Choosing the Right Domain Name for Your Website
Choosing the right domain name for your business is a big decision. Your domain name is more than just words you type into the browser. It is the infrastructure for your online business identity.
Choosing the wrong domain name will end up doing your business an injustice. But choosing the right domain name and your online success will be easier.
Well -how do you choose a good domain name for your business?
Here – you will learn how to choose a right domain name for your business and the most important factors in getting your domain name – right
1. Go with .com and .co.uk
When it comes to choosing your domain extension you are going to have a lot of different options available. It will be tempting to go with a Top Level Domain (TLD) that is innovative and creative. However – if you can it is always good to go with .com and .co.uk to cover both US, Global and UK Markets.
The .com TLD is by far the most commonly used and recognised TLD. Nearly everyone have a built-in association with .com being the primary TLD. You can use this to your advantage and build a higher-quality brand by choosing .com
Look on the bright side. If your website does become successful and you decided to start with something like .co, then you would probably need to eventually purchase the .com too
When you register your .com domain name – try to pick up top-level domain variations like .biz, .net and .co.uk if you can. Redirect them to your .com site so visitors who type in the wrong domain will still find your site.
For example- typing sephora.biz or sephora.net or sephora.info into your browser – will take you straight to Sephora.com.
As domain registrations continue to increase – good names are becoming more and more competitive. It is possible to have a competitor snatch up the .net or .biz version of your URL – even if you have secured the .com version.
Because this can lead to lost traffic – especially if your competitors wind up outranking you in the search engine results pages – consider buying up popular TLDs (top-level domains) for your chosen domain – if they are available.
Carefully make your domain as short as possible. This will help to make your brand more memorable. The fewer characters your domain has the easier it will be to type, say, and share with friends.
It might be difficult to find a single word domain that is related to your business. However, consider combining two or three shorter words together to make something memorable.
Since more internet users today use their smartphones to browse the web – you will need to make it easier for them to type your domain into their browser.
Do not use artistic names or abbreviations like 4U and 2U in your domain names due to:
- They look unprofessional.
- They are hard to remember.
- Only Prince could get away with that and 4 real UR not Prince.
People are already having trouble remembering long URLs let alone trying to remember your text-speak domain name.
Stay clear and look for alternative domain names that convey your company’s brand messaging without resorting to tricks like these.
Domain names usually do not include spaces and using hyphens in domain names is not a good idea but whatever you choose should not look awkward written as one word.
To give you some examples of real-life URLs that did not mean what it was meant for as per the following legitimate company names:
Do not Complicate Matters
- Who Represents – www.whorepresents.com
- Pen Island – www.penisland.com
- Experts Exchange – www.expertsexchange.net
- IT Scrap – www.itscrap.net
- Speed of Art – www.speedofart.com
Review your final selection clearly and carefully before hitting the Register button to avoid any disappointments.
When people see or hear your domain – they will know your brand. By looking at your domain name your visitors should be able to intuit what your website is going to be about.
This does not mean you need to spell out exactly what your business does with a list of keywords but instead try to capture the essence of what you do.
When a customer sees a name like eBay.com or Amazon.com – they will have one expectation in mind: this website is going to help me find what I am looking for in some way, shape or form.
Choose a name that is going to let customers know what they are in for from the moment they read it. Your site should deliver what it says on the label and your domain name is the label.
For example, if you sell pet supplies in UK – https://www.petshop.co.uk makes that clear to visitors compared to https://www.csjk9.com which is not clear but sells pet supplies too.
Do not confuse your visitors about what your business does. Say it all with a great domain name.
Customers will find your website URL on flyers, newsletters, search engines and other websites so make the address easy to remember.
Memorable domain names are often short and clear. Try to avoid trendy humour, hyphens or numbers. The longer or more complicated the domain name – the less likely it is to stick.
A good rule of thumb is if you saw the domain name on a delivery-truck sign – could you remember it later? Think obvious, catchy, unique, and memorable names.
Do a quick analysis of your favourite domain names and see what makes them stand out, and incorporate those elements you like into your own business domain name.
If you have settled on a domain name – then you need to spend some time looking into the past of your domain.
Ask yourself the following:
- Are there any existing trademark issues with the words used in your domain
- Has there been any associated domain names that had a negative public opinion
- Does your domain name contain any words that have a double meaning
The last thing you want is – to find and register the perfect domain name, only to realise that your domain is creating brand confusion or that you are accidentally stepping on someone else’s trademark.
Double-check with social media. You want to ensure that all relevant social media handles are available. This will help you build brand consistency and make it easier for your visitors to find your business on social media.
Internet search is based on a framework of keywords and phrases when indexing addresses and sites. Make sure to take advantage of this when choosing your domain name.
Brainstorm keywords related to your organisation and use these in shaping your chosen name. For example – your butcher’s shop might name butcher, smoked, cured, savoury, meat, friendly and service as descriptive keywords for their business.
An appropriate name might be – SavouryService.com or TheSmokedButcher.com. Either domain respects the fact that search engines work off of such keywords when indexing and fetching information for users whilst providing a description of what customers can expect to hear.
Use keywords that people often use to search in the browser – in your domain name for your business.
When registering your domain – the internet rules requires that:
you provide your
- real name
- home or business address
- email address
- phone number
Anyone online can find that information through the global WHOIS database. When you register a domain, your information becomes public knowledge and anyone can do a domain lookup – to see who owns the domain.
You can pay an additional small sum when registering to hide your details. This can be done when you purchase and register your domain with your chosen provider. They will replace your private information with theirs.
Further Reading : How To Identify Domain Name Owner
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Choosing The Right Domain Name For Your Website.