7 reasons to use .DESIGN

By Sam Torrey

We all want to own a short, meaningful website name. Back in 1985, people could only choose from website names that ended in .COM, .NET, or .ORG. Now, there are many specific domains to choose from, including one that is especially relevant to designers: .DESIGN. The .DESIGN domain name is becoming popular among designers because it serves the dual purpose of communicating what you do and helping you position yourself as an authority on design. Read on to learn seven more reasons why a .DESIGN domain name is ideal for designers.

1.) Branding

The first reason a .DESIGN domain name is perfect for designers is business-related: it helps with your branding. Whether you’re using your first and last name to brand yourself or a unique business name, adding .DESIGN to the end of your URL helps to create a unique image in your customers’ minds. If you’re a designer inside a company, having a .DESIGN domain name for your personal portfolio website will help you position yourself as an expert in the minds of future employers when they evaluate your work.

2.) A .DESIGN domain name shortens your URL

If you already have a .COM website name with the word “design” in it, you can easily rename it to yourwebsite.design. Your website name will be shorter than before and easier to remember. It is an elegant solution to the ever-too-common problem of people forgetting what your website URL is. For example, www.toaddesign.com could be toad.design. Most website hosting providers make it easy for you to change your domain name and keep the same website you already have—no hassle. Your website content stays the same and you get a shorter domain name.

3.) Availability

Since .COM has been around since 1985 and there are over 326 million .COM names already taken, it might be hard to find the exact name you’re looking for. By owning a .DESIGN name, there’s a much higher chance that the name you initially searched for will be available with .DESIGN.

4.) Makes your website more dynamic and engaging

Owning a .DESIGN domain name for your website serves as an impetus to add content that is dynamic and engaging. It gets people excited that they’re not going to a standard, run-of-the-mill website that they’ve seen many times before. .DESIGN is both a motivator to share your design projects and a reminder to focus on your objectives. Which leads us to the 5th reason why .DESIGN is an ideal domain name for designers …

5.) Relevance

The .DESIGN domain name acts like a sidewalk sign, instantly identifying yourself to customers before they enter your store. More importantly, this concept aligns with how Google provides search results. A Google search connects people who are searching for your type of design service to your website. In most cases, the visitors you want are potential clients or future employers, so the easier you make it for them to connect their searches with your website, the better their overall experience will be. And the more likely it is that they will take the actions on your website that you want them to take, like contacting you.

6.) Boost SEO rankings

Google has spent years refining its algorithms to determine how it displays search results and websites. While it’s not as simple as purchasing a domain name like graphic.design and stopping there, waiting for clients to magically roll in, a .DESIGN domain name does help with standing out in search engine results. For example, Google will bold search results that have the right keywords that the user typed in. If your website name was madridgraphic.design and someone typed in “graphic design services in Madrid,” there’s a high chance your site would rank on the first page with the results being bolded by Google. That simple act of highlighting your website name when it matches the user’s search dramatically increases your visibility.

7.) Inclusivity

.DESIGN can apply to all types of designers: web, graphic, product, motion, industrial, architectural, and more. .DESIGN is specific enough to let people know what you do before they even arrive on your website. And it is general enough to include all different types of designers. Even companies that don’t primarily focus on design as their core service or product can use a .DESIGN domain name. Many large brand name companies have adopted .DESIGN domain names to showcase the work of their design departments. For example, facebook.design, or airbnb.design.

Sam is a digital marketer specializing in email and content marketing.