How to choose a domain name ? 8 Things to keep in mind
If you are reading this article chances are you have already decided to set your step into the digital world.
Opting the perfect domain name is an essential task.
No matter what type of website you want to build or you just buying a domain name for an investment.
(Yes, People do make money by choosing a domain name and then sell it at higher price. This is called domain investing.)
So, how to choose a domain name for your upcoming website?
Keep it short and memorable: A short and easy-to-remember domain name is more likely to be remembered and shared by visitors.
Use keywords: Incorporating relevant keywords in your domain name can help with search engine optimization (SEO) and make it easier for people to find your site.
Avoid using numbers and hyphens: These can be confusing and harder to remember.
Choose a TLD that makes sense: TLD stands for top-level domain and refers to the extension of your domain name, such as .com, .org, or .net. Choose a TLD that is relevant to your business or industry.
Check for availability: Before finalizing your domain name, make sure that it is available by using a domain name registrar or checker tool.
Be creative: Your domain name is the first thing people will see when they come across your website. So, it should be creative enough that it makes an impact on the visitors.
Brandable: Make sure your domain name is brandable and easy to recognize, if possible.
Be mindful of social media handles: If you plan to use social media to promote your site, check to see if the handles for the major platforms are available with the domain name you have chosen.
People get stuck in the designing part of the website and tend to completely forget about the domain name selection that is usually the initial stage seen and remembered by the audiences or readers.
Domain name for your website will be the unique identity and will remain the same for the rest of the digital life. Therefore, you have to pick a classic domain name that you can live with from the beginning.
You need to be picky when it comes to domain name registration.
Do proper research and if possible hire a professional, no matter what services you are going to sell on the Web, your website domain name will certainly affect your brand.
It’s absolutely not a hard thing to select a proper name/identity for your online brand and business to run successfully. Even a good domain name can also help Increase website traffic.
Let us explore all the steps a professional will follow to suggest his client choose a perfect domain name.
Keep it Short and Simple
Keep your domain name brief and memorable by keeping it simple to remember and type. A short domain name is more likely to be shared by visitors and is less likely to be misspelt.
For instance, choosing “www.johnscoffeecompanywiththebestcoffeebeansintown.com” as the domain name would be longer, more difficult to remember, and more difficult to type than “www.johnscoffee.com.” Customers are more likely to remember the website as a result and visit it again in the future.
The first answer of your question “How to choose a domain name ?”
First and foremost always remember to to keep the domain name short with less than 10 characters.
Keeping a short name helps users to remember the name.
Although, these days it is incredibly hard to get the domain names that are short in generic TLD like .com or .NET.
But don’t worry, I have a solution for you. Look for other TLD’s like .city, .co or .blog there are 100’s of type of TLD’s available to register from.
Even Google confirms that alternative gTLDs do not directly affect a website’s search rankings.
Thus, remember the shorter the domain name, it is easier for visitors to remember, type and tell others about.
When the name gets too long it probably gets confusing and it can be easily mistyped, in the browser or while sharing.
Keywords are Magic!
When choosing a keyword-based domain name for registration, you should consider the following:
Research keywords: Use a keyword research tool to identify relevant keywords that are related to your business or industry. Look for keywords that have high search volume and low competition.
Incorporate the keywords: Once you have identified relevant keywords, try to incorporate them into your domain name. For example, if you are starting an e-commerce store that sells shoes, you could try to register a domain name like “www.shoestore.com” or “www.comfortablefootwear.com“
Be specific: The more specific your domain name is to your business or industry, the better. For example, “www.runningshoes.com” is more specific than “www.shoes.com“
Check for availability: Before finalizing your domain name, make sure that it is available by using our domain name registration page.
Keep it simple: Avoid using too many keywords in your domain name as it can make it difficult to remember and hard to spell.
Brandable: Make sure that the domain name you choose is brandable and easy to remember, if possible.
Check for trademarks: Before finalizing your domain name, make sure that it does not infringe on any existing trademarks.
n India, you can check for trademarks online by visiting the website of the Indian Trade Marks Registry (TMR) which is operated by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM).
The real challenge for a professional domain name suggester is to get a domain name which is short and also contain important keyword in the domain name.
Having keywords in the domain name that describes your site is always a good deal.
Basically, a domain name should hint the nature of your product or services you offer.
A good domain name should describe exactly what your site is about or/and what the services you are going to offer.
It is important for the first-time visitor to get an idea of what the website is about just by looking at the domain name.
Moreover, if you are able to get high volume keyword domain, you could hit a jackpot of traffic.
Let us get some more detail about “The Power of Keyword Domains” from google webmaster YouTube video below.
Avoid using numbers and hyphens
“Avoid using numbers and hyphens” in your domain name refers to the practice of not including numbers or hyphens in your domain name as it can make it more difficult for people to remember and share your website.
Numbers: Numbers in a domain name can be easily confused with letters, making it difficult for people to remember and type in the correct address. Also, it is difficult to remember if the number is spelled out or if it is a numeric digit.
Hyphens: Hyphens can also be confusing in a domain name as it may be easily forgotten and it’s difficult for people to remember if there is a hyphen or not. Plus, it is difficult to verbally communicate a domain name that contains hyphens to someone else.
For example, instead of using “www.johns-coffee-shop.com” or “www.johnscoffeeshop2.com” which contain hyphens and numbers, it would be more memorable if the domain name was “www.johnscoffee.com” as it is shorter, easy to remember and easy to type.
It’s important to note that the use of numbers and hyphens in domain names may not be a deal-breaker, but it is generally recommended to use domain names that are easy to remember and easy to share.
We have discussed that it is always better to choose a name that is not lengthy and confusing so that the visitors should not find it hard in remembering.
Although, at the same time, do not be in pressure to buy misspelled competitor or dictionary name.
If you misspelled it thinking it is cool does not mean other people think the same way.
So, remember to keep it simple.
One final advice is to avoid using acronyms, dashes or other symbols in the domain name as they may confuse the first-time visitors.
Choose a TLD that makes sense
“Choose a TLD that makes sense” refers to the practice of selecting an appropriate top-level domain (TLD) extension for your domain name that is relevant to your business or industry.
The most common TLDs are .com, .org and .net. .com is the most popular TLD and is typically used for commercial websites. .org is commonly used for non-profit organizations and .net is primarily used for internet service providers and technology-related websites.
Other TLDs include .biz for businesses, .info for informational sites, and .edu for educational institutions.
Country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) like .in, .co.in etc. are also available, which are specific to a particular country or territory.
Choosing the right TLD can help with search engine optimization (SEO) and make it easier for people to find your site. For example, if you are running an e-commerce store that sells shoes, it would make sense to choose a TLD like .com or .shoes (Read: Are new TLDs good for SEO? ).
It’s important to note that the TLD you choose for your domain name does not necessarily affect your website’s ranking in search engines, but it can affect the way people perceive your website and how easily they can find it.
Be mindful of the TLD availability, sometimes you may not find the TLD you want for your domain name, so you should have some alternatives in mind.
Conclusion
Finally, selecting the ideal domain name for your website is a critical step in establishing a successful online presence.
To ensure that your domain name is effective, it should be short and memorable, contain relevant keywords, avoid using numbers and hyphens, and be registered with a TLD that is appropriate for your business or industry. Additionally, before finalising your domain name, check for availability and trademarks, and consider the impact of the domain name on search engine optimization and branding.
Your website will be easier to find and remember with the right domain name, increasing the likelihood that visitors will return in the future.
Shashi kant Pandidhar
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