At first, you may think that choosing a domain name is simple. It can be, but naming a website should be taken seriously with proper consideration. In this post, I am going to tell you how to choose a domain name for your business.
Why It Is Important to Choose a Good Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is very important for a few reasons. It can actually make the difference between success and failure.
- First impressions count – The first thing is that your domain name is the first impression of your business people get. A good domain name can grab the attention of your audience, while a bad one can put them off for life.
- SEO – This isn’t as critical as it used to be, but having a relevant keyword to the niche you are working in in the URL can help with search engine rankings.
- Your brand – Branding is super important and will determine your success. Your domain name will have a significant impact on your brand.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Domain Name
Make Sure It Is A .com
You will notice that there are a few different suffixes for websites:
- .com
- .org
- .biz
- .info
- .co.uk
The more successful websites all have a .com suffix. It demonstrates that your website means business and doesn’t look home made.
Make It Brandable
Creative domain names are way better than generic ones. This is because your domain name is how your audience will remember your website and share it.
Brandable domain names stand out and are more memorable. So try to use interesting and exciting words in your domain name. You can use domain name generators such as https://www.namemesh.com to help you come up with some ideas.
The other alternative is to use your name as I have done for this website. I am working towards building myself up as a brand, and my online business can evolve and change directions if I see it to be necessary.
Keep It Short
Studies show that you need to aim for six to twelve characters for your domain name (I know I exceed this by quite a margin, but this is my name). You may find it difficult to find short ones, as many of them have been bought up long ago.
Make It Easy To Type
Easy to type domain names will mean less people will misspell it when typing. These mistakes will mean less people will come to you, or they may end up going to other websites!
Make It Easy To Say
If it is easy to say, people will be able to easily pass it on to others in conversation.
By having a number in your domain name, you need to explain whether it is a “3” or a “three”. This makes it awkward. This is also the case when you have a hyphen in your domain name. I made this mistake with my first website. It makes it awkward when people ask you what your website is.
Use Niche Keywords If Possible
By adding a relevant keyword in to your domain, you can improve your SEO straight away. However, don’t shoehorn keywords in to it, as you can be penalised by search engines for keyword stuffing before you have even started creating content. If you can use a keyword in your domain name, put it at the beginning for maximum effect.
Think Long Term
When you start your website, make sure you have a clear path of what you want to do with it in the future. If you decide to take it in a different direction later on, you may need to change it. This will cost you in money and all the SEO that you have built up over time.
Therefore, choose a domain name that will allow you to expand later on. For example, if you had a cycling website and wanted to expand in to marathon running you would need to choose a domain name that would allow you to do that and not just pin you down to cycling.
Make Sure It Is Not Already In Use
Use Google to search for your potential choice of domain name. Also check out all the social media channels to see that you can use appropriate account names for each one.
Additionally, check for trademarks at https://trademarks.justia.com. This will make sure you won’t fall foul of trademark laws
That Is How To Choose a Domain Name For Your Business
By following these steps you will be able to choose yourself an effective domain name that suits your brand and the niche you are working in. Good luck and let me know how you get on in the comments section below