Looking for the right domain name that fits your website or blog? Do you believe that individuals, organizations, or businesses must choose the right domain name and create a positive perception of your website? Going to start an online business or blog but looking at what could be the perfect name for your website and create a domain name related to your business or blog? Does the right domain name highly impact your website ranking on Google? We will discuss all these questions here and by reading the article, you will able you evaluate and work on research for the right domain name for your business or blog.
In the constantly growing internet ecosystem, sharing information or products and services online has become essential for any individual, business, and organization. It is tough to stress the importance of creating a strong online presence given the ongoing effect of the virtual world on how we interact, communicate and do business. A domain name is a digital address that serves as an identity, not only directs website visitors in the appropriate path but also captures the spirit of your brand, communicates your online objectives and acts as a crucial touch point for online interaction.
For example, Amazon’s web address or domain name is www.amazon.com. Here we all know Amazon is an SLD (Second-Level Domain) and .com are TLD (Top-Level Domain). Any customer who wants to purchase any item on Amazon just needs to go to the browser and type their domain name, which is readable and easy to remember. The User could go and type their IP and access the website like “176.32.98.166” without a domain name which is less user-friendly and difficult to remember. Therefore, Domain name facilitates the users or customers to access the website just by typing the domain name.
Welcome to Daphe Host, In this particular article, we will explore on How to choose the right domain name for your business and your brand. This article will provide you a best understanding related to domain name selection for your website and reflect your business and brands.
Before we move on to choosing the right domain for a website and blog, let’s understand what exactly is Domain name and the types of domain names. A domain name is generally a text-based label for the substitute of Internet Protocol (IP). A domain name works as a memorable and understandable text instead of huge numbers to access the website. In simple words, Domain names are also called “web addresses” that people use on the browser address bar to search a website. To explore more on domain name- check out our previous article on ” what is domain name and Types of Domain Names?“
Types of Domain Name
Top Level Domains (TLDs)
The most popular type of domain name any individual or organization trust are the top-level domain (TLD) which is an extension used after the domain name that comes after the last dot such as .com, .net, .gov, .org, and many more. Top-level domain names can be categorized into two levels i.e. Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) and Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD)
The above examples are Generic Top-Level Domain name that defines the domain class as .com for a business or trust individual or company, .gov for government organizations, .org for an organization, and so on.
Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD
Similarly, Country Code Top-level Domain names (ccTLD) are the domain extensions that represent a particular country or geographic location or territory. They are generally two-letter domain extensions used such as .us for the USA, .uk for the United Kingdom, .jp for Japan and the list goes on.
Third Level Domain Name
Third-level domain names are also known as subdomains. The domain name is used before the Second-Level Domain (SLD). The most common example of Third Level Domain is www. Which means the World Wide Web when we access any website. As a domain user, the owner can create a subdomain name that represents a particular section of the website. Here are some examples of subdomain names commonly used by owners of domain names.
If you are an owner of abcwebsite.com the subdomain can be blog.abcwebsite.com: This subdomain section represents the blog section of your website which helps you to provide regular information about your brand or products in gain traffic to your website.
Shop.abcwebsite.com: You can create this subdomain if you have products to sell. This will help you gain customers quickly and purchase products instead of mixing all the information on a single domain name.
Support.abcwebsite.com: If your website offers customer support service, this will help your customer’s inquiries and issues directly access your domain name and receive help
New General Top Level Domain (nTLDs
To the needs and requests of individuals and businesses, ICANN approved the New General Top Level Domain in October 2013. According to ICANN, more than 1,300 nTLDs were introduced such as
- .app
- .cloud
- .earth
- .club
- .cool
- .co
- .heath
How to Choose the Right Domain Name
Choosing the Right Domain Name for your website will not be difficult if you follow all of these 15 Tips. We have explained these tips which will definitely guide you in choosing the right domain name and creating a website or blog.
Keep it Simple and Short
The first Tip you need to consider about creating your domain name is simple and short so your audience will find it simpler to remember that they can easily type names on the browser access your website and share the short domain name with others. Long domain names are difficult to remember and have a high chance of typo mistakes.
For example travelnepal.com vs. welcometravelnepalnow.com. Which domain name example would you choose among the two? The first option is the best to choose as it is short and simple which is easy to remember
Make it Easy to Spell and Pronounce
Imagine someone who hears your domain name for the first time and afterwards tries to write it out. When your website is easy to spell and pronounce, your target audience will easily be able to locate your website.
For example homeappliances.com vs. homiappliances.com. The first is easy to spell and easy to understand with good phonetic intuition. Your audience can find your website without any problem
Reflect your Brand or Company
Your domain name should always reflect what you are going to offer. Let’s say in other words a niche. Your domain name acts as a quick representation of your brand or your business. If you can, describe your sector, your specialist, or your business aim through your domain name.
