How to Choose the Right Domain Name for Your Website
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Choosing a domain is one of the biggest decisions you'll make as a business owner, so it's worth taking some time to make sure it ticks all of the right boxes.
Your domain needs to represent your brand, create a good first impression and be simple enough to remember, among many other things!
So get your thinking cap on and consider these things before you buy.
1. Make sure it matches your brand
You've spent loads of time choosing a name for your brand, so use it!
Customers will expect your brand name (or some variation of it) to match your domain name, so make it easy for them.
2. Use a credible extension
Top Level Domain (TLD) extensions like .com, .org or .net signal credibility and trust for your customers.
Use them where possible, but if they're taken already (very likely) others like .shop and .online are becoming popular and can be a good way to bring in a targeting keyword.
If you are targeting customers in a specific country, use local extensions like .co.uk or .com.au or .fr.
Warning: .co is not .company. It is the domain extension for Columbia!
3. Incorporate target keywords
Your domain name is a key part of your SEO strategy, so take advantage of that.
Using keywords in your domain can boost your search rankings and help new audiences find you - a great bonus. Any keywords that you consider should be relevant to your website and audience.
For example, I chose a domain extension of .digital because my customers may look for digital design. A win-win!
4. Make sure it's easy to spell and pronounce
Yes, your brand and domain name should be original and memorable. But it also needs to be easy to pronounce and/or spell!
The goal is for your customers to be confident to say it out loud to encourage word-of-mouth about your wonderful business.
Before you buy it, make sure you’ve spell-checked it yourself!
5. Keep it short
Simplicity is key!
This helps to avoid spelling mistakes and any confusing word/spelling combinations (more on that next).
6. Make sure it doesn't accidentally spell something else
When words get joined together, without spaces, as with a domain - things can go awfully wrong!
Write your desired domain out and check it doesn't accidentally spell something else entirely. Here are some examples... #Susanalbumparty (a famous hashtag fail on Twitter), speedofart.com, itscrap.com. You get the idea.
Gives you a good insight into my sense of humour too! 😄
7. Avoid hyphenation and double letters
These little variations might seem like an easy workaround to get the domain that you want, but it can make it hard for customers to remember and find you.
Best to avoid it.
8. Check what's available
Coming up with the perfect domain for you is one thing, but is it even available?
Research your domain ideas with Google Domains. It will let you know the advantages of the domain and things you may need to consider and which domains are available
Avoid buying your domain there though - it is a lot more expensive than other sites. I like Namecheap which has excellent offers.
Bonus: Purchase similar domains
Did you know that you can have multiple domains leading to the same website?
It's a good idea to purchase domains that are similar and a customer might search for or that use keywords important to your business.
Now go and craft the perfect domain for your business!
