Have you ever wondered how to choose a domain name? Especially a great one?
Whenever the word choosing a domain name is said, one big question comes to mind.
What is the best domain extension?
Well, the best domain extension is the .com extension. The reason is that - when you tell people the name of your business, they quickly assume it ends with the .com extension.
But you know what? We shouldn’t conclude in a hurry - because there are various factors to consider, which I will explain much later.
After reading this article, you will know how to choose a domain name and what domain extension to use.
In case you don’t know about a domain name and how it works, I have one article that explains it.
I know that choosing a domain name is easy, but choosing a domain name that will help a business can be challenging, especially if such a business falls into the competitive category.
A great domain name has an impact on your online presence, while poor domains have a negative effect.
I know you may ask, why all these about choosing a domain name?
Well, here is the thing: Among many factors, a domain name;
- Identifies your brand. It is the online version of your business.
- It can significantly affect your SEO
- Domain name gives the first impression about your business
- It can also boost your online presence.
In the meantime, let’s see what I will cover in this topic.
13 Tips on How to Choose a Domain Name
Setting Your Goal
Nothing is as important as setting a goal in any business. It defines what you want and when you wish to achieve it.
Setting a goal for a business makes it easy for a team to work effectively because it makes them understand the business target.
While outlining your goals, you need to define your vision and mission.
If you already have the real-world version of it, you will probably set your online goals in line with the real-world business.
Market Research
Some experts do not see market research as an important factor when choosing a domain name.
But you know what;
Even if you have a good knowledge of your business in the real world, you need market research.
The thing is - the way businesses work in the real world is much different from the internet.
The internet has its language, and to succeed, you must understand that language.
One thing is, you need a good knowledge of the market and how it works. Knowing will give you an idea of what domain name you should use.
Some of the areas you will need to focus on in your market research include;
Keyword research
Keyword research is among the most important factors in choosing a domain name. It will show you what people are looking for in your business industry.
By the way, what is a keyword?
A keyword is the word people type on search engines when searching for something online. You can find more about keywords in this article.
For instance, the keyword for this topic is “how to choose a domain name.” It is what people enter into search engines when looking for this information. So, you have to do the same thing when choosing a domain name.
Competitive Analysis
Competitive will tell you how competitive your domain will be.
It will show you those who are possibly leading in your industry and how and when they get there.
Knowing your competitors gives you a clue on what the market will be like for you.
A competitive analysis only serves as an eye-opener, and it will help in the implementation of the best strategies that can help you dominate your industry.
Use the Right Domain Extension.
When choosing a domain extension, I advise people to go for .com.
However, we need to understand a domain name and the different categories of domain names. You can find it in my previous article.
The .com domain extension should be considered first when such a business targets a global audience.
To choose the right domain extension for your business, you will visit your goals, market research, and as-well-as keyword research.
With this research, you already know what you want, the people you want to reach, and the industry you are covering.
Most industries have dedicated domain extensions. For instance, the right domain extension for an organization is the .org, government is .gov, educational industry is .edu, etc.
But if you wish to target a local audience, use the country domain extension. For instance, if I am to target Nigerians, I will use the .ng domain extension, UK will be .uk, India .in, etc.
Be sure it’s not Trademarked.
If you want to choose a domain name, check if the domain is not trademarked.
The reason is that you may be penalized later, and the worst part is that it will happen when the business starts gaining global attention.
If the best choice is trademarked, there are always alternatives.
Choose Branded Over Generic.
A branded domain name is always better and unique when compared to a generic one.
If you are wondering what both are, then here it is;
Branded domain names are always unique - with no or less competition. A good instance is Google, Facebook, Amazon, WhatsApp, PEMWare, etc. All these are branded domains, and they are all unique.
Also, aside from being competitive, it has lots of keywords in it. It will make it hard to rank in generic domains.
Let’s look at these instances - digitalmarketinghub.com and digitalmarketinghome.com. Both domains are competing for digital marketing. And you know what? Digital marketing has millions of domains competing for it.
Because PEMWare focuses on the IT world, the team decided to use a branded domain name pemware.com
Use easy-to-pronounce domain names.
Names that are easy to pronounce are easier to remember.
A user should be able to remember your name. It is one of the areas where a well-branded domain works like magic.
Some domains look similar to others, and that can be a challenge to many users. For instance, website.com can be remembered easily.
Choose a domain name that is easy to type.
There are some domain names, and even if they are easy to remember and pronounced, they are not easy to type.
When you use a domain that is easy to type, coupled with being branded and easy to pronounce, you are sure of good results.
Names like Facebook, Forbes, google, and Alibaba are all branded, easy to type, and easy to remember.
The side effect of using a domain name that is difficult to spell is that your prospective clients may go to your competitor’s website if there is any misspelling.
Use Short Names.
The shorter a domain name, the better.
If you look at all the companies leading on the internet today, they all use a short domain name. A perfect example is google.com.
In fact, according to market research, domain names within the range of ten to thirteen characters are best - when it comes to SEO friendliness.
Avoid Punctuation marks.
Never! I repeat, never use punctuation marks in your domain name.
The reason is that punctuation marks are hard to remember.
For instance, if you wish to enter a domain name with a comma or hyphen, you can easily make a mistake.
Now, let me ask;
How will Google look like if its domain name is goo-gle?
Well, let me leave that there.
Think Long-term over the short term.
Whenever you want to choose a domain name, think long-term over short-term.
If you run your website for some years, no matter the industry, the website will gain some level of trust from people and even search engines.
On the other hand, if you wish to change your domain name after some years, it will take you a lot of time and money to gain back the trust.
Consider a keyword that reflects your industry.
When choosing a domain name that covers a single industry, consider choosing a domain with a keyword that reflects its industry.
Let’s say your business is an academic firm, and the business name is dev - your domain can be devacdemy.
Although that could make you see many competitors, it tells search engines what your business represents.
Conclusion
As I have written in this article, choosing a domain name is easy, but choosing a domain name that will stand a chance could be difficult.
I have outlined 13 tips in this article, and though there could be more, I know these are of utmost importance.
If you want advice on choosing a domain name, you can talk to our expert. You may also see this article on what a domain name is.
