15 characters too long for a domain?

by D37
43 replies
I have two domains that I want to use for business and each are 15 characters in length. I'm wondering what everyones thoughts are on whether 15 characters is too much..?

I'm using the domain for offline use.
#characters #domain #long
  • Profile picture of the author calebharris
    no it's not too much

    just be sure that your name strikes a chord
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  • Profile picture of the author patriccl
    Originally Posted by D37 View Post

    I have two domains that I want to use for business and each are 15 characters in length. I'm wondering what everyones thoughts are on whether 15 characters is too much..?
    It does depend on what is the purpose of your domain name. I mean, if it's something to be used in conversations, then it should be memorable but if it's just going to be a website that is focused on getting SEO traffic, then longer domain names should be fine.

    Thanks
    Patric


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  • Profile picture of the author everydayreviews
    i understand the long names. all the good .coms are taken, especially the short ones. even ones that don't make sense. mine is long and it seems to work ok, obviously shorter is better
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
    I agree with others here. I would think that it is not too much, as long as it is still memorable and easy to remember.
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  • Profile picture of the author D37
    Each domain is a set of 3 words that you could use in a sentence. That is why I was thinking of using them, but unsure because they are each 15 characters in length.
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  • Profile picture of the author Halcyon
    I think if the words flow nicely as a phrase then 15 letters is fine. If people have to keep checking back to make sure they typed it correctly then it's too long.

    For example, boogersaregross.com is fine
    oobsgerreassogr.com Not so much.
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  • Profile picture of the author patey88
    Originally Posted by D37 View Post

    I have two domains that I want to use for business and each are 15 characters in length. I'm wondering what everyones thoughts are on whether 15 characters is too much..?
    I used to run adwords ads for a longer domain name than that, and it was frustrating because the display URL is limited to 35 characters. Actually, it was a subdomain... e.g.

    thisiswaytoo.manycharacterstouse.com

    So far that's only place where I've run into trouble.
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  • Profile picture of the author AMiRU
    Online marketing? It doesn't matter how long your domain is because you're promoting it online, users do not have to type it, they simply need to click.

    Offline marketing? Yes its too long.
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    • Profile picture of the author Witty
      Depends.

      If you want to build a brand, then you need to make sure that it's easy to remember, and easy to roll off the tongue. This is especially true the longer your domain name is.

      And just because a word is longer doesn't necessarily mean it's harder to remember.

      For example, let's look at Bing and Google...

      - Bing has just 4 letters and just 1 syllable.
      - Google has 6 letters and 2 syllables.

      So purely on mathematical & lexicon basis, one would think that Bing would be easier to remember.

      But is that the case? Hard to say. "Google" just rolls off the tongue with much more ease, for me at least anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by AMiRU View Post

      Online marketing? It doesn't matter how long your domain is because you're promoting it online, users do not have to type it, they simply need to click.

      Offline marketing? Yes its too long.
      These domains are for offline use. Though I think they are catchy.

      It is like this for example: "YourLawnMowers.com" (not my domain, must an example)
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryan Parker
    It does depend.

    Are there keywords in the domain? Does the name roll off the tongue easily?

    15 characters in my opinion is long for a domain name, but consider the factors above.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    I have one domain that does quite well.

    Characters (not including the ".com"): 31
    Words: 6
    Syllables: 10

    It's a natural sounding phrase, and it's an exact match for a highly-searched term.

    While there may be legitimate reasons for wanting shorter domains, I think you're focused on the wrong thing if you are counting characters.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      While there may be legitimate reasons for wanting shorter domains, I think you're focused on the wrong thing if you are counting characters.

      All the best,
      Michael
      yes as below if your using it for marketing and funny enough it was 15 as the op suggested

      Originally Posted by patey88 View Post

      I used to run adwords ads for a longer domain name than that, and it was frustrating because the display URL is limited to 35 characters. Actually, it was a subdomain... e.g.

      thisiswaytoo.manycharacterstouse.com

      So far that's only place where I've run into trouble.
      my study from a long while back now on works ( for online marketing using ads

      Before you can dance with the search engines
      It is important to firstly look at your business / domain name if you have not done so.

