The right domain name can make all the difference in online success. Short, simple, and easy-to-remember names help customers and search engines find your site, in turn boosting your digital profile.
Not sure how to pick a domain name for your business? We’ve got you covered with 10 domain name tips.
How to Choose a Domain Name
1. Consider length
The shorter, the better — within reason. Here’s why: The longer your domain name, the harder it is to remember and the more difficult it becomes for potential customers to correctly enter in address bars. This creates frustration; if users can’t find your site on their first or second try, they’ll go somewhere else.
2. Make it simple and memorable
Next on our list of tips for choosing a domain name is making it simple and memorable. Consider our site, Name.com. It’s simple, easy to remember, and tells you right up front what we’re all about — domain names.
3. Include your brand name
Your brand is your business. Whenever possible, include your brand name in your domain name to both raise your online profile and get people talking about you.
4. Avoid hyphens and numbers
Hyphens and numbers cause more problems than they solve. It may be tempting to add these options if your first-choice domain name isn’t available — for example if your company sells top hats but tophats.com isn’t available, you might consider top-hats.com
The issue is that numbers or hyphens make it more likely for customers to enter your domain incorrectly or have it auto corrected, in turn taking them to a competitor’s site.
5. Research availability
It’s also important to check domain availability before you commit to a specific domain name. By doing research up-front, you can avoid disappointment later.
6. Utilize keywords
Keywords can help your site capture search engine attention, so it’s worth including them in your domain name where it makes sense. Resources such as Google Trends can help you discover current keyword patterns.
7. Choose a domain extension
Next up is choosing a domain extension. While the most familiar extension is .COM, many popular .com names are already taken. As a result, it’s worth considering alternatives such as .NET, .ORG, .CO or .INFO depending on your business goals and target audience.
Check out our domain extension list for inspiration.
8. Make sure it’s unique
It’s also worth making sure your domain name is unique. Start with a quick search of what you want and see if it’s taken. If so, consider something similar but unique. If you choose something too close to the name currently in use — for example, you want tophats.com but it’s not available so you choose tophat.com — you could end up losing customers to the competition.
9. Avoid double letters or nontraditional spellings
While options such as tophatss.com or tophatz.com could help you avoid the issue of preferred names already taken, they make it more likely that users will mistype or misremember the name of your site.
10. Act quickly
As online markets rapidly expand, popular domain names don’t stay available for long. Once you’ve found a domain name that aligns with business goals and is easy to type and remember, don’t wait — act quickly to make sure you get the name you want.
What’s in a (Domain) Name?
More than you’d think. The right domain name helps potential buyers remember your brand, makes it easy for customers to find you online, and gets your website more traction with search engines.
As a result, it’s worth taking the time to pinpoint and purchase the ideal domain name for your business. Name.com can help. Quickly search for and purchase the domain and extension you want to help your company stand out from the crowd.
Ready to make a name for yourself? Start with a domain search from Name.com.
SOURCES
https://www.name.com/blog/how-to-audit-increase-your-online-presence-in-2023
https://domains.google/learn/how-to-come-up-with-a-good-domain-name/
https://www.godaddy.com/garage/10-tips-for-choosing-the-perfect-domain-name/
https://blog.hubspot.com/website/how-to-choose-domain-name
https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-domain-name/
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