Things to consider when choosing a domain name

It’s very easy to buy a domain name that you come to regret later. Here are some of the things you should consider when choosing a domain name:

  1. Choose a domain name that reflects your brand and what you do

    You want a domain name that describes your website. Your domain name should also match your brand name (ie. company or business name). You don’t want to confuse your visitors by using a domain name that is irrelevant or has no association whatsoever with what you do.

  2. Easy to read, say and remember

    You want a domain name that is simple to read, say and remember. It also helps if it’s easy to type. If you use slang or words with multiple spellings, it makes it harder for your customers to remember your domain name and find you. 

    For example, take a look at these domain names: DomainsForYou.com, DomainsForU.com,  Domains4You.com and DomainzForU. We are pretty sure you can come up with many more variations – so could your customers!

  3. Be careful how words run together

    When you think you’ve found the best domain name, write it down and say it out loud. Look at how the words run together. 

    For example, say you are part of a parent group and you are looking for a domain name for your group forum. What about momstalking.org or perhaps MomsExchange.com? You certainly don’t want any surprises you haven’t thought of, because chances are your visitors will and you don’t want to be known as the parent stalking group.

  4. Shorter is always better

    You always want people to know what you’re about in the shortest amount of time. Same goes for your domain name – you don’t want a URL that isn’t easily understood or doesn’t accurately describe what you do. Your domain name should be like your business card: sharp and to the point; it should be a starting point so visitors can follow through on your website for more information.

    Besides, if you domain name is long and complex, you risk customers mistyping or misspelling it. Short and simple is the way to go.

  5. Use keywords

    Try using keywords that describe your business. For example, if you are a guitar repair business, you might want to include “guitar repair” in your domain name.  Not only does it improve your rank on search engines, it makes more sense to your customers. 

    But how do you find your keywords? We have an article to help you with that.

  6. Avoid numbers and hyphens

    Numbers and hyphens are often misunderstood. People don’t know if you are using a numeral or if it’s spelled out, and they often misplace or forget the dash.

  7. Think long term and don’t limit yourself

    Say you are looking for a domain name for your guitar repair shop and you find that JustGuitarRepairs.com is available. This may be a good match for you right now, but what if later on down the road you want to add piano tuning and private guitar lessons to your lineup of services? When picking a domain name, don’t limit yourself – leave a little room for growth, you just never know if you will need it later on.

  8. Target your area

    If your business is local, consider using your city in your domain name. It makes it easy for local customers to find and remember you. For example, say your guitar repair shop is in Montreal, you can try MontrealGuitarRepairs.com.

    You can also consider using a country-specific domain extension, like BobsGuitarRepairs.ca.

  9. Use an appropriate domain name extension

    The .com domain extension is by far the most popular, up to 75% of websites on the Internet are .com domains. It is the preferred extension and the easiest to remember – people automatically think .com when you say domain name. If your first domain name choice isn’t available, you might want to try your second choice before settling for other domain extensions.

    There are other extensions that you can consider, like .net, .info, .biz.

  10. Be unique and memorable

    Having a domain name that’s catchy and memorable is essential. If you are marketing yourself, you can consider using your first and last name as your domain name (ie. johnsmith.com). If you are marketing your business, you should try to see if your business name is available.

    In the event that your business name is unavailable, try a different name or perhaps add a keyword or two.

  11. Research it for copyright and trademark

    Obviously, it is going to cost you a lot of time, money and headache if you’re sued for infringement. So make sure the name you’ve selected isn’t trademarked, copyrighted, or being used by another company. 

    Hopefully, with these suggestions in mind, you can easily choose the perfect domain name for your website.