      Many people when first starting out on a new business venture will develop a business name first and only after that will they think of how they will market their business or even check if the web site is available.

      The first steps in creating your business / domain name and to harness the full marketing potential of search engine marketing, is to understand the text ad that appears in the search results that a potential customer may see when looking for your products and or services online.

      It is in the very last line of the text ad, the display URL that forms the first stage of development for your business name.

      By applying some math's to the maximum display URL length of 35 characters, then allowing for a top level domain (TLD) such as a .com and to also have a sub domain or a sub directory divided from the main TLD with either a (.) or a (/) (5 characters in total - example .com/) you have the resulting calculation. (35 - 5 = 30)

      We now need to split the given result of 30 into two parts, one half for your future business name and one half to be used as a sub domain or sub directory, calculated out the optimum length of your business / domain name is 15.

      Allowing for a buffer of 5 character spaces each way you are given a variable with the suggested length for your business name being between 10-20 characters. <10(15)20>

      MySubDomainName.MyNewDomainName.com = 35 characters
      MyNewDomianName.com/MySubDirectName = 35 characters

      Note: even though 35 characters are used it is not required In addition to the 15 character rule there are several other very important rules to selecting your business / domain name, they are, it must be easy to say, easy to spell, easy to remember, and have a good customer impression or feel to it, which best describes your business in some way but only at a base or generic level.

      The litmus test for any business / domain name is when somebody asks you your business / domain name that they do not ask you to repeat the name or ask you how to spell it, if this happens it may be the way you are pronouncing the name and or you may need to look at developing an alternative name.
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  • Profile picture of the author Derek Blandford
    15 characters is not too much at all.

    I think you want a shorter name if you want people to remember it and type it into a browser, but if most your visitors are just going to be clicking on links from websites and aren't going to be typing it in themselves, then it shouldn't matter. I have some really long domain names and it doesn't seem to matter to Google in terms of rankings or anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author TestiVar
    Yes. It is too long if you want to be a player.

    The average length of domains that advertise on Google is 11 characters not counting the dot com.

    The average length of domains that advertise on Google for over six months is 9 characters. That is the difference between success and failure. The difference of two characters in the range of 9 to 11. 15 is way out of range.

    When you see delta.com, facebook.com, sears.com, kfc.com, paypal.com or any other 2-8 character domain, you know they are a player. You are more comfortable pulling out your credit card.

    When you see craigslist.com, theclosetroom.com, rosealbumstore.com or anything longer than 9 characters, you are absolutely on the second tier. Warning flags are raised. You aren't in ebay, google, yahoo territory anymore.

    Can you make it still? Microsoft does OK at 9 characters. Craigslist does OK at 11 characters. Can you think of a single example at 15 characters? They get really rare at even 11 characters.

    If you want to be a player, get a player domain.

    Just imagine what the difference between WarriorForum.com and Warrior.com would be? WarriorForum.com may make a decent income for Paul, but Warrior.com would be a player.
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by TestiVar View Post

      Yes. It is too long if you want to be a player.

      The average length of domains that advertise on Google is 11 characters not counting the dot com.

      The average length of domains that advertise on Google for over six months is 9 characters. That is the difference between success and failure. The difference of two characters in the range of 9 to 11. 15 is way out of range.

      When you see delta.com, facebook.com, sears.com, kfc.com, paypal.com or any other 2-8 character domain, you know they are a player. You are more comfortable pulling out your credit card.

      When you see craigslist.com, theclosetroom.com, rosealbumstore.com or anything longer than 9 characters, you are absolutely on the second tier. Warning flags are raised. You aren't in ebay, google, yahoo territory anymore.

      Can you make it still? Microsoft does OK at 9 characters. Craigslist does OK at 11 characters. Can you think of a single example at 15 characters? They get really rare at even 11 characters.

      If you want to be a player, get a player domain.

