A good domain name for your business is necessary because it will help your website stand out and even improve your SEO. The first question in creating a website is how to choose a strong domain name. You are not alone when experiencing difficulty with your domain name idea. Don’t worry, there are various tips to assist you in picking the best one.
Start with a .com extension
You have probably visited a lot of websites, and it is obvious that.com is one of the most popular domain extensions. Other credible or widely used alternatives include .org and .net.
There are numerous alternatives, ranging from .xyz to .co to .cafe to .pizza. However, these unusual options should be avoided because they may appear unprofessional or untrustworthy.
If it’s available, use choose .com. If you have a domain name in mind but the .com version is unavailable, other top level domains (TLDs), for example .org; .net; or .co are also acceptable choices.
Be short and direct
Short domain names are easier to remember, which may result in higher traffic for you. We advise choosing a domain name with 6–14 characters, not exceeding 2–3 words.
Beyond that, consumers will probably get lost when trying to write your website URL if your domain name is tricky to spell or pronounce.
Avoid using numbers and hyphens
Because numbers and hyphens are difficult to express verbally, they are frequently misunderstood. Try saying “dash” and “hyphen” out loud, or “5” in a number and “five” in a word. See?
They also make typing the domain more challenging. This can lead to a negative User Experience (UX) from the onset, leaving the user frustrated. Worse, they might give up completely and end up on someone else’s website.
While there are exceptions, it’s better to avoid anything that isn’t a letter when planning domain name ideas.
Stick to Keywords
Not only the content but also the domain name of your website is utilized by Search engines to analyze its content and determine its position in ranking results. As a result, if possible, keywords should be used.
Your domain name should contain terms that are both relevant to your website and aimed at the right audience (ex: service, industry, location, gender, value,…). Try using the Google Keyword Planner to explore keywords based on search volume and other metrics. The most well-known keywords, meanwhile, are frequently already taken. To be able to select a rest keyword that matches your brand, you need a little bit of cunning.
Think about Adaptation
Despite sticking to keywords, you shouldn’t try to fit yourself into a box with your domain name. While being specialized is important to shape your target audience, you shouldn’t be too specific that your website can’t expand.
For a photography blog, “shutter.photography” might work well. You’ll be forced to use an incorrect domain name if you intend to write about other art genres in the future.
Thus, it makes sense to think about how your website or company might grow in the future. This choice should be made with the long term in mind.
Use a domain name generator
You may have even generated a list of potential domain names in your mind. Occasionally, available domain names are no longer on the market. Again, don’t worry. By using a domain name generator, you may always use a little creativity and slightly alter your domain. After asking you to enter a few keywords, these programs help you check domain name availability. After asking you to enter a few keywords, these programs help you check domain name availability.
But, be mindful of such recommendations because they sometimes include features that conflict with the previous advice. Even if the suggested possibilities don’t yield the ideal domain name, they might spark an original thought.
Into reputable domain registrars
Selecting the best domain registrar for your website is a little more difficult than simply shopping for the lowest price. While pricing is an important consideration, many cheap domain registrars do not include privacy protection in the base rate, leaving your personal contact information openly available in the worldwide ICANN registry for anybody to access. To protect yourself, you should consider this service when choosing a provider.
- Namecheap
- Shopify
- Hover
- Google Domains
- Domain.com
- Dynadot
- GoDaddy
- Bluehost
- DreamHost
- Network Solutions
Hope this article has helped you answer the question “How to Choose a Domain Name”. There will be other steps to build a website for your business. If you need support, book a free consultation now.