SMEs 'should keep domain names short'

Small firms looking to set up a website should choose a short domain name, one expert has advised.

An unhyphenated website name, that reflects the company's offline brand will be easily remembered by customers, said John De Groot from Startup Co.

If a company cannot choose a domain name the same as its name, opting for the name of a key product could also prove productive.

Small companies struggling to choose an appropriate name could also look to key search terms for inspiration, Mr De Groot added.

A domain name that includes a word used by customers when searching the web for products and services could lead to more hits and increased exposure.

"The use of keyword searches to discover what words people are searching on with search engines - Google etc - can provide guides to what the best domain name should be if it is not the business name," the expert explained.

During the first quarter of 2007, the number of new domain name registrations reached 10.7 million.