      Just imagine what the difference between WarriorForum.com and Warrior.com would be? WarriorForum.com may make a decent income for Paul, but Warrior.com would be a player.
      You really know your domains. Very insightful. Unfortunately most of the player domains are gone from what I see.

      The 15 character domain is going to be used in offline so if I have a domain like "kfc.com" for example, people wouldn't understand what it meant if they just saw the domain. When people see my 15 character domain, they right off the bat know what my services are about.
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  • Profile picture of the author D37
    I was thinking of using a short web 2.0 domain I have like "digg.com" for example, but how would a SHORT web 2.0 name resonate with offline customers?
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  • Profile picture of the author TestiVar
    This might not be the place to even ask.

    I see threads seriously debating whether you even need a dot com here. People come out of the woodwork and actually argue that it doesn't matter. They even quote Google as claiming that ranking isn't influenced by TLD (I still don't even understand why that would even be an argument).

    In the real world, that was resolved a long time ago. There never has been a dot net or a dot info crash because there never has been a dot net or dot info boom. Dot com is everything.

    It doesn't matter if you are aiming low. You need a short, easy to pronounce dot com if you want people to pull out the credit card, click on recommendations or anything else that can possibly earn money. Sure; you don't need a suit to be a janitor, but you probably should wear one to the job interview anyway. Keep it shorter than 10 characters, easy to pronounce and a dot com and you'll probably have a chance at getting the job done.
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by TestiVar View Post

      This might not be the place to even ask.

      I see threads seriously debating whether you even need a dot com here. People come out of the woodwork and actually argue that it doesn't matter. They even quote Google as claiming that ranking isn't influenced by TLD (I still don't even understand why that would even be an argument).

      In the real world, that was resolved a long time ago. There never has been a dot net or a dot info crash because there never has been a dot net or dot info boom. Dot com is everything.

      It doesn't matter if you are aiming low. You need a short, easy to pronounce dot com if you want people to pull out the credit card, click on recommendations or anything else that can possibly earn money. Sure; you don't need a suit to be a janitor, but you probably should wear one to the job interview anyway. Keep it shorter than 10 characters, easy to pronounce and a dot com and you'll probably have a chance at getting the job done.
      That's interesting. So if I used a short web 2.0 name you think I would be alright in the offline world? I'm thinking that people would be constantly asking me what the name means though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    Originally Posted by D37 View Post

    I have two domains that I want to use for business and each are 15 characters in length. I'm wondering what everyones thoughts are on whether 15 characters is too much..?
    Doesn't matter because it all depends on your marketing efforts.

    RoD
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  • Profile picture of the author YasirYar
    Not too much at all. OTOH, if it's random characters rather than words (i.e. kjhbdfgfyghfyul.com), that would be a problem. Presumably though you mean it's words. Good rule of thumb: try to be three words or less. Four on the outside. If you absolutely must, five words with slugs like the, a, my etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by YasirYar View Post

      Not too much at all. OTOH, if it's random characters rather than words (i.e. kjhbdfgfyghfyul.com), that would be a problem. Presumably though you mean it's words. Good rule of thumb: try to be three words or less. Four on the outside. If you absolutely must, five words with slugs like the, a, my etc.
      Thanks I'm using 3 words in the domain that comes out to total of 15 characters.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim3
    Originally Posted by D37 View Post

    I have two domains that I want to use for business and each are 15 characters in length. I'm wondering what everyones thoughts are on whether 15 characters is too much..?

    Absolutely not as long as it is a name you hang on to...

    like comparethemarket.com (16) after a couple of years now a real big player in a highly competitive market.
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  • It depends what you plan on using that domain for. If its for seo purposes I wouldn't think it is too long. If you want to use it for word of mouth or want people to remember it, then the shorter the better.

    Ben
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Does it matter if it's a web 2.0 name that doesn't really make sense, but it's only FIVE characters (super short) and easy to remember? (I'd be using it for offline)
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  • Profile picture of the author metaarticles
    Well, usually smaller domain names do well. However, I know some domains that are more than 15 characters long, but they are still easy to remember. The length matters, but not always. The primary thing to me is that the domain should be SEO friendly and easy to remember for users.
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by metaarticles View Post

      Well, usually smaller domain names do well. However, I know some domains that are more than 15 characters long, but they are still easy to remember. The length matters, but not always. The primary thing to me is that the domain should be SEO friendly and easy to remember for users.
      Great point. I think a "brandable" domain is more important than anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
    It's hard to say if a domain is right for you.

