How to Choose a Domain Name

In the digital age, your domain name is one of your most important assets. It’s how customers find your website and get a first impression of your brand. 

To maximize your perceived authority and legitimacy, you need to pick a domain name that is easy to remember and reflects the values of your company.

In addition, you need to be mindful of SEO when choosing a domain name. Using keywords can make your website more visible, but a complicated, multi-word domain name may also turn customers off.

The right domain name balances SEO, branding, and memorability – which is why choosing the right one can be so crucial. Do this right, and you’ll be setting up your business for success.

Below, we’ll cover a few vetted tips on how to choose a domain name for your business.

Keep it short and simple

A domain name should be easy to remember and easy to type. Avoid using hyphens or numbers in place of words, as this can make it difficult for people to find your website.

Try to stay away from long, complicated keyword phrases that will be difficult for people to remember or spell. Instead, keep it as short as possible without sacrificing your branding or ranking potential.

You’ll want to make sure your domain name is relevant to your business or website. Choose a name that accurately represents what you do or what you’re offering.

Also, you’ll want to make sure your domain name is available. Run a search to see if the domain name you want is already in use. If it is, you’ll need to choose another one. Keep these criteria in mind as you choose a domain name for your website.

Make it reflective of your brand

Your domain name should be reflective of your brand. It’s an opportunity to show customers who you are and what you’re all about.

This can prove to be a challenge, but it’s important to make sure your domain name is reflective of your brand. Here are a few tips:

🧐 Keep it relevant

Your domain name should be relevant to what you do or sell. If you’re a plumbing company, for example, try to include keywords like “plumbing” or “pipes” in your domain name. This way, people searching for a plumbing company online are more likely to find you.

🥳 Make it memorable

A great domain name is easy to remember and simple to type. Avoid using numbers or hyphens, and keep it as short as possible. You want people to be able to find your website easily, without having to guess how to spell it.

🌐 Use your location

Tom from UppercutSEO, a leading SEO Company, stated that if you’re targeting a local audience, include your city or state in your domain name. This will help people searching for businesses in your area find you more easily.

🚀 Consider the Future

Ensure your domain name is future-proof. Avoid overly specific names that could restrict future expansion. Choose a versatile and scalable name that will still be relevant as your brand grows.

📜 Check for Unintended Meanings

Be mindful of accidental word combinations in your domain name that might spell out unintended or inappropriate words. Say it out loud, and get feedback from others to catch any potential misinterpretations before finalizing.

🤝 Brainstorm with others

Trying to come up with a great domain name on your own can be difficult. Get some friends or colleagues together and brainstorm some ideas. You might be surprised at what you come up with!

Don’t get attached to your favorite word, phrase, or abbreviation

It’s your business name, not your vanity project. You may love cool words or phrases but if they aren’t going to help people find you, choose something else. Be creative and pick something simple, so it is easy for customers, clients, and others to remember.

Use domain name tips that have worked well in other brands; they will help you come up with a domain name. Just think of how simple Netflix’s URL is. A little creativity can go a long way here—create something short and memorable by adding common words (for example, delish) or using acronyms (e.g., EPA).

Try a domain name generator

If you’re having trouble coming up with a good domain name, you should try using a domain name generator. A domain name generator is a tool that can suggest potential domain names based on keywords that you provide. There are many different domain name generators available online, and they can be a great way to brainstorm potential names for your website or blog.

When choosing a domain name generator, look for one that allows you to input multiple keywords and gives you a variety of results. This way, you’ll have a better chance of finding a unique and memorable domain name for your site. You should also avoid domain name generators requiring you to provide personal information, which could lead to spam email messages.

Once you’ve found a domain name generator that you’re happy with, simply enter your desired keywords and see what results come up. If you’re not satisfied with the first batch of results, try changing your keywords or tweaking the settings on the generator.

Keep these tips in mind as you choose a domain name for your business. With a little bit of thinking and creativity, you can find a great domain name that accurately represents and fits your brand and helps you attract customers.

Register your domain in all relevant extensions

Before you start thinking of names, register your domain in all relevant extensions. That way, when you hit on something great, you can grab it immediately. Plus, having multiple options makes it more likely that someone else won’t snatch up your exact name before you do.

And even if they do, multiple extensions help your business seem larger and more credible than competitors with a single option. As an added bonus, having all possible extensions gives customers and searchers more avenues to find you.

The most popular domain name extension is .com, which is usually the first one people think of when looking for a website. But there are other options out there, like .net, .org, and .io.

You don’t necessarily need to register your domain name with all of these extensions, but it’s a good idea to at least register the .com version. That way, you can make sure that no one else takes it.

Check if the name you want is available on social media sites

Social media is a huge part of marketing your business these days. So it’s important to make sure that the domain name you want is available on all the major social media sites. That way, you can create a consistent brand identity across all platforms.

To check if a name is available on social media, just do a quick search on each site. If the name you want is already taken, try adding an underscore or other character between the words.

For example, if the name “Acme Plumbing” is already taken on Twitter, you could try “Acme_Plumbing” or “Acme-Plumbing.”

Picking the right TLD

Choosing the best TLDs or top-level domains for your website is like choosing a name for your child. You can’t take it back later (unless you’re willing to pay an exorbitant fee). If you pick .com, people will look there first, which could be extremely helpful when it comes time to draw in customers.

