Search is the most valuable tool for every internet user. You might be having a high-quality website with attractive designs and valuable products, but if you don’t have the right domain name, it can become difficult for users to find your website. Hence, as a website owner, you need to think a lot before deciding a domain name.
According to the Global Domain Name Preferences Survey by Domain Name Association (DNA), 85% of the internet users type the domain name address right into the address bar of browser, whereas 93% people choose to type either the name of company or related term to find company website.
Further, 94% of users check the domain names before clicking the search term. This shows that majority of internet users prefer to search the websites by typing the domain names.
Before buying a domain name, you need to take care of a number of things to make sure that you find the right one. Regardless of the type of business, the guidelines below will help you register the right domain name.
1. Include right keywords in domain name
First thing to do is to list a number of keywords that defines your business. These keywords can be the name of your company, the main product of your business, or something that can explain what your website is about.
Use of relevant keyword in domain name can help you make your business easily recognizable for end-users. It also enhances the SEO of your website.
The right keyword approach is a helpful thing, but if you don’t have quality content on your site, Google will not prioritize in search rankings. Sometimes the site owners wonder why they don’t rank on Google even after having the perfect domain name. Also, explore a number of website hosting options to host your domain name.
2. Choose a unique domain name
The domain names play a crucial role in an online business. You need to choose a unique domain name that doesn’t resemble with any other brand. It can be confusing for the users to find the right website if you don’t have a unique name.
While trying to find the unique domain name, don’t mess with the spelling of a common word, as it can result in poor SEO and might sound copy of an original website with the right name. For example, if you can’t find domain.com, then don’t go for domen.com.
3. Keep the domain name simple
The domain name should be short and simple, that can be easily pronounced and remembered. The complex domain names with multiple spellings or random characters are not only difficult to spell but also frustrating for the visitors.
It can result in poor user experience. The domain name shouldn’t contain more than two spellings, and those spellings shouldn’t be random. For example, yourdomain.com is easier than xyzwebhostingdomain.com.
Also, don’t use short form of the company name to make the domain name shorter, as the short forms can sometimes become difficult to remember. Easy to remember and short URLs will easily spread across the internet and become a marketing tool for your business.
4. Don’t use numbers, symbols and certain phrases
When you use numbers in your domain name, it can become confusing for end users who get to hear your website from others. For example, the users hear gotowebsite.com, they can misunderstand it as go2website.com or gotwowebsite.com.
Second, if you use symbols like dash (-) or underscore (_) in the domain name, the end users might not pronounce them when telling someone else about the site. The domain names with symbols also sound spammy.
Third, try to avoid the use of certain words like a, an, the, and, but, or, with, etc. Such words not only increase the length of URL but also make the name difficult to remember.
5. Try to find .com domain name extension
.com is the best option for your online business if you have deep rooted plans for your brand. A domain name provider allows you to choose a top-level domain (TLD) from numerous options, but .com is the most used and most trusted TLD.
When the end-users hear about your brand, they most of the times search for it by your domain name with .com TLD.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to find .com extension, as it can be registered by someone else. In such cases, go for other top extensions or generic top-level domains, which defines the theme or background of your business. The gTLDs include .org, .co, .info, etc.
For example, if you are a photographer, go for .photography, or .me for personal blogs or sites.
6. Don’t use copyrighted or trademarked domain name
While all the factors mentioned above will help you register the right domain name, but make sure that the domain name you choose is not trademarked, registered or copyrighted. It is completely illegal to use the trademarked or copyrighted domain names and can drag you into lawsuits.
Many users register the trademarked domain names with different TLD to steal the traffic of original website. Avoid it both intentionally and non-intentionally. Research well before registering it.
7. Don’t wait
According to Verisign’s recent report, around 6 million new domain names were registered in the second quarter of 2018. This shows that domain names are selling very faster.
The domain name you are looking for might be available today, but it might not be available tomorrow. Stop waiting and register it as soon as possible as the domain names aren’t that expensive nowadays.
Conclusion:
The internet has become so mainstream today. Verisign report found that there are around 340 million domain names registered around the world. Every business is establishing its online presence. Choosing the perfect domain name can help you drive more traffic, build a brand identity, generate more leads, etc.
If you have some more tips for choosing the domain name, feel free to share via comments section below.