If your domain was said over the radio, would everyone that heard it be able to spell it out? With over 100 million domain names currently registered, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on the memorability and pronounceability of the domain name in question.

The “radio” or “phone” test is a quick way to test any potential domain name and may save you some additional money and headaches down the road. To administer the test, simply mention your domain to a friend and see how they would spell it out. For example, if you have the domain scheck.com and you mention it to a friend, it could be spelled shek, schek, sheck, etc. Ever wonder why phone numbers on radio commercials are mentioned so many times? It is because they are hard to remember, especially if they contain several different numbers. The same applies to domain names. The easier the name is to spell, the more likely someone will be to type in your domain name on their home computer and visit your website to ultimately convert.

Many people often ask, “Should I register this great keyword domain with a hyphen?” Consider the radio test before doing so. While it is widely known in the SEO industry that Google and other search engines treat the dash, or hyphen as a space, do not get too carried away with the amount of words involved. Hyphenated domains can help increase readability, but names with hyphens are hard to remember and re-call later, which means many missed visitors for your site as they will most likely visit the non-hyphenated url address. If someone already owns the hyphenated version of the domain name in question, then it is often wise to consider registering a different domain name entirely.

Don’t forget to turn up the radio on your next domain purchase or acquisition, and may your next one be a true gem.

Jordyn Brown
DomainApple.com