the services I offer!!

Thanks for your help! I am hoping to avoid any embarrassment in the near future!!!

Regards,
Bonni
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by michael on 4/7/2006 at 2:53 PM Accepted
    I'm guessing the guy has NO plan to put up a porn site at that place. He's just a jerk trying to make money off you.....and probably 800 other people.

    One option is to keep the clarkbusinesssolutioninc.com and set up a mirror site at CBSI.com or something like that $10/year is about all that costs.

    Michael

  • Posted by cread on 4/7/2006 at 4:32 PM Member
    clarksolutions.us
    clarksolution.com
    ClarkNetSolutions.com

    Just a few quick ones.

    I really would suggest two web sites. One for your internet business and one for your traditional services. You can always cross sell later. But someone looking for web help is going to look at bookkeeping and go elsewhere the same as someone looking for bookkeeping and see domain registration.

    Good Luck.
  • Posted by NovaHammer on 4/8/2006 at 1:08 PM Member
    $88WebSites.com
    One Company. Many Solutions.

    Instant understanding of your mission everywhere you advertise.

    Best of Luck.
  • Posted by NovaHammer on 4/8/2006 at 9:44 PM Accepted
    Rather than the oft' used "Solutions" name how about something that also wraps up your many business faces and knowledge based results info stuff.

    www.biz-opedia.com
  • Posted by djohnson on 4/9/2006 at 6:33 PM Member
    For what it is worth, I don't think it is as important for domain names to close to your business name as they are memorable. Also, with search engines changing the rules on almost a daily basis, I don't think it matters what your domain name is as far as placement is concerned.

    Think about how many domain names we see in a day. Think about the ones that you remember. What makes you remember them? Most often, it is because they are short and sweet...i.e. google, ebay, yahoo, etc. Therefore, I think it is important to come up with something short and sweet even if it has nothing to do with the name of your business. After all, does ebay, google or yahoo really tell you what their businesses do?

    Also, I have found that when giving domain names over the phone, it is sometimes difficult to understand what is being said. Because of this, I recommend to my clients to use a combination of words and numbers. The numbers I recommend using are typically my client’s area code but could be just about any number. Thus you could have a name like clark123.com, clark411.com or clark007.com. This would accomplish many things. First, it would shorten your domain name substantially. Second, it would make it easier for people to remember and third…there are so many different number combinations that you will undoubtedly find a domain name that will work for you.

    Lastly, cyber-squatters like to buy domains of common misspellings. With a number in your domain name, it is more difficult for people wanting to visit your site to misspell it and end up on one of these bogus sites.

    Hope this helps,
    Dave Johnson
    www.cards911.com
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