10 Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name

30 Jan 10 Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name

Overview: Follow the steps below to avoid costly mistakes and make sure you’re getting the best domain for your business.

Choosing a domain name is similar to choosing a company name – it requires a lot of thought and consideration. Your domain name is your identity on the Web; you want to make sure you choose a name that not only fits your business, but is also easy to find and promote. Follow these steps to help you pick the perfect domain.

1. Make it Easy to Type: Finding a domain name that’s easy to type is critical to online success. If you use slang (u instead of you) or words with multiple spellings (express vs. xpress), it may be harder for customers to find your site.
2. Keep it Short: If your domain name is long and complex, you risk customers mistyping or misspelling it. Short and simple is the way to go.
3. Use Keywords: Try using keywords that describe your business and the services you offer. It helps improve your rank on search engines (which increases traffic) and just makes more sense to your customers.
   Tip: If your business is local, consider including your city or state in your domain name to make
   it easy for local customers to find and remember.
4. Target Your Area: If your business is local, consider including your city or state in your domain name to make it easy for local customers to find and remember.
5. Avoid Numbers and Hyphens: Numbers and hyphens are often misunderstood — people who hear your domain name don’t know if you’re using a numeral (5) or if it’s spelled out (Five) or they misplace or forget the dash. If you need these in your domain, register the different variations to be safe.
6. Be Memorable: There are millions of registered domain names, so having a domain that’s catchy and memorable is essential. Once you’ve come up with a name, share it with close friends to make sure it sounds appealing and makes sense to others.
7. Research It: Make sure the name you’ve selected isn’t trademarked, copyrighted, or being used by another company. It could result in a huge legal mess that could cost you a fortune, as well as your domain!
8. Use an Appropriate Domain Name Extension: Extensions are suffixes, such as .COM or .NET, at the end of Web addresses. These can have specific uses, so make sure to choose one that works for your business. .COM is far and away the most popular, but here are some other top extensions and how they’re often used:
   • .co – an abbreviation for company, commerce, and community
   • .info – informational sites
   • .net – technical, Internet infrastructure sites
   • .org – non-commercial organizations and non-profits
   • .biz – business or commercial use, like E-commerce sites
   • .me – blogs, résumés, or personal sites

   Tips:You don’t need to build a website for every domain. Just forward any additional domains to your primary website.

9. Protect and Build Your Brand: To protect your brand, you should purchase various domain extensions, as well as misspelled versions of your domain name. This prevents competitors from registering other versions and ensures your customers are directed to your website, even if they mistype it.
10. Act Fast: Domain names sell quickly. Thankfully, they’re also inexpensive, so register your favorite domain names as soon as possible.

Courtesy GoDaddy