Or, maybe .net is more useful because those types of websites often rank higher on search engines, and they don’t have all of that baggage associated with dot coms. Or perhaps something totally different like .local or .xyz will help people remember your website.

Picking the right domain extension

If you’re wondering how long should a domain name be, we recommend picking one between five and 12 characters. The shorter your domain is, the easier it will be to type and share—but remember that most users won’t be able to remember such lengthy URLs. Also, consider what device you’ll be accessing your site on when deciding on a URL length.

If it is usually accessed from mobile devices (where links are often truncated), don’t use so many characters that they become unwieldy and difficult to read on smaller screens. Conversely, if you’re writing primarily for desktop browsers, which typically display longer URLs without issue, you can get away with being more creative with your URL.

Avoid blends, words, and punctuation marks

In general, stay away from using blends and words when you’re naming your website. For example, avoid starting your domain name with a website, web, or internet. The best websites are ones that are easy to remember and don’t feel generic.

That’s why it’s recommended that you use words that stand out on their own and don’t already have meanings associated with them. Stay away from punctuation marks in your domain name as well; they’ll make it harder for search engines to categorize your site correctly.

Go easy on special characters

When it comes to selecting a domain name, some people go out of their way to use odd characters (like ñ or ß) and special words (kittens or karaoke). They do so with hopes that these names will look more fancy and cool, but in reality, using strange characters is distracting.

The best domain names are simple and easy to remember. In fact, when you hear them, they make sense in your mind. If they don’t come naturally or are hard to remember, think about why and try another one; there are plenty of options available from hosts like GoDaddy.

Since most URLs max out at 64 characters, you don’t have much room for creativity—all domain extensions combined only give you about 45 letters.

Check for availability

Before you get too attached to a name, check it on available domain sites like GoDaddy or Google. See if there are any similar businesses out there with similar names. If there is one, consider talking with them about changing your name so that you don’t step on their toes.

Once you register your domain, be sure to maintain it by setting up email forwarding and forwarders from social media profiles (like Facebook). Otherwise, people might end up at another website when they go looking for yours!

Final words

Like choosing a name for your child, choosing a domain name is very important. Whether you are starting a new business or rebranding an existing one, the name you choose will be with you for a long time.

Keep it short, make it descriptive, and make sure it’s something you can live with for a long time. With these tips in mind, you’ll be sure to choose a domain name that works best for you and your business. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think in the comments below.

FAQs

What makes a good domain name?

A good domain name is important for two big reasons: SEO benefits and top-level domain authority. SEO benefits come from having keywords in your domain name that people are searching for on search engines.

When your website comes up as a result of those keyword searches, you’re more likely to get traffic to your site. Top-level domain authority means having a .com, .net, or .org extension for your domain name. These are the most trusted domains by both users and search engines, so it’s a smart idea to get one of these if you can.

Can someone steal your domain name?

Someone could theoretically steal your domain name if you don’t protect it. This is called domain hijacking, and it can happen if you let your domain name registration lapse or if you use an insecure registrar.

To protect your domain name, make sure to renew it before it expires and use a registrar that has robust security measures in place.

How much does it cost to own a domain name?

A new domain name costs between $10 and $20 per year. You’ll need to renew it every year to keep it active, and you may also need to pay for additional services like web hosting, email hosting, and domain privacy.

Why should I buy a domain name?

Domain names are not necessary for creating an online presence. However, owning your own domain name gives you control over your online identity, and owning a domain is important for your online brand and confidence.

How to choose a domain name for my small business? (add an internal link here)

Choosing a domain name for your small business is a big decision. You want something that’s easy to remember, reflects your brand and is available to register.

You would need to keep it short and sweet. Long domain names are difficult to remember and type. If you choose a domain name that’s too similar to another site, people might get confused and go to the wrong site.

What is the best type of domain name for a business use?

The best way to get a domain name for business use is to buy a .com, .net, or .org domain. These are the most trusted domains by both users and search engines.

Is .com or .org better?

The true answer is that it depends on what website you are trying to create. For example, a website for a business will generally look more professional with a .com extension, while a website for a non-profit organization will appear more credible with a .org extension.

This can help give your website instant credibility. And since .org domains are less common than .com domains, choosing one can help your website stand out from the crowd. So which is the best domain for you? 

Ultimately, it comes down to what you’re looking for in a website. If you want something that’s recognizable and easy to remember, go with .com. But if you’re looking to add credibility or make your website stand out, go with .org.

How to find available domain names?

You can use a domain name availability checker tool to see if a domain name is available. If it’s not, you can try variations or different TLDs until you find one that’s available.

Should your domain name be your business name?

It is not uncommon for a business to choose a domain name that is different from its business name. In fact, there are many advantages to doing so! A domain name different from your business name can be easier to remember, and it can help you build a separate online identity for your business.

Some businesses choose to use their business name as their domain name, and if this is possible for your business, it can be a great way to build brand recognition and make it easier for customers to find your website. However, if your business name is not available as a domain name, don’t worry – there are plenty of other options to choose from.

What is the difference between a business name and a domain name?

The difference between a business name and a domain name is that a business name is your company’s official, legally-recognized name, while a domain name is the address of your website. You can have the same or similar name for both, but they serve different purposes.

A domain name is what people will type into a web browser to find your website. It’s how customers will find you online, and it’s an important part of your brand. On the other hand, a business name is used for official purposes like registering your company with the government or opening a business bank account.