How to Choose the Best Domain Name

The success of your website isn’t solely determined by the domain name you choose, but it is a very important factor to consider. Like a business name, your domain name must be carefully selected before you build your website to avoid potential problems down the line. At the outset, choosing the perfect domain name can seem like a daunting task, but with the following guidelines, you will be well on your way to crafting a good domain name.

Choose .com

There are many possible domain name extensions you could choose from, like .com, .net, .org, and even more unique extensions like .photography and .blog; however, .com remains the highest recommended choice. This domain extension is memorable and inspires trust, especially from people who are not tech-savvy.

Websites with niche domain extensions can easily be confused or misspelled, which might lead to a loss of potential sales or reach within your target audience.

Use Keywords in your domain name search

Keywords play a vital role in a domain and communicate what your website is about to search engines. When coupled with compelling content, good user experience, and keywords in your domain name, your website can achieve a higher ranking on Google. In order to include unique keywords in your domain name, you might need to apply a degree of creativity in order to avoid the possibility of selecting keywords that are already taken.

Length

As far as the domain name is concerned, less is always more. Not only are shorter names easier to remember, but it’s also easier for your website to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Long domain names often get lost in the crowd and make it difficult for your target audience to pay attention to you.

Pronunciation and spelling

The domain name you create must be easy to pronounce and spell so as to increase the rate of memorability and aid in the ease of searching for your content online. Another reason why your domain name should be easy to pronounce is that you never know when you’ll be required to speak about your website to your target audience, and it should be easy for people to hear and understand what you mean.

Make it unique

Millions of websites are online today, and many more are being created daily. In order to stand out in the online jungle, your domain name must be unique enough not to be confused with any other that might already exist in the marketplace. Before finalizing a name, it’s good practice to conduct a quick domain name search using free online resources available to ensure that your selected domain is unique and available.

Aside from uniqueness, a great domain name is also brandable and can easily be sold to your target audience. Domain names such as Amazon.com, facebook.com, and others have grown beyond just the website they represent and have become brands in and of themselves.

Avoid the use of Hyphens

When crafting a domain name, the use of hyphens is a big red flag. Hyphens are often associated with spam accounts and are prone to typos. Sometimes an individual might choose a domain name with hyphens to differentiate themselves from competitors, but this usually has the opposite effect, making the website hard to find or even confused with a competitor.

Avoid double letters

Another crucial tip when crafting a domain name is to avoid the use of double letters because these increase the likelihood of losing traffic to typos. For instance, a domain name like doorrssstep.com would lose a lot of potential traffic simply from the misspelling of its name. Avoiding double letters also makes your domain name brandable.

Leave room for expansion

When selecting a domain name, it’s considered good practice to choose a name that is related to your industry/ niche because it immediately communicates to users what your website is about. However, even while following this rule, it’s important to leave room for expansion, especially if your business grows beyond its initial purpose. For example, Amazon.com started as just a bookstore and has since added numerous product offers to its website. On the other hand, if the website had been registered as Amazonbooks.com, that would have restricted the number of product categories to which the brand could extend its name.

Research the Domain name

Before registering your domain name, you must conduct a search and find out whether there is already a registered business using the same name. You can use free tools such as trademark search and Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram searches. This is done to protect you from any legal trouble in the future brought on by accidental copyright infringement.

Choosing a domain name isn’t a process to take lightly, especially with the legal ramifications that could accrue in the future should mistakes be made. However, it can also be a very rewarding experience, especially as an entrepreneur watches what started as merely an idea turn into a recognized and loved brand. With these tips, you can surely craft a truly unique domain name for your website.