Determining the right domain name for your website is a critically important task, as it can affect the way people perceive your brand and it can also play a role in your website’s rankings in search engine results. Thus, choosing a domain name requires a lot of careful thought and consideration.
It’s very easy to register a domain name these days as you have so many reliable registrars to choose from. Each domain registrar sets their own prices for different domain extensions, and each offers different features and tools to help you manage your domains. But before you rush to buy any domain name, you must first find that one unique name for your website, blog, company, etc.
It can be difficult to balance trying to find a catchy and easy-to-remember domain name with picking something that suits your brand identity, so read on for some tips on how you can come up with the perfect domain name for you.
Pick an Appropriate Domain Name Extension
There is a wealth of top-level domains (TLDs) or extensions to go with any domain name, and it can be confusing trying to figure out which one is right for you. The most popular and memorable domain extension is of course .com, as it has been around the longest and is thus regarded as safe and reliable.
Therefore, a .com can be a huge advantage to your website if you can get this extension with your website name. But this may prove to be a challenge as its popularity has meant that many short and catchy .com domain names are not available. The next best option is a recognizable generic extension, such as .net and .org. Another great alternative to .com is .co, which is a country-code TLD but generally treated as a generic TLD.
There are so many other choices including hundreds of new generic TLDs, such as .online, .site, .blog, .pro, .shop, .best, etc. While several of these new generic TLDs look unique and appealing, they are not as well known as the traditional ones like .com and .net. Users are becoming more familiar and trusting of new TLDs, so they are definitely a worthy option to take into consideration, especially when you run out of options for a .com domain.
Keep it Short and Memorable
Short domain names are much easier to remember and therefore can increase traffic to your website. Although available short domains are much harder to find for this very reason, they will prove their worth in the long run. It can also be tempting to try to cram in as many keywords as you can into your domain name, but try to keep it under 15 characters.
Avoid Numbers and Misspelled Words
It’s best to keep your domain name as simple as possible to make it easier to stick in the memory of your website’s visitors. Numbers can become confusing, as people may not remember if the number was spelt out (e.g. “five”) or in numerical form (e.g. “5”).
Similarly, hyphens may make your website more difficult to reach as they can be easy to forget. Furthermore, avoid spelling words in a unique way, such as “Xtra” instead of “extra”, as this can also cause confusion and lead to potential visitors typing in the wrong domain name.
Consider Using Keywords in Your Domain
It may be a good idea to use keywords in your domain name that describe what your website is about. This can potentially give your website a higher ranking and click-through rate in search engine results since users are more likely to click on relevant domain names.
For example, if you are a graphic designer, using the word “design” in your domain name can make it more attractive for web searchers to click on. However, it’s important to note that merely having a specific keyword in your domain name does not give it a significant SEO boost in Google, so don’t waste your money on buying a keyword-rich domain in hopes that it will rank instantly or effortlessly in Google.
That used to be the case a few years ago, but today, having keywords in your domain has almost zero direct impact on its ranking in Google. However, using the right keyword may increase user click-through rate, which in turn may indirectly have a positive impact on your website’s ranking.
Make Your Domain Name Brandable
Having a unique and brandable domain name can go a long way towards keeping it memorable in people’s minds. Instead of a name packed with generic keywords, such as “bestonlinebookstore.com”, a brandable domain like “amazon.com” can stand out from the competition. On the downside, you’ll likely need to spend more on brand awareness.
To pick a great brandable domain name, you can either invent a catchy new word yourself, such as Verizon, or find an existing word that seems interesting and easy to remember, such as Amazon. You can also use one of the many domain name generator tools out there, but none of those can be as creative as your own mind.
Research Your Domain Name
Before you go ahead with registering your chosen domain name, it’s important to research the name you’ve picked to make sure that it isn’t already being used by someone else. Carry out a trademark search to ensure that it is not copyrighted or trademarked, and search the name on social media sites to check if profiles with that name have been taken. If so, it’s best to think of another name as having the same name as another website or business can cause a lot of confusion, or even legal trouble if the name is trademarked.
Think Long-Term
You will likely have the domain name you choose for your website or business for as long as it lives! Trying to change it in the future will be a huge hassle and will probably lead to some loss in traffic and a fall in search engine rankings.
Thus, it’s best to think long-term right from the start. If you think you may expand your website or business in the future, don’t restrict yourself with a domain name that is too niche. For example, if you are starting a blog about comic books, but think you may write about other genres in the future, something like “comicbookreviews.com” is not the best idea. Keep it flexible and give yourself room to grow.
