Domain is just like the digital street address for your office. A smart and apt domain name not only explains the purpose of your website, but also creates an impression about your brand personality. If you are able to choose your name right (I mean the Domain Name or your online shop), you have already made up at least 30% of your online journey. Getting the right one, however, and your address opens the door for visitors to come in and stay a while. It instills a sense of professionalism and polish that starts at the address bar. On the other hand, having a less favorable Domain Name may lead to losing customers before they ever see your website.
And with almost 2 billion websites in circulation, the competition for the perfect domain name is fiercer than ever. So how do you pick out the perfect name for your website?
Here we’ve share an eight tried set of tips to guide you regarding how to choose a domain name that’s perfect for your goals.
- Choose the EASIEST TO REMEMBER combination: Domain names came to be because humans have limits on their memory. While you can skip digging into the neuroscience, you should keep these limits in mind when choosing your domain name. Specifically, the more stress you put on working memory, the more humans struggle to complete tasks.
- Choose a name which is Mobile Friendly: Mobile devices drive over 50% This means that At least half of the people using your domain address are going to be using a mobile device to get there. Hence, you need to think about all the “autocorrect”-victims of the world and make your domain as memorable and concise as you can for them.
- Add KEYWORDS when it makes sense: Keywords in domain names are a lot like powdered sugar on waffles. It is preferable, but NOT mandatory. Just remember that on average, about 63% of top-performing domains have keywords in their URL. But, if you can’t work a keyword in, no worry, as we can support you with a detailed SEO strategy later on to (more than) make this up.
- Go for BRANDABLE Domain Name: No domain name strategy list would be complete without talking about the importance of branding. Preferably your brand should be a part of your domain name.
- Clear the Legal Field before registering your Domain Name: Making sure your potential domain name isn’t trademarked is an absolute must if you want to avoid getting caught in unwanted litigation, especially in the country you are going to target through your website.
- Select the right EXTENSION: While the “.com” domain extension is still the king, there are a lot more domain extensions there to be used, and if used strategically you shouldn’t have any problems. So, no need to get hooked to “.com” extensions due to fear about challenges related to SEO and memorability. For example, if your website is going to target a specific country, a domain extension related to the specific country may be more useful in SEO matters. For example, for India, it may be better to choose an “.in” extension. So while .com claims the crown, for now, trends are changing in the extension world. And that’s good news for a new website. Also the new domain suffixes — the .xyz, .tech, .nyc, etc. — are by far more affordable than the traditional top-level domains.
- May consider using online TOOLS for finding Domain Names: We recommend DomainWheel / NameQL / BustaName
- Finally, you may even consider acquiring an Existing or Expired Domain: You might want to think about acquiring an existing domain. Why? Because an existing domain might already have few advantages like Authority backlinks, High domain authority and domain rating, High PageRank etc. Even a little boost can get you jump started and ranking faster. But, please conduct own extensive independent research and check exact details before opting for such buyout. You can use tools like Expired Domains or Flippa Domains to find such data and details.
Summary
Just use these eight tips when you’re creating a new domain:
- Make it memorable.
- Keep it mobile-typing friendly.
- Add keywords… but only if it makes sense.
- Go for a brandable domain name — they’re valuable and easier to land than broad terms.
- Make sure you don’t step on anyone’s registered trademark in the process.
- Choose the appropriate extension. While .com is still at the forefront, the newer — and far cheaper — extensions are becoming more popular by the day, so they may be worth considering, too.
- Use a domain name tool generator if you’re stuck racking your brain for a name.
- Think about jump-starting the process by acquiring an expired or existing domain.
Please feel free to Contact us for any further guidance, if necessary.