: Is it better to use "firstnamelastname.com" for a portfolio site, or something unique? I am in the process of developing an online profile for my writing. Something marketable to future employers.

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I vote for the firstnamelastname.com variant. Not only because of SEO benefits (SEO = Search Engine Optimization), where people will find your site more easily if they search on your name, but also because it gives you a license to create any sub-site for any topic you want under your own name.

For example, my website contains one blog for web programming and one blog for writing. The difference between them is the sub-domain: "jsblog.sarawinter.se" as opposed to "beautifullypeculiar.sarawinter.se" (which is not operational at the moment).

Another thing to take into account is marketing and branding. Are you marketing yourself as a writer (or anything else) and what you are showcasing is directly linked to your name? Or are you selling a product? The thing here to consider is what your audience will be looking for when trying to find whatever it is you want to sell. If it is a book for instance, you could make use of both the name of the book and your own name to get the most search hits: "mybook.myname.com".

If what you are marketing is a product, albeit digital, such as a blog with a particular theme, where your personal brand is not as important, I'd go with a name that describes what it is you are selling. "macrameforbeginners.com" will be easier for a consumer to find than by knowing your name.

You mentioned "mynamewriter.com" which is an option if your name is already taken. But I would still take into account the aforementioned things.

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