Choosing a domain name is just as similar to choosing a company name.
A good domain name requires a lot of thought and consideration. Your domain name marks your identity on the web; you must make sure to choose a name that not only fits your business but is also easy to find and promote.
A domain name acts as a key element for your website. It can make or break your business online, so it’s crucial to choose a domain name that works for your business.
Why Is Domain Name Important?
Here are the reasons, why your domain name is important:
1. It’s your “first impression”
URL is the first thing that your visitors will come through. A good domain name can leave a positive and lasting impression; on the other hand, a bad domain name can just do the opposite to the visitors.
2. It affects SEO
Keywords in your domain name largely helps in boosting your SEO ranking.
3. It defines your brand
Your domain name gives you a great branding opportunity. The right domain name can increase brand visibility and recognition.
Things to Consider While Choosing A Domain
Here are the steps that you must consider while choosing a good domain name for your website:
1. Easy to type
An easy to type domain name is critical for the success of your business online.
One of the big things that most of the popular websites have in common is that they all are easy to spell. For instance, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, CNN, etc.
The main idea to create an easy to type domain name is that your visitors should be able to type your domain name without a problem.
If in case you have to explain the spelling more than once for it to be understood, it can become complicated for the success of your business.
Moreover, one thing that no business would want is for the potential visitors to mistype your domain name and end up on a different website.
Hence one should make sure that the domain name is easy to type
For example, If you use certain slangs like “u” instead of “you” or words with multiple spellings like express vs. Xpress, it might become hard for the customers to find your site.
2. Keep it short
If you have a long and complex domain name, there are high chances that the customers might mistype or misspell your domain name.
Whenever it comes to the length of the domain name, short and simple is the way to go.
It has been observed that the most common name length is approximately 12 characters.
Ideally, you must aim for 6-14 characters and must keep in mind that short is better
Hence you must keep your domain name short, crisp, and concise.
3. Use keywords
When deciding upon your domain name, you must make use of certain keywords that describe your business and the services you offer. You can also try to include the keywords that the visitors generally enter when searching for your products or services.
It helps improve your rank on search engines which thereby increases traffic and helps in developing more sense to your customers.
Keywords can help to improve your SEO. However, you must keep in mind, not to unnecessarily stuff your domain name with keywords.
If you choose to use keywords, then it is advisable to put the keywords at the beginning of your domain as that’s where they will be the most powerful for your ranking.
4. Avoid hyphens or numbers
Numbers and hyphens can often be misunderstood, people who use your website address don’t know that either you’re using a numeral (1) or it’s spelled out (one) or they might have misplaced or forgotten the dash.
You must create your domain name in such a way that it is easy to spell and pronounce, whereas while using hyphens and numbers in your domain name, it can be more difficult for the customers to understand.
For example, suppose Whatsapp had a hyphen in its domain name i.e. Whats-app, this would make your domain name more complicated and less attractive.
Hence your domain name should be smooth and simple without any hyphens or numbers
5. Make it memorable
Millions of registered domain names are present, hence it’s essential to choose a domain name that’s both catchy and memorable.
A domain name which memorable enough makes it easier for visitors to share your domain name with their friends and makes it easier for you to share your site with the potential customers.
A domain name that is both easy to pronounce and easy to spell naturally makes it attractive and memorable for the visitors.
6. Use domain name extension
Domain name extensions are suffixes, such as .com or .org, used at the end of web addresses. These extensions have specific uses, so you must make sure to choose one that works for your business.
The .com domain extension is the most popular, but it’s a tough deal to get a short and memorable .com domain name because it’s been there for a long time.
The use of certain new domain extensions like .photography, .dev, etc. has the ability to offer a great opportunity to register short and highly relevant names.
For example, making use of .cricket extension can be used for cricket leagues, teams, and fans, .green extension can be used for businesses involved in promoting global sustainability.
However, it is always advisable to use .com extension whereas if it is not available, you can always make use of .in, .org, or .net.
Here are the 7 most popular domain registrars:
- Domain.com
- Bluehost
- Namecheap
- Hover
- GoDaddy
- SiteGround
- OVH
The best point is that these domain name registrars are measured well in terms of price, ease of use, and customer support.
Moreover, they are ICANN-accredited, which means the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has officially permitted them to register domain names.
