Some people mistakenly believe that a website’s domain name is the actual name of the website. However, it’s much more than that.
The right domain name will significantly impact your branding.
It can also help increase click-through rates on organic SERPs and boost the effectiveness of any offline advertising you may be running.
And you should tread carefully – choosing a new domain name later can have huge SEO implications.
How difficult did you find it to come up with an ideal domain name for your own website?
If you’re like most people, it was very hard, presuming you’ve actually decided on the right domain name already.
In case you haven’t found a good one yet, let’s review a few useful tips. These suggestions will help you to choose the most appropriate name.
Focus On Your Brand
If your company has a catchy brand name, use it as a domain name if you can.
For instance, if the name of your brand is “Vegan Bakery,” you should name your website veganbakery.com.
If this domain name is available, there is no need to consider other options.
Most of the well-known companies name their websites by adding “.com” to their brand names: Apple.com, Swarowski.com, Toyota.com, etc.
.Com domains are the moost common types, and easiest to remember.
So if yours is available, why don’t you follow their example? This approach is the simplest, yet the most effective one.
Ensure It’s Easy To Pronounce
If you name your website veg2bak.biz, it’s unlikely that anyone will be able to pronounce it correctly. So, don’t expect that word-of-mouth marketing will work effectively for your online business.
However, if you name your site cakesforvegans.com, users will find it easy to remember and to say it out loud. Consequently, more clients will share your website with their friends and family verbally.
Josh Tibun, copywriter at Cake HR Software says: “You should choose a domain name which is pronounceable and easy to remember.
Otherwise, the users will misspell your website’s name when searching for your company on Google. Consequently, you will lose potential traffic.”
Choose your TLD Extension Wisely
While “.com” is the most widely used extension, there are other popular options worth considering.
For instance, if your “.com” is already taken, you can substitute it with “.net”, “.org” or “.co”.
For companies that operate within one particular country, webmasters may choose a region-specific domain extension like “.fr” for France or “.eu” for the European Union.
If your target audience doesn’t speak English, this extension will be beneficial to your online business.
Local users prefer to browse websites in their native language.
When they see the “.fr” extension, they will expect that your site is available in French.
What about other less popular extensions? Well, you should think twice before using them.
Some business owners wrongly believe that “cutesy” extensions like “.tech”, “.guru”, and “.click” help to grab attention. But in fact, these extensions only confuse the users.
Keep It Short
You should keep your domain name short. A name should contain no more than three keywords and should include less than 17 characters.
Once again, it’s important because short names are easy to remember and to search for on Google.
Avoid long names as bestveganbakerynyc.com or organicvegancakes.com.
It’s better to simplify the word combination as much as possible.
For instance, vegancakes.com or vegbakery.com will work more effectively.
Get Help If Needed
It’s pretty challenging to come up with a perfect domain name on your own. So, feel free to ask for help.
For instance, you can organize a brainstorming session with your team members to come up with a wider range of options.
Of course, this won’t always uncover the best possible domains for your business.
Regardless, groups brainstorming tends to reveal a much better list of ideas than one person can cook up alone.
Use A Domain Name Generator
If you can’t come up with a worthy name, don’t hesitate to try out a domain name generator.
These tools can help you to get a long list of the relevant domain names in a few clicks.
You just need to choose two or three focus keywords, and the generator will do the rest.
To simplify the decision-making process, try to look over the list quickly to select no more than ten domain name ideas.
Don’t waste your time considering every single option. The best domain names grab your attention immediately.
Pro-Tip: Get A Domain Name With Hosting
When you’re just starting a business, every penny saved is worth the effort.
You can save quite a lot if you purchase a domain name from a registrar that offers free hosting for the first six months or a year.
While you’re at this stage, it’s also worth it to learn more about your options for hosting.
Conclusion
A domain name is an essential element of brand identity.
Don’t hurry to choose the first available option.
Put your efforts into finding a perfect domain name, which will facilitate business growth better branding over time.
Take your time and let your creativity bloom. Sooner or later, you will come up with a brilliant domain idea.
Feature Image Credit: CC 0; Public Domain, sourced from pixabay.com.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this post are that of the author, and Return On Now may or may not agree with any or all of the commentary.
Connie Benton
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- 6 Secrets of Choosing the Perfect Domain Name for Your Online Business - November 5, 2019
