Choosing a Domain Name

When you choose a host for your project's Web site, your project will be assigned a Web site URL, generally a subdirectory of the server's URL. For example, if your project's site is hosted on the depts.washington.edu server, your URL would be something like "http://depts.washington.edu/yourid." Sometimes this URL can be unwieldy or hard to remember, in which case you may wish to choose and register a short domain name.

Choose a Short Domain Name

The best domain names are short—ten characters or less—and are easy to remember. Examples of good domain names are google.com and whitehouse.gov. To help you decide on a domain name, think of short words or phrases that might help people remember your site. The domain name does not need to be the name or a description of the technology that your project has developed; it could be an overall name for your project. Consider choosing an arbitrary name that could grow into a trademark, such as Kodak® for cameras or Saturn® for cars.

Besides the name, also consider the top-level domain (.com, .org, .net, .info, .biz) your project's site will use. University of Washington (UW) projects often fit best under .org or .info domains because UW technologies and research have public benefit and an educational purpose.

For some more ideas on finding a name, see Digital Ventures' Naming Your Work or Project or Naming Your Products from Franklin Pierce Law Center's IP Mall.

Check the Availability of the Name

When you decide on some possible names, check them in search engines such as Google and in the US Patent and Trademark Office's trademark database to see if the name or one like it is already being used with a product or in a field similar to yours. You do not want a name that is too similar to another organization's because it may confuse people searching for information about your group. Check Names for Availability and Appropriateness on Digital Venture's Naming Your Work or Project page for more resources.

You should also check whether the name is available in the top-level domain that you want. A search in VeriSign will help you discover the availability of a name for common top-level domains.

Digital Ventures discourages registering a domain name without researching and considering its appropriateness for your project. For example, it may already be another organization's registered trademark, and the UW could be accused of "cybersquatting."

Register the Domain Name

Register only the domain name(s) that you have definite plans for in order to make the most effective use of University resources. With today's full-text search engines, people looking for your project are very likely to reach your site, regardless of the domain name that you use. Digital Ventures can help you evaluate your list of possible domain names.

After deciding on a good domain name, you will need to register it. Register your domain name with a registrar such as VeriSign/Network Solutions or Dotster. There are many other accredited domain name registrars. Registration fees and services vary, so it is a good idea to do some research to find a registrar that suits your needs. A list of accredited registrars can be found at InterNIC.

Consult your Digital Ventures team member to help you decide how your project should use its domain name, such as submitting it to search engines like Yahoo! or Google or including it in marketing literature.

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