For a brick and mortar business, it’s the location of the real estate that plays an important role in its success. Let’s assume you have a business store in some dark alley which is not known by many, it’s obvious then that you won’t get much foot traffic there. The similar role is played by a domain name for an online business.
A domain name is the address of your website that is known by all. It is as crucial as looking for a piece of the prime real estate for your offline business. The domain name is the very first thing that a potential customers recognize when they are searching for you online, and a bad domain will make you lose them. So it’s essential that you pay attention when choosing a domain name that represents your brand.
To help you a bit, here we are presenting some simple things that will help you decide a domain name. So let’s have a look:
Think of something easy to remember
You should choose a name that is simple and people can immediately make sense of what you are offering. The domain name should be one that will stick in mind just after hearing it once. If your domain name is simple and easy to remember then the next time they want to buy something they won’t waste time on Google and come to your website directly.
Avoid hyphens
Back in the day, Google used to give more preference to domains that contained keywords. This led to many businesses using as many words in their domain using hyphens to separate them. But, this is no longer the case. The policies have changed now. Cramming a lot of keywords into one can have many adverse effects and make your Google ranks go down. Not just that it can be a turn off to your potential visitors and customers.
Extensions are important
When deciding an extension for your domain name you have a lot of options like .com, .net, .info etc. All these extensions have different significances and .com is always the best choice if you can get it. Since It is the most common and popular extension, remembering your domain is easier for any new customer.
Keep it as short as possible
Ideally using no more than two or three words is the best decision, as short domains are always easy to grasp. For example, say your domain is www.samscars.com, which is easy to remember and on the other hand if you go for www.samsautomotiverepairshop.com, which is longer and also difficult to catch a sight.
The name should clearly relate to your business
Going for a catchy and clever domain that has nothing to do with what your business is a bad decision for your branding.Hence choose a domain name that clearly relates to your business or products, so that potential customers can immediately know your business. The best domain will be the one that relates to your business and is catchy at the same time.
Be unique
Every business owner wants to stand out from its competitors in order to attract more customers and solidify the branding. Choosing a unique domain name that no one else has picked will certainly help your business to do so. Choose a name that doesn’t infringe on anyone else trademarks and isn’t too similar to any other website domain name. Doing this will avoid confusion amongst the customers and also prevent a lot of legal trouble that you might face in future.
Protect your brand
However, It is a good bet to go with a .com domain name if it is possible. But many veteran SEO experts and other business owners will advise you to buy all the extensions of your domain. The main reason to do this is to protect your brand.
Just imagine that you decide to go with the .com extension and someone else bought the .net or the .org extension with the same domain name and is using them for their business. Well now the traffic coming to your website will be divided up, and you will suffer losses.
Buying all the extensions doesn’t mean that you now have to use them. You have many options like letting them sit unused, or redirect them to your primary domain so if anyone mistypes the extension they will still be routed to your website.
Keep social media in mind
Ideally, having the same domain name and social media handles is a great thing. This strengthens your brand name and helps more prospective customers to reach you. So, choose a domain that is free on the social media also. Doing this will make the whole process even more difficult, but in the long run, this will help your business a lot.
Choosing a domain mane is one of the most crucial parts in the process of setting up an online business and following these eight tips can make sure you get the best domain name. While it is possible to change your domain later in the future, it will cause your business to experience setbacks when it comes to search engine rankings and branding. So, it is always advisable to carefully choose a name at the beginning only and stick to it for the long run.
