.CO Exclusive Shireen Rahjou is the Community & Media Relations Manager for .CO Internet.

Let’s face it, finding the right domain name for your startup isn’t easy. While definitely a challenge, there’s no need for you to fall victim to a bad name for your company. Here’s some advice on why a good name matters — and some tips on selecting a domain name that will resonate positively with investors and consumers.

Stand the Test of Time
Whether you provide a product or service, or you’ve just developed the hottest app ever — your domain name matters. Your name is often the first thing people see and hear when they learn about your offering – so it should be easy to say, spell, share and remember. You need a name that will stand the test of time – after all, you’re building an empire that will be around for a long time to come!

Stand Out from the Pack
Think about it, there are thousands of new websites, businesses, brands and blogs launching every day. You need to be noticeable if you want have an impact on your target audience. Don’t settle or simply “make due” with some lame web address that your customers will never respect or remember. If you’re lucky, your customers and prospects will be seeing, typing and/or clicking on your domain name thousands of times a day – so, keep brainstorming until you find “the one.”

Your name should be short, memorable and easily identifiable. Ideally, your name will reflect something about the core of your business – even if you have to add a splash of creativity to make it work, the way Zappos did by branding itself with variation of “zapatos,” the Spanish word for “shoes.”.

Stand Proud
When you launch a new company, you need a name you can feel proud of and stand behind. You should never have to “explain” or “apologize for” your domain name – if you do – you’ve clearly chosen the wrong name!

A strong domain name will not only help you to attract and retain customers – but to attract investors who can help you to build your business. It will tell investors that your company pays attention to detail and has taken into account your brand, marketing and design strategies from the start – instead of crossing your fingers and hoping you can secure the name you really want sometime in the future.

Ready to NameYour.co
When the time comes for you and your team to name your company, the place to start is NameYour.co. Powered by the incredible DomainsBot technology, and created for Startup Weekend participants, NameYour.co will take any keyword or term that you are considering and suggest a host of available web addresses in various domain extensions. It will even search to see if the corresponding Twitter handle and unique Facebook URL are available for the web addresses it suggests.

The NameYour.CO tool was launched to support entrepreneurs around the world who are looking for the perfect domain names to launch their new businesses. Every big idea deserves to come to life on a great domain name. If you’ve got a big idea, go to NameYour.co – and give it a whirl! If you like it, please share it with your friends and followers too – they’ll thank you. I promise!