Choosing a perfect domain name can be daunting sometimes since it requires a lot of thought and considerations. It’s like choosing the name for your child or choosing the name of your business. The domain is your identity on the web. It has to fit your business and has to be easy to promote.
Here are 10 tips that you can follow to choose a perfect domain name:
1. Keep it short
If your domain name is long and complex, you risk customers mistyping or misspelling it. Short and simple is the way to go. Aim for 6-14 characters – and remember the shorter, the better. Most likely the shorter domain names are taken a LONG time ago and sold for thousands of dollars. If you can’t find something short, make it brandable. DynamicaWebS.com is exactly 12 characters long
2. Easy to type
Finding a domain name that’s easy to type is critical to online success. If you use slang (u instead of you) or words with multiple spellings (express vs. xpress), it might be harder for customers to find your site.
Think of some of the most popular websites in the world. What comes to mind?
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yahoo, CNN…
One big thing they have in common is that they’re all easy to spell.
3. Use keywords
Try using keywords that describe your business and the services you offer. Keywords can help to improve your SEO – you need to tread carefully here! If you try to awkwardly stuff keywords into your domain, it comes across as generic (like we talked about before).
If you choose to use keywords, put the keywords at the beginning of your domain. That’s where they’ll be the most powerful for your ranking.
It helps improve your rank on search engines (which increases traffic) and just makes more sense to your customers.
You can find keywords with tools like Google Keyword Planner and Keywordtool.io.
4. Target your area
If your business is local, consider including your city or state in your domain name to make it easy for local customers to find and remember. Example: PhoenixGlassRepair.com.
5. Avoid numbers and hyphens
Numbers and hyphens are often misunderstood — people who hear your website address don’t know if you’re using a numeral (5) or it’s spelled out (five) or they misplace or forget the dash. If you need these in your domain, register the different variations to be safe.
Your domain name should be smooth and punchy – hyphens and numbers get in the way of that.
Stick to the letters!
6. Be memorable
There are millions of registered domain names, so having a domain that’s catchy and memorable is essential. Once you’ve come up with a name, share it with close friends to make sure it sounds appealing and makes sense to others.
Quick solution: Got a great idea for a domain? Register your name today and put a website out there before someone else beats you to it.
7. Research it
Make sure the name you’ve selected isn’t trademarked, copyrighted or being used by another company. It could result in a huge legal mess that could cost you a fortune, as well as your domain!
8. Use an appropriate domain name extension
Extensions are suffixes, such as .com or .net, at the end of web addresses. These can have specific uses, so make sure to choose one that works for your business. The .com domain extension is far and away the most popular, but it can be tough to get a short and memorable .com domain name because it’s been around for so long.
A bevy of new generic top-level domains — like .photography, .nyc and .guru — offer a great opportunity to register short and highly relevant names. And here are some other top extensions and how they’re often used:
- .co : an abbreviation for company, commerce, and community.
- .info : informational sites.
- .net : technical, Internet infrastructure sites.
- .org : non-commercial organizations and nonprofits.
- .biz : business or commercial use, like e-commerce sites.
- .me : blogs, resumes or personal sites.
Pro tip: You don’t need to build a website for every domain. Just forward any additional domains to your primary website.
9. Protect and build your brand
To protect your brand, you should purchase various domain extensions, as well as misspelled versions of your domain name. This prevents competitors from registering other versions and ensures your customers are directed to your website, even if they mistype it.
10. Act fast
Domain names sell quickly. Thankfully, they’re also inexpensive, so register your favourite domain names as soon as possible. If you’re having trouble finding an available name, domain registrars like GoDaddy will suggest alternate names during your domain search to help you find the perfect domain name.
Bonus tip:
If you’re starting a blog, podcast or your personal website, it may be best to use your own name! This helps you become more recognizable. What’s more – simply owning the domain of your name can be a good strategy.
If you follow the above tips, you can be assured to choose a perfect domain name for your business. Now that you chose the perfect domain, you are ready to create your website – 7 Basic Steps To Start Creating a Website
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