Choosing a domain name is like choosing a brand name. Since this is the name that your business will have online, you should put a lot of thought into it. Join us in this article as we give you 8 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Domain Name.
The domain name you choose is how people will identify your business online, which is why you should make sure that the name you choose is evergreen, easy to promote, and something that represents your vision or goal. At the same time, you shouldn’t expand too much, but make it short and sweet, just so people can remember it easily.
In this article, we’ll help you understand what a domain name is and what kind of domain name would be a perfect fit for your business.
So, let’s start with the basics:
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Domain Names in Detail
The domain name is a representation of your IP address. Your IP address is, in fact, the address where your website is located on the server. However, it’ll be very difficult for users to type in all the numbers of the IP address in the browser just so they could get to your site. That’s why there are domain names that consist of letters instead of numbers, just so things are easier for users.
Bear in mind that you can’t choose any domain name you’d like for your website because if the domain name you prefer is already taken, you’d have to make another choice. All the domain names that are already registered online are part of the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS has all the rules and regulations regarding the creation of domain names, something that can help you in creating your own.
Another thing you can use is this tool by Domain Name Sanity. This is a tool where you can check whether the domain name you like is available or not. All you have to do is type in your preference in the box, click “search now,” and you’ll also get many suggested domain names if your preferred one is unavailable.
Moreover, you can put your choice in the shopping cart and buy it directly on the Domain Name Sanity site. This provider offers you an all-in-one opportunity, where you can check availability, get suggestions, and buy a domain name—all while browsing the same website.
What Makes the Perfect Domain Name?
Choosing the perfect domain for your business is going to be easy if you follow some tips and tricks from the very best companies that already have successful domain names like Forbes, Nike, Apple, IBM, Adidas, etc. All of them have several characteristics that make them different from the rest, which is why they stand out from the competition.
Here’s what all of them have in common, as well as some advice that’ll help you in creating the perfect domain for your business:
1. Make Your Domain Name Short, Easy to Type, and Easy to Pronounce
As long as you don’t complicate things, your domain name will probably turn out to be successful. Long and complex domain names are more likely to be mistyped or mispronounced. That’s why we suggest that you use a one-word domain name that doesn’t contain any additional numbers, symbols or hyphens.
This way your users will remember it more easily and won’t make any mistakes when searching for your website in their browser.
2. Use Keywords
Your domain name can also help you get good SEO rankings if you insert a keyword in it. If possible, you should add a keyword in your domain name. However, this doesn’t mean that you should stuff it with keywords. If your domain name isn’t unique and it’s only based on keywords, you are creating a generic domain name, which is exactly what you should avoid.
3. Choose Brandable Over Generic Domain Names
Generic domain names look-alike, bring no value to the user and aren’t authentic at all. On the other hand, brandable domain names are different from the rest in the industry and stay remembered for their uniqueness. Choosing a brandable domain name means that you’re willing to think outside of the box and outgrow your competitors.
4. Target Your Area
Sometimes, your business isn’t targeting the global market, but instead, you are aiming for a specific area and certain customers. Consequently, you should shape your domain name according to these two things.
For instance, if you are planning to reach a UK-based audience, choose the .uk extension for your domain name. Also, your domain name could be a word or a phrase that is unique and common to the audience you’re targeting.
5. Choose the .com Extension
If they don’t know the extension of your website, users will usually add a .com extension to your domain name automatically. The .com extension is the most common one in the online world, and most websites end in .com. That’s why for most users, it’s natural that a website ends in .com instead of the many other new compounds, such as .io.
6. Leave an Impression and Be Memorable
The longer your domain name stays in the users’ minds, the better for you and your business. If you are able to leave a unique impression with your domain name, it’ll probably stay memorable. You can always take a survey on social media and find out whether your closest connections think the domain name you have chosen is appealing or not. From there, you can continue with the process of buying your perfect domain name.
7. Adjust Your Domain Name to Your Brand Vision
Your domain name should represent your company’s vision, goals, and motto as well. Sometimes, it can be difficult to fit all of that into one word, or one brandable domain name. However, you can always be creative and even make up new words, as discussed below.
8. Makeup New Words
Who told you that domain names should be real words?
You have the right to invent new words or pick out some interesting and not-so-commonly-used words to represent your business vision. For instance, in the beginning, Nike and Adidas didn’t mean anything because they were newly formed words, but now these invented words represent two very powerful brands.
So, we encourage you to take a dictionary and experiment a bit.
Conclusion
In summary, choosing the perfect domain name for your website requires some time and effort. We hope the 8 tips we shared with you above will help you create a domain name that will be both practical and unique. And remember—in the end, it’s all about making it memorable for your users.
We hope these 8 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Domain Name have been helpful and be sure to leave your comments below.
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