How To Choose a Domain Name for Your Website
After countless hesitations, you are finally ready to start your own website. But first, you need to pick a good domain name.
There are 2 billion websites in the world amongst which 400 million are active. Hence, there is a chance that the name you are thinking of is already taken.
No worries, this article will explain how to choose the most appropriate name for your domain. Keep reading to find out.
1.
Importance
Your domain name represents your brand and is your brand’s identity.
If you choose the wrong one, you can lose your audience and search rankings when changing it.
Hence, it has quite an importance for reasons given below.
Contributes to SEO
If you contain your target keywords in the name of your domain then it can help you rank higher in the Search Engine Results Page.
People are innovative with their website names and domains now.
Hence, you do not need to have exact match domains (EMDs) anymore.
Earlier Google would rank sites higher that had the same keywords in the domain as the search. Even if they were of poor quality.
However, a new update no longer does that, and sites with good content rank higher.
That said, if you have a relevant name then it does contribute to SEO and still has an impact on rankings.
Hence, it is better to not forsake it and make good quality content to keep the rankings higher.
It Is The First Thing Your Audience Sees
The visitors and audience on your website will either see your website’s name or your URL first.
This is their first impression and you will not want them to click the back arrow as soon as they read your domain’s name.
In fact, the opposite is also true, a good and memorable URL makes a good impression on the visitor.
Furthermore, if it relates to your brand then it will also be easier to retain it and find it again.
This brings us to…
It Is Your Identity
Your domain name is much more than a part of a URL.
Once you have chosen the best blog site to make your blog or website on, you choose a name for your domain.
Hence, the address that people type in the browser is crucial to your identity and representation.
This is how people will remember you and if it contains the relevant keywords then it will be easier to find your website.
For instance, a news website can have the words “media” or “news” in its domain to make it more accessible and memorable.
A good name is a branding opportunity to increase your brand’s recognition and reach your target audience.
Now that you know about its importance, let’s find out the tips for choosing a domain name for your website in the following section.
2.
Tips For Choosing A Domain Name
You may have already thought about a domain and brand name but have you checked its availability?
It is quite likely to either have the name or the name extension already taken.
Hence you will have to be creative with your choice of the name while ensuring that it is still relevant.
The Right Name and URL
You need your URL to be relevant, appropriate and memorable.
Obviously, the main part of the URL is the domain name and the domain name extension that shows in the search bar.
Choosing the right name extension and domain can increase your chances of ranking and visibility on the Search Engine Result’s Page.
Choosing The Domain Name Extension
There are several domain name extension now from .com, .org., .net, .blog, .shop and many more.
However, your safest bet is to still use .com
And why is that so?
Well, because it is the most common domain name extension.
Whenever people try to find a website, they naturally assume that it may end with .com.
Hence, you may lose a potential audience if you have a .shop extension instead and your audience is unable to find it.
Moreover, the dot com extension is more credible and trustworthy.
Your visitors may not find .photography and .shop extensions as credible and rather consider your site risky.
You definitely don’t want that so try to aim to get a dot com extension.
Add Target Keywords But Make It Brandable
Keywords in content writing tell the search engine what your blog is about.
Similarly, keywords in your domain name can tell search engines about the content of your website.
Also, it allows users who are specifically looking for your niche to find you using the keywords.
However, using the keyword alone is not enough for your website to rank higher.
You need good content, authority, user experience and relevance.
It is also very easy to slip into generic names by using keywords.
The name needs to be unique enough for people to recall it and not mix it with some other website.
Generic names such as “watchseriesonline” are much less memorable than Netflix.
Also, uniqueness prevents you from copyright infringement, plagiarism or using a registered trademark name.
Moreover, people will not be able to copy your name either because it uniquely represents your brand.
You can either make a new catchy name or look up the thesaurus to find synonyms for your target keywords.
Keep It Short and Easy
Long website names will be difficult to remember and reach.
Also, while typing them, users can make typos that will direct the traffic to another site.
Hence, shorter names are easier to find and attract more website traffic.
The most common length contains 12 characters but keeping it between 6 to 15 characters is fine too.
Furthermore, you need to focus on ease and simplicity, this includes:
- Easy to Spell
- Easy to Pronounce/li>
- Simple to Type
See, if your domain name is difficult to spell and pronounce then your visitors will end up on another side.
It is very easy to make typos with difficult words.
For instance, Yahoo, Bing, Google are all very easy to spell and remember.
Similarly, pronunciation matter too.
Your website can spread through word of mouth and if people do not gather the word then they are bound to make typos or worse forget it.
Both situations do not bode well for you.
Additionally, it should be easy to type without using hyphens and numbers.
Hyphens and numbers just add to the complications.
Numbers are forgettable and users can easily misplace the hyphen landing them on another site losing your traffic.
Plus hyphens are not that trustworthy and may represent spam websites.
Furthermore, it is difficult to explain them and if you really want a similar name to a taken one then putting the hyphen isn’t your best bet.
Your visitors are likely to land on the other website rather than yours.
hence, skip the hyphens, numbers and long names.
Also, avoid double or triple letters. They also result in typos.
Don’t Narrow Down Your Approach
When choosing the best domain name for your website, do not limit your approach.
You may start writing over entertainment news and name your site “Entnews” but what if in the future you feel like blogging over political and sports news?
Then your name does not go with your content and visitors can find it deceiving.
Hence, think long-term and choose a suitable name that will not only fit your niche but also other shoulder niches.
Hence here again you can choose to go for a brandable rather than generic name.
By now you might have achieved some clarity over choosing your domain name.
Hence, it is time to find out if that name is even available.
Learn more about Popular Chrome Extensions for Content Writers here.
3.
Buying A Domain Name
Before buying, you need to make sure if the domain name is available.
If you really want to buy one that is already taken but not in use then you can consult the owner directly and buy from them.
Do a trademark as well as a Google search.
Check for it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as it is also not good to have the same socials.
Tools like “Knowem” help to tell you if there are social media profiles and channels with the same name.
It can also tell you if a similar domain exists and so can “Nameboy”.
Are you stuck now that your ideal domain name is already taken?
You are still not short of ideas and you can get more of them by using a domain name generator.
You enter your niche and chosen words and they generate a name similar to your preference.
Examples of such tools include Wordoid and DomainHole.
Now that you have found several other ideas, hurry for domain registration and create a website (or online business) before it’s taken by someone else.
One way to do that is to choose a web hosting service that also offers a free domain name.
BlueHost and HostGator are affordable hosting services that will also give you a free domain for a year with their hosting plan.
Though, if you prefer registering a domain without purchasing the hosting then check Domain.com or GoDaddy domain registrar.
Once you have bought it, you are set to use your website.
Concluding Words
A unique domain name will represent your brand.
Hence, choose the best one using these tips and remember to buy it as soon as possible.
If you found this article helpful in choosing your domain name, let us know in the comments.