Most of the business owners spend days, and sometimes even weeks, trying to choose a perfect domain name for their new websites. So don’t worry if you find it challenging to come up with a domain name. You are not alone with your problem.
In this article, you will find seven tips that will help you to choose a name that fits your business and personality. Let’s get started!
General Rules to Follow
If you don’t know where to start from, here are a few tips for you:
- Keep the name short and easy to type, so your customers will memorize it quickly. Consider using a shortened version of your brand name (e.g., American Airlines use the brand name’s abbreviation as its domain name www.aa.com)
- Focus on your company name, your industry, or niche. For instance, if your company’s name is Fruity Gold, and you sell organic fruits, you can use such domain names as fruitygold.com and organicfruits.net.
- Consider using a specialized extension for your niche (e.g., .academy, .health, .charity). For instance, if your company’s name is Heart Chakra, and you sell yoga mats, you can choose a domain name heartchcakra.yoga
- If you run a local business, use geographic domain extensions .nyc, .fr, .pl
- Don’t use numbers or hyphens, because they will make your domain name hard to remember. It’s easier to memorize a domain name pheromone.com than pheramone-club.com or pheramone75.com, isn’t it?
- Don’t hesitate to use the analysis tools, which domain registries offer for free.
Type out Your Options
Have you checked how a chosen domain name looks in print?
Keep in mind that if your domain name consists of two or more words, it may sound really weird. When different words merge together, they create a new phrase that can cause a misunderstanding. Here are a few examples of the “bad name choices”:
- com – Pen Island
- com – Experts Exchange
- com – IT Scrap
- com – Who Represents
If you don’t want to scare prospective customers away, make sure that your domain name doesn’t have a double meaning.
Don’t Overdo It
When it comes to domain names, simplicity, not creativity, is the key to success.
So don’t try to amaze your customers with an unordinary, “cute” name. And don’t experiment with a unique spelling. For instance, if your business name is Crazy Cat Shop, your domain name should be crazycatshop.com, not krazykatshop.com.
Why it’s a bad idea to misspell your business name? Firstly, it may hurt your brand identity. Secondly, it will get difficult for your customers to memorize your domain name. Thirdly, it may worsen your website SEO ranking.
The best thing you can do when naming your website is to use correctly spelled keywords related to your business. Adequate wording will help you to connect with the target audience and optimize your marketing efforts.
Take Your Strategic Goals into Consideration
Are you an ambitious person? Do you want to grow your business globally? If yes, you should take your strategic goals into account when choosing a domain name.
Firstly, you should choose a name that non-English native speakers can read and understand. Secondly, you should make sure that your domain name doesn’t have a weird meaning in local languages.
Yep, some words have different meanings in different countries. And pretty often that cause epic fails in global branding. Here is an example.
As you know, the English word “angel” means a supernatural being. But it German, this word means “fishing rod,” and in Dutch, it means “sting”. So if you name your website AngelCosmetics.com, your German-speaking customers will be confused – they will not understand whether you sell cosmetics or fishing rods.
Well, it’s impossible to check how the chosen domain name will be translated into each and every language. But you should run a check at least for the markets you are going to focus on.
Let’s say you currently sell your products in the United States only but plan to expand to Germany, France, and Spain markets. To succeed overseas, you should make sure that your domain name will not confuse local buyers. You should contact local experts in Germany, France, and Spain and ask them whether the chosen name is a good fit for the market.
Check Social Media
Do you intend to establish a presence on social media? Are you going to create business accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms?
We highly recommend you to check your domain name on social media platforms before you register it. Why? Because you will not be able to use it if there is another domain with the same name, but with another extension.
However, if you choose the name that can be used for both your website and social media, it will significantly boost your efforts. It will get easier for your customers to find you on different platforms. And also, it will help you to promote your business to the top websites page.
Don’t Scrimp
The prices for domain names vary a lot. And it might be tempting for you to choose the cheapest option.
However, the choice of the domain name greatly influences the success of your business. So you should think twice before picking an option that doesn’t fit your website perfectly.
https://www.name.com/domain/search/heartchakra
You should be aware that there are lots of entrepreneurs who buy up domain names cheaply and wait for the right moment to sell them at a high price. So if you think that you can buy a better domain name in a year or two at affordable prices, you are wrong. It’s wiser to choose an appealing domain name right here and right now, even if you operate on a budget.
Final thoughts
Some business owners wrongly believe that they can choose any random domain name and achieve success. However, it’s not true. If you want to get high results, you should conduct a little research and make an informed decision.
Use the tips given, and it will be much easier for you to make the right choice and make your website stand out.
About the author: Leona Henryson is an experienced blogger and a freelance writer who works closely with B2B and B2C businesses providing copywriting and marketing services. Currently, Leona is working for TopWritersReview where she’s responsible for reviews of professional essay writers, among other marketing activities. When Leona isn’t working, she loves to travel through the countryside.
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