For example heathcentre.com vs. welcomejohn.com. The first option represents your brand or company and the second option represents just a name but does not represent any ideas on anything. Which one will you choose here? Of course the first option.
Avoid Numbers and Hyphens as far as possible
Use numbers and Hyphens when communicating your domain name or sharing might create confusion. People might misunderstand whether it is written in words or numbers, or the text with hyphens or without it. This can sometimes lead to the wrong website which generally happens.
zerotolerance.com vs. my-0tolerance.com. The first can be the better option to choose than the second option because the first option is clear and understandable but the second option is confusing whether it’s zero (0) or an alphabet (O) and includes Hyphen.
Choose the Right Domain Extension
We have discussed earlier about the types of domain extensions. Every domain extension has its defined value. However, commonly used domain extensions are the Top-Level Domain (TLDs) such as .com, .net, .gov, .org, and so on. Among these Top-Level Domain names, .com is the most used domain extension enhancing the identification of your brand.
For example travelnepal.com vs. travelnepal.us. We all know Nepal is an Asian country and using domain extension .us somehow misrepresents which country operating the site. Is the site created for the US only or for the global?
Target Relevant Keyword
The right keyword on the domain name helps in website ranking and brings search engine visibility. This also helps users immediately comprehend the features and goals of your website.
For example solutionwordpress.com vs. wesolveweb.com. Among both options, option one has a relevant target keyword with what you are offering through your website.
Avoid Copyright
When selecting the right domain name, make sure your domain name does not conflict with any trademark or copyright that has already been registered. Do proper research before selecting the name. Legal disputes may arise and be costly and harm your brand reputation as well.
Consider for Future Growth
When selecting a domain name, create a name that focuses on your current business but also has the potential for expansion. If your domain is too limiting, it can restrict your alternatives as your firm develops.
For example sweetcakes.com vs. bakeryhouse.com. Both options can be the best domain names for a company that sells cakes and cake items. But sweetcakes.com can be a limiting domain name whereas bakeryhouse.com has more potential if in the future you sell cakes and even café or bread manufacturing.
Think Long Term
Changing domain names from one to another might be difficult and have a negative effect on your internet visibility. Hence, create a domain name aiming that will still be appropriate and suitable as your blog, business or organization grows.
Availability on Social Media
Social Media also plays an important role in generating traffic to your website. Make sure that the usernames that are already accessible on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and other Social media correspond to the domain name you have chosen.
Use Domain Name Generator
If you are confused about what name should be best for your domain and your business. You can get help from online tools that generate domain names and suggest numbers of names based on your preference and keywords. This domain name generator frequently offers original ideas that you would not have come up with on your own.
Test Pronunciation and Spelling
Provide domain names that are easy to pronounce and can be spelt correctly. For that, you can share the name with your family and friends to check whether they are able to pronounce and spell well. This will give you some ideas to choose which name can be appropriate for your domain name.
Trendy Names Should Be Avoided
Avoid trendy or viral names as possible as you can. It might seem using the trendy name as a good idea but we should also keep in mind that the trends keep changing with time. Therefore, choose the name that will remain relevant.
Check For Similar Domain
The domain name you choose should not be similar to other existing names. This will confuse your readers about which one your website is. Therefore, the best option is to choose a name that is exclusive to your business.
Purchase Similar Variation
If you can afford and want to safeguard your brand and blog from your competitors, you can purchase similar variations of your domain name or common misspellings of your domain.
Use Unique or Unusual name
This can sometimes be the best option to choose if you want to create unique products that any other existing in the market. They do not have definite meanings but the name itself gives the meaning to a word. For example, Facebook.com, Tiktok.com, and YouTube.com do not have definite meanings but the world itself creates meaning and their business. It might be not appropriate for everyone but is great for new businesses in the market.
FAQs on How to Choose the Right Domain Name
Why is it important to keep the domain name short?
A short domain name means it is easy to read, understand and remember for your audience which automatically helps you gain traffic and revisit your website when they want to.
How does a relevant keyword help a domain name?
Using relevant keywords in your domain name can improve search engine visibility and users can find your website easily.
What is the best option if your preferred domain extension (.com) is not available?
There are various domain name extensions available in the market. If your preferred domain name extension is not available you can use other top-level domain extensions such as .net, and .org, or you can also use New General Top Level Domain based on your business niche such as .blog, .design, or .store. However, one best suggestion is to choose another second-level domain to avoid copyright issues and confusion for your audiences.
Can I change the domain name in the future if needed?
Yes, you can change your domain name in future if necessary but this can harm your branding and SEO efforts. Therefore, choosing the right domain name means choosing the best domain name that can be used for the long term.
How to check for Copyright issues related to my domain name?
Proper research should be done when selecting a domain name for your website. Make sure that your selected domain name does not conflict with other already registered trademarks by doing a trademark search using databases.
How do I find available usernames on Social media platforms?
Some of the popular tools such as Namechk and KnowEM help you find username is available on various social media.