    Here's some examples of well known domains of 15 characters or more in case you're interested:

    googleusercontent.com
    adultfriendfinder.com
    constantcontact.com
    thefreedictionary.com
    americanexpress.com
    commentcamarche.net
    ero-advertising.com
    businessinsider.com
    verizonwireless.com
    smashingmagazine.com
    templatemonster.com
    urbandictionary.com
    microsoftonline.com
    ringtonepartner.com
    magentocommerce.com
    nationalgeographic.com
    searchengineland.com
    opensiteexplorer.org
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by mojojuju View Post

      It's hard to say if a domain is right for you.

      Here's some examples of well known domains of 15 characters or more in case you're interested:

      googleusercontent.com
      adultfriendfinder.com
      constantcontact.com
      thefreedictionary.com
      americanexpress.com
      commentcamarche.net
      ero-advertising.com
      businessinsider.com
      verizonwireless.com
      smashingmagazine.com
      templatemonster.com
      urbandictionary.com
      microsoftonline.com
      ringtonepartner.com
      magentocommerce.com
      nationalgeographic.com
      searchengineland.com
      opensiteexplorer.org
      Really cool. Thanks for sharing that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Goxbee App
    way to long...
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  • Profile picture of the author webmazter
    15 characters wow!

    Well if you were using the domain for affiliate marketing or to draw traffic, Make sure the domain consist of keywords, example would be freecheapdomains.com not only would you get traffic for the keywords but you would insert them into your site as well, can you say LSI.

    Honestly i think 15 characters is to long, most people wont remember the site url.
    Unless it's very catchy like freecheapdomains-havingfuninthesun- and like wise

    Just my 2 cents, in reality if your into IM keep it short as possible I know most people are trying to be nice in this forum, but I'm keeping it real.

    If its your personal site do what you like other that 15 would be an over kill I don't care if certain sites have prospered in the past, it's my experience and years of testing that "say" not a good idea especially for business.
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  • Profile picture of the author messiah
    If it flows, you're good to go.
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  • Profile picture of the author D37
    What do you guys think of the domain: "Plelo" (dot) com
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    • Profile picture of the author Tim3
      Sounds er.. 'Spanish' not sure if people would know how to spell that as you have it, as it's not a proper word, it sounds like it may have 2 L's in it and/or end in W.

      I would be inclined to pick another. My $0.02 :-)
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      • Profile picture of the author D37
        Originally Posted by Tim3 View Post

        Sounds er.. 'Spanish' not sure if people would know how to spell that as you have it, as it's not a proper word, it sounds like it may have 2 L's in it and/or end in W.

        I would be inclined to pick another. My $0.02 :-)
        Thanks for your input. I'm having a hell of a time finding a short domain that's decent haha.
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  • Profile picture of the author nrmillions
    15+ characters is fine as long as the domain makes sense

    For example: ChicagoRealEstate.com is an excellent domain and is 17 characters
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    • Profile picture of the author D37
      Originally Posted by nrmillions View Post

      15+ characters is fine as long as the domain makes sense

      For example: ChicagoRealEstate.com is an excellent domain and is 17 characters
      Makes sense. Yes the 15 character domain I'm thinking of is like that. It makes sense. Only thing is is that it might be a bit boring because it says "exactly" what service I offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul_1
    The number of words matter, not the number of characters... 1 word domains are the best or try to stay within 3 words...
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  • Profile picture of the author cathyzxy
    I don't think it's too long. I've seen many domains that longer than yours.
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  • Profile picture of the author D37
    But was it used for offline?
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  • Profile picture of the author bryansmith1129
    15 characters are fine. But the important thing is that you include your primary keyword on the domain name.
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