When choosing a domain name for your bricks and mortar business you want to ensure that you make it as easy as possible for someone trying to visit your website.  While many internet-based businesses can rely on search engine rankings alone – with an offline business you will likely be interacting with people much more often (over the phone, in person, etc.).  Because of this difference in how an offline business communicates with customers, there are several qualities that you will want your domain name to possess:

• Easy to pronounce – When talking to people in person or over the phone you want your domain name to be easily understood.  This is why I recommend staying away from dashes and numbers as they can cause a lot of confusion.
• Easy to spell – Many times when you will want to give your website address over the phone so having a domain name that is easy to spell will avoid confusion and save you a lot of time.
• Easy to remember – My first suggestion would be to register a domain name that is the same as your business name.  This will make it very easy for your customers and potential customers to remember how to get to your site.  If the name of your business has already been registered you should try and see if you can acquire the domain name from the current owner, or your other option is to find a name that is similar or a variation of your business name.
• Choose a “.com” extension – This is one of the most important factors in making your offline business’ domain name successful.  I have been in countless meetings and dealt with numerous businesses who register their name in a “.net” or some other extension, and they loose a lot of business because so many people visit the “.com” version.

These are the 4 qualities that I believe every offline business’ domain name should have.  Not only will it save you a lot of time when getting people to your site – but it has side effects like ensuring that you receive all of the emails you are supposed to be getting… that might be going to your competitors.