The dawn of COVID was the lens brand owners needed to see that domain names were necessary tools for survival. It was during this period that companies with strong online presence stood out and lasted through the difficult phase of a pandemic-stricken economy. And it was then it became clear that brands needed to work on their domain names to claim a spot on the global web.
But it’s not just about creating your own space on the internet; you need a top-notch domain name to stand out from the rest. This way, customers can easily identify and remember your brand.
10 tips for choosing the perfect Domain Name
Picking through a list of crowdsourced company names is great, but to take this naming process a step further, here are 10 things you must consider while picking a domain name for your website.
1. Brandability
The best way to kick off the search for the perfect domain name is to base your name on its brandability. This is an extra advantage for any brand looking to stamp its identity on the global market. You see, a large percentage of customers are more likely to engage with a business venture based on its brand. That’s why having a brandable name is great for appealing to your customers.
You can adopt a domain name that lacks any keyword that gives off the business your brand deal with. This adds a certain mysterious look that gets the customers intrigued by your brand, and it allows the name to grow alongside your brand no matter the direction you decide to take. For example, you have domain names like Walmart, which will draw customers to discover what the brand is all about.
2. Short Length
What are the key features of any domain name? A domain name must be easy to say, remember, and search online – these 3 factors are the major elements that define a perfect domain name. To arrive at a domain name that ticks all these boxes, you’ll need a short domain name that’s simple and convenient.
Remember that there are only so many characters the human brain can easily recall at once, so picking a short domain name without difficult or long characters is the way to go. This way, your customers can avoid forgetting what your domain name looks or sounds like and will also avoid misspelling your domain name while searching for it. Also, it’s important to avoid long domain names because they come across as suspicious.
3. Top-level Domains
These top-level domains are the domain extensions we see attached to any name, such as .com or .org. out of these two examples, .com is the most popular and your best pick when it comes to passing the popularity test. Also, there are other country-code and fast-rising top-level domains that could suffice; examples are .co .za or .io
4. Keyword Precautions
In this final step, you consider how necessary it is to include keywords. There are two sides to it. On the one hand, you have a useful strategy for defining your company’s services to customers, which is also easy to remember and identify. On the other hand, adding keywords leaves you with a domain name that’s difficult to brand, hard to customize, and one that sounds too common.
5. Avoid numbers and hyphens
Choosing a domain name can be difficult. You want it to be short, memorable, and easy to spell. Avoid using numbers or hyphens because this could cause problems registering your URL with certain websites like Facebook and Twitter. Be creative! Think about what you do in your business and see if you can use any words from that industry.
For example, if you run an art gallery, “gallery” might be a good word to incorporate into the domain name. If you run an auto repair shop, auto might work well too. If you’re not sure how to get started, there are some helpful tools online to help you brainstorm new domain names. Think crowdsource naming platform.
6. Make it easy to spell and pronounce
Choosing a domain name is one of the first steps in starting a business, and it’s not as simple as deciding what you like and then going with it. If you want people to find your site easily, it’s important to ensure that your domain name is easy to spell and pronounce.
You can get feedback on how a domain name might sound by typing it into a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo!, or by reading it aloud before deciding if it sounds right.
Once you’ve chosen a domain name, ensure it works well with URLs so people can type in the URL address without mistakes or confusion. For example, adding “com” at the end of your web address makes it easier for people to remember your domain name and find their way to your website without breaking a sweat.
7. Use relevant keywords
- The domain name should be relevant to your business and niche. For example, if your business is a restaurant, you might want to consider the word restaurant in your domain name.
- The domain name should be easy to remember and spell.
- It may sound silly, but you should use your company name as part of your domain name so that people can easily find you online.
- Make sure you include words like website or online store so that visitors know what they’ll find when they click on the link to visit your site.
- Avoid trademarked terms while choosing a business name
Choosing a business name that is not trademarked can be challenging. There are many great companies with names that are used generically (i.e., Google) and some that cannot be used because they have been trademarked by another company or person (i.e., iPhone).
When you decide to use your personal name as the company name, it is important to do your due diligence on this. If you find out someone else owns or is already using your last name, then you will need to come up with a different plan.
The key here is to avoid trademarks unless you have permission from the original owner of the trademarked word or phrase. Remember that once you choose a domain name, it may be hard to change later down the road if you are unhappy with it.
8. Create a unique business name
Naming your business is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Think about this carefully and consider a name that reflects what your company does or what it’s about. Don’t just use your name because it will be hard for people to find you.
If someone doesn’t know the exact domain name, they may not be able to find your site at all because sometimes there is more than one business with the same name.
- Don’t copy someone else’s name: You don’t want to have the same name as another company out there. If you do, your customers might not know who you are and why they should go with you over them. Keep this in mind when deciding on a name, and remember to check online if anyone has already used the name.
- Choose a domain that is easy to remember: People should be able to remember your business name. If they can’t, you will lose customers because people want to go with brands that are easy to find.
9. Consider your target market
Your potential customers should be your number one consideration. The domain name of your site will be a part of your marketing campaign, and it’s important to consider how it will affect those reading it. You also want to make sure that your domain is clear and easy to read, so people can immediately understand what kind of business you’re running.
Your website should accurately represent your company, meaning it needs a domain name that reflects its products or services. It’s not enough to have the right keywords in the domain—it needs to communicate what you do too.
When considering a domain name for your business, brainstorm as many ideas as possible before settling on one.
Once you’ve chosen a name, take steps to protect it from infringement by registering the URL with .com or .net!
10. Brainstorm with a team
Suppose you’re unsure what to name your business, brainstorm with a team. You’ll get many ideas and can narrow down what’s best for your company. Plus, you’ll know you’re on the right track when everyone on your team feels passionate about it.
It might take some time to find the perfect domain name, but there are steps that can help:
- Find out if someone else is using that domain.
- Look at other words that mean the same thing as your business name (like synonyms).
- Keep it short and easy to remember: That way, visitors won’t struggle to recall your business name or domain name after they visit your site.
- Watch out for typos!
Choosing a domain name is an important decision. It’s essentially your company’s online identity, and it can make or break your company.
Here is a rundown of the tips we have shared about choosing the right brand name for your business –
- Make sure it’s pronounceable. People need to be able to say it without sounding ridiculous.
- Keep it short and simple. This will make it easier for customers to share with others.
- Don’t use any words that might confuse people.
- Does it have any hidden meaning?
- Does it match your company’s branding?
- What other good domains do you like or may not know about yet?
- Try not to repeat words unless they’re used in context
- Avoid having acronyms as part of your URL because people may have different interpretations of what those letters stand for.
Conclusion
We all know that finding the perfect domain name can be a daunting task, but it is one task that every business owner needs to accomplish before their brand can be given a powerful identity. And when all the above tips have been followed, you can check how well your domain name performs with the audience, but first, be sure to avoid some errors, such as:
- Adding numbers
- Adding hyphens and underscores
- Adding misspelled words
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed over 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.