How important is the domain name you choose for your website? Well, we don’t like to exaggerate, but the domain name is crucial when it comes to your website success. There are three reasons for that: the fact that your domain name represents your brand, the reality that it affects your search engine optimization (SEO), and most importantly, your domain name creates your customers’ first impression of your company..
The domain name you choose is an opportunity to promote your brand and increase its recognition. It is also a part of your URL, which is the first thing that your users see. That’s why if you use a unique domain name, it will be more memorable. If you use keywords in your domain name, it will boost your SEO rankings.
Now that you are aware that the domain name is important, you should follow our tips that’ll help you choose the right domain name for your website. So, here’s what you should focus on:
● Choose a Brandable Domain Name
Choosing a brandable and unique domain name should be your goal. You should avoid using generic domain names because they are unmemorable. If you decide to be a bit more creative with your domain name, you will stand out from your competitors and be perceived as different and valuable.
Some domain names are so generic that they look like their competitors’ and can even look unappealing. For instance, Fitfood.com, healthyfood.com and healthyfoodandnutrition.com sound so similar that customers might even mix them with one another. You definitely don’t want that to happen with your domain name, right?
That’s why we encourage you to make up new words like some successful companies have already done: Nike, Adidas, Google, Zapier, etc. If you can’t really do this, then open up a dictionary and search for a word that will sound intriguing and use it as a part of your domain name.
● Your Domain Name Should Be Rich in Keywords
Using a Google Keyword Planner to pick a keyword for your business is essential before you decide upon a certain domain name. This way, you’ll know what keywords are going to be valuable for your business. If you can, you should use the most important keyword in your domain name because this will improve your SEO ranking. However, make sure to avoid keyword stuffing because this will make your domain name sound and look unnatural.
● Make Sure You Think of a Long-Term Solution
Whenever you are about to choose a domain name for your business, you should think of a long-term solution. This is because changes in the domain name will cost you a lot. You definitely don’t want to change your mind when it comes to your domain name. If you do, it will cost you rankings, money, and branding. So, make sure to choose a domain name that will be applicable and unique even after 10 years. Don’t go for something modern or trendy, because what’s modern today may become obsolete in a short period of time.
● Use a Domain Name Generator
If you don’t have any ideas when it comes to choosing a domain name, why not try a domain name generator to help you out? Check out this list of the top domain name generators for 2019 to get ideas and suggestions. After you choose a domain name according to your preference, make sure to check the availability of the domain name through this tool by Domain Name Sanity. Here you can see whether your chosen domain name is available or taken by your competitors. If it’s taken, you’ll get great suggestions similar to the one you want.
● Make Sure You Choose the Right Extension
There are many different extensions you can choose from nowadays: .com, .net, .biz, .org, .uk, .co, .io, etc. However, we recommend you stick with the .com extension. If you choose another suffix for your domain name, you are complicating things. And when it comes to making things easier for your users, you should focus on making everything as simple as possible.
Let’s imagine your customer only remembers the name of your domain, without remembering the extension. So, the most common thing that they’ll do is add a .com to your brand name in order to find your website in their web browser. However, if your website extension isn’t .com, they might not find you, or even worse, be directed to some of your competitors who have chosen the .com extension.
● Don’t Use Hyphens or Numbers
If you use hyphens or numbers, you are risking the possibility of making things more difficult and confusing for your customers. That’s why you should avoid using hyphens, because they can often be misplaced or forgotten. When it comes to numbers, those can also create confusion. This is because users can sometimes be confused whether to use a numeral or a letter for the numbers.
● The Domain Name Should Be Short, Easy to Type, and Easy to Pronounce
Take a look at some successful domain names like Nike, Adidas, Bing, Google, Apple, and use their success stories as an inspiration. According to these and other examples, the shorter the domain name the better. The domain name you choose should be easy to type, easy to pronounce and concise. In the end, it’s all about creating a domain which will be short and memorable so that your users can find you faster.
Conclusion
The process of choosing a domain name isn’t something that will happen instantly. You’d have to do a lot of research in order to find a unique domain name that will represent your brand. Only this way can you create the perfect domain name that will be as valuable as those of renowned brands such as Apple, IBM, CNN, etc. Focus on being authentic and making things easier for your users. Make sure to follow these rules:
- The shorter the domain name you choose, the better.
- Don’t confuse your users by adding symbols, numbers, and hyphens to your domain name.
- Pick out a domain name that will be modern even 10 years later, or something that won’t lose its potential even after a few years.
- Keep it simple by using the .com extension.
- Get some ideas by using a domain name generator.
- If possible, add a keyword in your domain name to boost your SEO rankings.
