In the early days of the internet, domain names were incredibly important. If you wanted someone to visit your website, you had to give them the URL. They needed to type it into the URL bar correctly, or they simply would never find your site. But the world has changed a lot since then, and the way we use domain names is completely different. Nowadays, people are more likely to click on a link, whether on social media or through a search, than type out a domain name. Because of this, many people have stopped considering domain names important.
However, the reality is that domain names still matter. The difference is that today it is more a matter of professionalism and aesthetics. You want your domain name to reflect what you or your business does. It also needs to look good in an email address. You want a short, snappy way for people to contact you, not a long unwieldy address. When you use a website builder like Wix to create your website, you can get a free website domain.
But how do you go about picking your domain name? Keep the following tips in mind.
Look at your competitors
In 2022, you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Many of the most successful businesses have copied each other’s strategies. The world of online virality and search engine optimization (SEO) is based on repeating what others have done successfully.
Therefore, if you want an effective domain name, look at what your competitors are doing. Of course, you cannot copy a domain name, but you can see what kinds of domain names work.
Search for businesses like yours. Take a look at their domain names and determine which ones you are most likely to click on. What do these domains have in common? Is it a name that trips off the tongue or simply something descriptive? Look at the domain names of companies you just would never choose. What are they doing wrong and how can you avoid making the same mistakes?
Identifying what does and does not work for others will help you decide on your own domain name.
Be practical
There are still companies that pick a name that has nothing to do with their business and succeed. However, they are the exceptions to the rule. In 2022, the companies who are most searchable are those with practical names. If you are searching for colorful socks, the domain name ColorfulSocksRetailer is going to jump out at you immediately. Other companies may have names that are more sentimental or simply sound nice, but they are unlikely to be the first links you click.
In other words, your domain name should include the keywords that people will search for. This will not only raise its SEO value, but will also be what people notice first.
There is very little romance in choosing a domain name this way. You’re not honoring your children by mashing up their names or referring to something that has meaning to you only. Sentimentality is not particularly useful. But you will be more than happy to dispense with sentimentality when your practical domain name gets you results.
So when choosing your domain name, make sure you stay focused on your business. You can add a bit of personality, but remember your audience needs to understand what your site is about at first glance.
Go for the dot com
There are plenty of domain suffixes available. You can go for dot co, dot io, dot biz. However, dot com will always take the cake. At the very least, you should own the dot com domain name, even if you also want to use one of the other suffixes. If another company has that domain name, choosing a different suffix is simply setting yourself up to always be second best.
That said, having a few variations can be helpful, especially if they look good with your domain name. There are some great examples of this, including stud.io, scenar.io, and vsco.co. If your domain name works well with one of these suffixes, get it in addition to the dot com version.
Avoid hyphens
Another important consideration is to avoid hyphens in your domain name. Domain names with hyphens look spammy, and are in fact often snapped up by opportunists pretending to be another website. Hyphens may make it slightly easier to read a longer domain name, but this is not worth it.
If the domain name you want is only available with hyphens, you simply need to choose another domain name. As is the case with alternative suffixes, you are only going to end up looking second best. People will either assume you are a copycat or are trying to spam them.
Choosing a domain name has more to do with practicality than creativity. Do some research into your competitors. Then follow the above tips to get the best domain name for your website.
