6 Smart Tips for Choosing a Domain Name for Your Business

Many business owners underestimate the importance of a domain name, thinking of it as merely an address for their site. However, a domain name is much more than that.

When you think in terms of marketability, referral links, CTRs, and social media, domains have a huge impact in and on the digital world. Your domain will have an influence on your online marketing and your brand, which is why you need to give it some thought when making your selection.

Here are 6 smart tips to help you choose the perfect domain name for your business.

domain TLD

Image source: Pixabay

1. Use Keywords 

When it comes to domains, keywords play a vital role. By including keywords in your domain, you let search engines know what your site is about. Combined with outstanding UX and great content, keywords in your domain can help boost your rankings.

The problem is, it can be very difficult to find a good domain name that contains your keywords as most of them are already taken. In fact, there are currently over 360 million registered domains. This means you’ll have to be creative and combine your target keywords with other words in order to make your domain stand out.

However, searching for individual domain names manually can be very daunting and time-consuming and that’s where domain name generators come in. These free tools automatically search for your keywords to find hundreds of clever and cheap domain name ideas. After that, you can click on any domain name to view details or complete your registration by following the instructions.

2. Choose the Right Extension

At the moment there are about 1,500 domain extensions you can choose from. Besides the most popular ones .com, .org, and .net, there are also niche extensions such as .blog, .coffee,  and .pizza.

If possible, opt for .com as the most widely used and popular option. While you might be tempted to go with something more radical, bear in mind that .com is used by 43% of websites and it is what people expect to see. What’s more, it is the most trustworthy and most memorable extension of all. 

3. Keep It Brandable and Unique

Make sure your domain name is unique so that it stands out in your visitors’ minds. Check out your competitors to see what domains they are using. You should be careful not to accidentally use a trademark name or be accused of copying someone else.  

You can conduct a trademark search to check if there’s already a similar or exact name already trademarked or use Google to check the domain’s availability on top social media networks. Choosing a similar name would not only result in confusion, but it could also have serious legal implications.

You should also pick a domain that is more brandable. A brandable domain name has no specific meaning (just think about ‘Google’ or ‘YouTube). It’s unique, easy to memorize, and sounds trustworthy. For instance, Lottario.com is a much better choice than something shady-sounding like WinTheLottery.com.

4. Think Long-Term

While it is smart to pick a name that is related to your niche/industry because it lets both users and search engines know what your site is about, you should also think about the future. Bear in mind that moving your website to a new domain name can be a very complicated process which can result in loss of traffic and hurt your search engine rankings if not done right. That is why it is important to choose a flexible domain from the very beginning.

Take a step back and consider the long-term needs of your business. For instance, let’s say you are a florist who is passionate about tulips and you have a blog called ‘thetulipblog.com’, but what happens if you want to write about other types of flowers in the future? The last thing you would want to do is go through a rebranding a few years down the road. 

choose domain for long term

Image source: Pixabay

5. Keep It Short and Memorable

Keywords are definitely important but you need to be careful with your domain name’s length. It is always better to choose a domain that is short and easy to remember.

Experts recommend keeping your domain under 15 characters as longer ones are more difficult to remember. What’s more, users will be more likely to enter typos with longer domains, which can result in traffic loss. 

Finally, you should be able to share your domain when writing and speaking, so be sure it’s easy to spell and pronounce. 

6. Avoid Hyphens and Double Letters

Domains that contain hyphens can come across as spammy and untrustworthy. Not to mention, they’re quite susceptible to typos. If you decide to go for a domain with hyphens because the one you originally wanted is already taken, your users might land on your competitor’s website if they fail to enter the hyphen.

You should also avoid domain names that contain double letters because it increases the chances of typos. 

The same goes for numbers and special characters. URLs that contain numbers and special characters can hurt search engine rankings but also cause you to lose traffic because people will have trouble remembering your domain name and sharing it with others.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the best possible domain for your site is vital. Your domain name is something that definitely deserves some thought, and it is safe to say that making the wrong choice can have a negative impact on your business. We hope that these 6 tips help you choose the best domain name for your site. 

 

Share your love
Nathaniel Villa
Nathaniel Villa
Articles: 1771