To begin your online presence, you must choose an excellent domain name for your business.
Your domain name presents your brand image and gives your first impression to the users. Moreover, it helps customers locate you on the internet.
These steps will guide you in selecting an ideal domain name for your business on your first attempt.
Steps to Get the Best Domain Name
Understanding how to choose a proper domain name can feel challenging yet following basic steps makes it more manageable.
Every stage in the domain selection process supports your goal of finding a perfect business name representation.
1. Keep It Short and Simple
You can spread your domain name more easily since people will find it simpler to recall type and pass on. Our website becomes harder to discover when we use lengthy and complex domain names due to increased typo probability.
Your domain name should stay at 15 characters or fewer for memory and usability reasons. Avoid unnecessary words or symbols. The simpler your brand name is, the easier it becomes for people to remember it.
Example:
Bad: TheBestOrganicCoffeeShopInNewYork.com
Good: NYOrganicCoffee.com
2. Keep it Clear to spell and understand
When sharing your domain name with anyone on the call, most people struggle to memorize and type complex addresses, which reduces your website traffic. Use basic language and easy-to-understand abbreviations that users will recognise without mistakes.
Stick to:
- Common spellings
- Easy-to-pronounce words
- Words without silent letters or double meanings
Choose ExpertsForYou.com instead of the difficult-to-say Xpertz4U.com address.
3. Use Keywords Wisely
Placing keywords into your domain name helps improve SEO performance and clarifies your business type for users.
Having a website such as ChicagoBakery.com helps viewers and Google identify your location and business activities as a bakery in Chicago. But don’t overdo it! Domain names loaded with keywords appear unprofessional. Aim for a natural fit.
4. Choose the Right Domain Extension
Despite new domain options, .com remains the most trusted domain extension, as it is universally recognized. Since your first choice, a .com name, is unavailable, consider alternative possibilities such as .net and .co. To make it local for a specific area, you can use extensions such as .pk, .uk, or .ca.
5. Avoid Numbers and Hyphens
Every time you speak your domain name with numbers and hyphens in it, most people misunderstand what they hear. Is it 5 or five?
Do you place the hyphen inside or between words of a domain name? When users cannot convey these details orally, it causes them to pass up the site.
Use only letters in your domain name unless the number forms part of your brand name. However, finding the best domain name is the one that is easy to understand.
6. Make It Brandable
Your online address should demonstrate what your brand stands for. Your domain name needs to be easy to remember and stand out to customers, allowing them to associate it with your company.
Ask yourself:
- Does the choice resemble a genuine brand?
- Can customers recall the name after taking it only once?
- The domain name matches your business identity.
7. Avoid Copyright or Trademark Issues
Using a brand name that matches registered trademarks can harm your business through potential legal action and may require a replacement. Building your business becomes more expensive, and you lose company credibility.
How to avoid this:
Search your name on Google
Search trademarks in the USPTO database.
8. Think Long-Term
You need a domain name that can accommodate your upcoming business growth. A focused name can affect your growing business image.
For instance:
A domain name like OnlyNotebooks.com makes sense when starting with notebook sales, as it accurately describes your business focus. A name centered around office supplies, like NoteNest.com, works better when you plan to sell various workplace items instead of staying with notebooks at OnlyNotebook.com.
9. Register Your Domain Name Quickly
All good domain name options are quickly taken. Securing an exceptional domain name right away is important, as it may be taken by someone else. A competitor can seize it from you, given the chance.
So, as soon as you find out that your required domain name is available, get it registered through a reliable domain registrar like WebSouls.
Final Thoughts
The first online experience people have of your business depends mostly on your domain name. Follow the domain name selection tips, and keep it a clear, simple, seller-friendly name that will last in customers’ minds.
All in all, the best domain name should reflect the type of business you run!
Shahzad Ahmad Mirza is a web developer, entrepreneur, and trainer based in Lahore, Pakistan. He started his career in 2000 and founded his web development agency, Designs Valley, in 2012. Mirza also runs a YouTube channel, “Learn With Shahzad Ahmad Mirza,” where he shares his web programming and internet marketing expertise. He has trained over 50,000 students, many of whom have become successful digital marketers, programmers, and freelancers. He also created the GBOB (Guest Blog Posting Business) course, which teaches individuals how to make money online.
