Choosing a domain name is critical to website success. If you pick an incorrect domain name, it might be challenging to change it afterwards without jeopardising your brand or search results.
When you’re initially getting started, it might be challenging to come up with creative company names that also work as domain names.
In this article, we list some tips on what to consider when choosing a domain name.
Why Your Domain Name Matters
Your domain name, like your company name or logo, is an integral aspect of your brand. Even if you’ve nailed every other aspect of your branding, if anything about your domain name turns off prospective buyers, they’re likely to go elsewhere.
Likewise, the converse is true. If your site address is correct and easy to pronounce, people will be eager to visit and share it. But, again, first impressions are critical, and your domain may be the first encounter customers have with your brand.
Additionally, it is not simple to modify your domain name after your site is up. You can do so, but it will take time and will have implications. This might result in lost traffic and unnecessary downtime. In other words, life will be much simpler if you take the time now to choose a name you like.
Tips on Choosing a Domain Name
1. Use .com
Today, many domain name extensions are accessible, ranging from the classic .com, .net, and.org to specialist suffixes such as .pizza, .photography, and even .blog.
We always advise you to register a .com domain name. If however, you want to highlight the fact that you’re from Swansea for example, then we recommend a .co.uk domain.
While creating unique blog names with new extensions may be tempting, the .com domain name extension remains the most established and respectable.
In our perspective, newer domain extensions such as .ninja, .photography, and others might imply a lack of confidence in your brand.
Domains ending in .com are the most memorable. Many people, particularly those who are less tech-savvy, will reflexively enter “.com” at the end of each domain.
If your website is named jane.photography and your viewers put in jane.photography.com, they will be sent to the photography.com website’s error page. So to avoid this danger it’s best to stick with .com.
Not to add that the majority of smartphone keyboards have a .com button by default.
2. Use Keywords
Keywords are used for more than simply content. For example, search engines utilize your domain name to establish your site’s subject matter and assist in ranking it. As a result, it is critical to use keywords wherever feasible.
Your domain name should include keywords that are related to your website. It is much more critical to reflect your content than just using keywords for the sake of using them.
Free tools like Google Keyword Planner allows you to examine keywords based on their search traffic and other characteristics to determine which genuinely used phrases. However, avoid getting carried away. Utilizing an excessive number of keywords, particularly famous ones, might make your site seem monotonous and perhaps untrustworthy.
3. Keep It Short
While keywords are important, refrain from going overboard with the domain length. It is preferable to have a short and memorable domain name.
We suggest that you restrict your domain name to a maximum of 15 characters. This is because longer domain names are more difficult for people to remember.
Not to add, users will be more likely to input mistakes with lengthier domain names, resulting in traffic loss.
That is why it is vital to keep your domain name brief.
4. Make Sure it’s Flexible
Your domain name is one area in which you do not want to restrict yourself. While you want to be detailed enough to attract an audience, you don’t want to be so exact that your website cannot expand.
For instance, “shutter.photography” may be an excellent domain name for a photography blog. However, if you want to write about other types of art, you will be left with inaccuracy in your domain name. Thus, it is wise to examine how your site or company may grow over time.
5. Avoid Hyphens
Never use hyphens in your domain name. Hyphens can indicate spam domains.
Additionally, hyphenated domains are prone to mistakes. For example, suppose you pick a domain name that contains hyphens because the domain you desire is already taken. In that case, your customers will almost certainly land up on your competitor’s website due to mistyping.
6. No Doubled Letters
Using duplicated characters in a domain name almost guarantees errors. Doubled letters are difficult to read and much more difficult to write accurately.
If errors occur often enough, you risk someone typosquatting and stealing your traffic. Additionally, spending even a few seconds longer than required attempting to spell your domain can impact traffic.
Conclusion
So there you have it. We hope you enjoyed our guide. The smart website designers are experts in providing low cost and functional business websites and personal websites in the Swansea area. We also cater for clients worldwide. Take a look at our web design portfolio page to see what we’re all about.
