You want to create a website, and you know that one of the first things you need to do is register a domain name. It’s essentially the name and address of your soon-to-be website. This is necessary because it will determine how easily users will find your website and their first impression.
This article will give you ten different tips for you to consider when looking to buy a domain name for your website or blog.
Let’s get started.
1. Keep It Simple
It’s a good practice to make your domain name simple and easy to remember. One way is to keep the title less than 15 characters or less than two to three words. This excludes the domain extension.The points below will further explain how to keep your domain name simple. But in general, try to make it easy for people to remember when they first hear the word.
2. Use a Domain Name Generator
When coming up with a domain name, you’ll want to know whether the name is taken, and looking it up yourself is time-consuming.That’s where a domain generator comes in. It’s a tool that can check whether buying a domain name is available.
The domain name generator can also provide you with new and unique domain name ideas. All you need to do is key in a few keywords on the domain name generator’s landing page. The tool will then provide you with plenty of available names.
3. Include a Keyword
Including a relevant keyword in your domain name will boost your site’s search engine optimization (SEO). However, take note to only use one keyword because using more than one may result in the search engines deeming your site to be not reliable and can’t be trusted,It can also cause your domain name to appear generic, making it harder for people to differentiate your site from your competitors.
If you decide to include a keyword in your domain name, try placing it in the beginning to increase your site’s chances of ranking. Then add other words to make it unique.
4. Choose the Right TLD for Your Website
There are two general approaches to picking the right domain name extensions (TLDs) for your website.The first approach is to go for .com since it is the most used and memorable extension. Businesses prefer this one because people would aumaticallytype .com after keying in the web address.
However, if you’re running a non-profit organization, .org is the way to go. Similarly, .net should also be strongly considered. Alternatively, if you’re targeting a local audience, consider using a ccTLD, like .in, if you’re targeting India.
The other approach is using unconventional TLDs that focus on your niche. For example, .store is often used for an online store, .io is commonly used for gaming applications, and .tech is used for startup sites. This can be easier to memorize since it directly relates to what your site offers.
5. Make It Easy to Spell
To keep your domain name simple, a great way is to make it easy to spell. People should be able to type the domain name once they hear it or after a short description.Your domain name should represent your business from the moment it is typed on the search bar, thus directing users directly to your site.
A good tip to know whether your domain name is easy to remember is to write it down on paper and ask your close friends or relatives to read it aloud. If they find it difficult to pronounce, you should simplify it. You should also tell your domain out loud to see if people can write it down correctly.
6. Avoid Hyphens and Special Characters
Since you should keep your domain simple and easy to spell, It’s a good practice to avoid using hyphens, special characters, numbers, and double letters.Using these will create confusion, increases the risk of mistyping the name, and makes it verbally harder to pronounce.
This makes your domain name difficult to remember because having to spend extra seconds thinking about the domain name is an unnecessary distraction.
Having a site spelt like Pepsi.com is significantly better than Pep$i-s0da.com.
7. Pick a Brandable Domain Name
A brandable domain name means a name that is uniquely yours. It’s memorable, catchy, and sounds trustworthy. A brandable name itself implies a name with no specific meaning. Thus, users can easily relate the word to your website if used correctly.Avoid using generic names like OnlineCar.com because it’s not unique and doesn’t sound trustworthy. Instead, sites like Uber.com work because they have a good ring, are memorable and catchy, and don’t create confusion on how to spell it.
8. Avoid Slang
Because your site will likely attract the attention of people worldwide, it’s best to avoid using English Slang since there might be visitors who don’t understand what it means.If you’re struggling to develop words for your domain name, you can try exploring a thesaurus to get new ideas. Try finding keywords that resonate with your brand.
You can do a quick search online for thesauri to provide you with synonyms or similar words from your idea. You can type in the slang word you want to use to find alternatives.
9. Avoid Names that Limit Business Growth
Picking a domain name that is too narrow can cause problems as your business grows. You don’t want to limit your business to only selling a particular product or limit it to only a specific city.Avoid names like NewBooks.com or DelhiLibrary. Instead, use brandable names or other names with a broad meaning.
10. Check Domain Name History
In a few cases, the domain name you’re trying to register might have been previously reported but no longer used by the owner. So you’ll want to check its history of it.There are a few ways to check a domain name’s history. You can try using the Wayback Machine. As the name suggests, it’s a tool that lets you travel back in time and see how the website was used in the past. If you found no record, the domain name is brand new.
If you found that the domain name was used in the past, you can use who.is to go in-depth to check its history. For $10, you can get all the data stored in whois about the domain name from the beginning.
Conclusion
Now you know the ten tips to pick the right domain name for your website or blog. All that’s left for you to do is start creating your domain name.Remember that if you ever get stuck with a domain name or your domain name is taken, you can always use a domain name generator to help you out.
By day and a frustrated singer by night.
