Today while looking for some new domain names I began to wonder when does a domain name become too long for users to try and remember. Or even worse, when does a domain name become too long for them to even type? There are so many quality domain names already taken, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find useful ones. I consider a domain name useful if it is easy to remember for the users and is somewhat catchy. Sometimes you can get lucky and come up with a name such as Yahoo and over time people will begin to associate your site with searches and resources.
How big of a role does a domain name play in the user’s decision to go to a site? What I mean is if Amazon had been called Just Books instead, would it have mattered? I am sure there is no research for this, but I do wonder if there is some research showing the optimal letter count in domain names. What makes for a quality domain name? Any thoughts?
Also how do you feel about non-conventional domain names such as gada.be? Do these serve only to confuse users?