Choosing a domain name for your business website is quite similar to that of choosing a name for your company.
After all, it’s going to be your identity on the World Wide Web. Hence, you would like to ensure that you choose a name that doesn’t only complement your business but is also easy to locate and promote at the same time.
The old saying “the good ones are already taken” is perfectly applicable to domain names across .COM, .ORG, .NET, .BIZ, and other top-level domains. Meaning, it’s becoming tougher and tougher to find available domains that are short, easy enough for you to remember, and do not cost you an arm and leg.
However, there are still certain techniques and steps you can take to make the perfect domain choice among hundreds of options. The below tips can help.
- The shorter it is, the better it is
Theoretically, your domain can be up to 67 characters long. But then, this is one of those areas of life where shorter is just better.
While there are numerous advantages of having a shorter domain, the most prominent ones include the ease of remembrance and fewer chances of errors from typos. Basically, shorter translates into people finding you at an instant when they’re trying to do so.
- Avoid complications
It is best to be simple and right on the money.
Avoid clever wording, numbers, double letters, homophones, and long or hard to spell words. A straightforward domain is easier to remember and can play a crucial role in increasing brand recognition.
And, never include numbers and dashes between words. Whenever possible, get your actual company name in. Simple enough?
- Use keywords describing your business
Try to use keywords describing the products or services you offer.
For example, if you are in a glass repairing business, register as GlassReplacement.com or GlassRepair.com.
- Use the appropriate extension
Extensions are nothing but suffixes at the end of web addresses. These may come with particular uses; so make sure you choose one that is relevant to your business.
The .COM domain is the most popular one of the lot, but it can be tough to get a short, unforgettable .COM domain name since it has been around for so long.
A host of new generic TLDs (top-level domains) offer extensive opportunities for registering short and relevant domain names. Here are a few examples for your reference:
- .info: For informational sites.
- .co: For commerce, company, and community websites.
- .net: For technical websites.
- .biz: For business or commercial websites including the likes of e-commerce and associated sites.
- .org: For representing non-profit or non-commercial organizations.
- .me: For representing personal websites.
- Purchase a domain name requiring little to no explanation
Always go for a domain name requiring little to no explanation when pronounced out aloud.
The easiest way to test this is to place yourself in your customer’s shoes and say the name out aloud. Do you think you require any explanation to understand the name? If “yes,” discard the name immediately.
- Research, research, and research
Make sure that the domain name selected by you isn’t copyrighted, trademarked, or used by another company.
It may result in a huge legal mess, costing you your fortune as well as your domain.
Also, do not forget to research the value of your domain. Several domain suppliers come with a domain appraisal feature to determine the value of your domain. Use it to give your business a name with a purpose.
- Use the defensive misspelling technique
If you think your domain is prone to misspellings, you ought to learn what a 301 redirection is as soon as possible.
The best thing you can do in such a situation is to purchase all common misspellings having the chance of being typed by a site visitor.
While I do think this technique is important, I would recommend this only to older and more established businesses looking to preserve their identity online simply because with search engines, this problem is less likely to arise.
However, the last thing you would want from someone is to spell your domain wrong and end up at a trashy website. So better be safe than sorry.
- Avoid having hyphens and numbers in your domain name
Hyphens and numbers are often misunderstood.
People typing your website address may sometimes confuse between “5” and “five” while typing your address which definitely counts as a problem.
So, if you need numbers in your domain, register the different variations to be safe. Better avoid them to be on the safer side.
- Online domain generators may come in helpful for your purpose
Online domain search tools and domain generators are one of the best tricks for finding valuable, relevant, and available domains.
Some of the most popular domain generators include the following:
- Register your domain for ten years
It has become a trend for major search engines to look at the length of domain registration time to establish trust.
Websites that are registered for more than a year are less likely to be a spammer and hence, considered trustworthy in Google’s eyes. The more trustworthy you are, the higher you are going to rank on Google’s SERP.
So if you think your company’s not going anywhere in the next 10 years, register it for the maximum time available.
- Be quick
Domain names sell quick. Fortunately, they are also inexpensive; so register your name as soon as possible.
Key Mentions
- When selling products or offering services in other countries, go for a country-specific domain. It’s better and more authentic.
- Do not forget about .MOBI for mobile devices.
- And last but not the least, remember that domain names can only be rented. They can never be purchased.
With that, I will sign off finally for the day. Hope you had a great read.
