Five things you need to know about choosing a great domain name
If you’re getting ready to launch a new website, you’ll make one of your most important decisions straight off the bat: choosing a domain name. Your domain, or your website’s URL, is the foundation of your site and will shape the remainder of your online presence. So choosing a great one is kind of a really big deal.
But good news! At Name.com, helping people find domains they love is what we do best. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Sovrn to share our wealth of advice on how to choose a great domain name.
- Make it short and sweet
- TLDs matter
- Your domain is part of your brand. What do you want it to say about you?
- Be flexible—but stick to your guns
- You may need more than one domain
You want your domain name to be fairly short, so ideally it will be between one and four words long. Make sure to use words that are easy to spell—anyone who verbally hears your domain name should be able to type the right URL into the address bar on the first try. Also, beware of intentional misspellings. While brands like Flickr, Reddit, and Tumblr all managed to successfully pull it off, it takes a serious amount of marketing and exposure to get to that point.
What’s on the right side of the dot is just as important as what you put on the left! Make sure you choose a domain ending that reflects your brand in a relevant, interesting way. A great way to stand out online is by using a New Domain for your website. Early adopters of domains like .NINJA, .SOCIAL, .NEWS, and more can take advantage of a less crowded domain space and create a standout web presence.
Your web address is often the first impression that online visitors get of you or your business. A domain name that sounds unprofessional, like www.iluvpuppies55.com, will likely leave a negative impression on visitors before they even get to your website. Also remember that whatever domain name you choose will likely serve as social media handles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Luckily, there are tools you can use to simplify the process of checking for name availability across multiple platforms.
You may come up with the perfect idea for a domain name only to find out that it’s being sold at a premium price of $5,000. For some businesses, that cost may be worth it. But for others, that sum may be far out of reach. Decide what your priorities are for your domain and adjust accordingly when you encounter roadblocks.
Ok, hear me out: Having a primary domain that uses your exact company or website name is great! It’s easy to remember and perfect for people who search directly for you or your website. But in most cases, using a company name as your URL means you miss out on the opportunity to maximize your search relevance by integrating keywords directly into your domain. By having one primary domain and one or multiple complementary domains that redirect visitors back to your main site, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. For example, you can use a .NEWS domain to link back to your blog, or .REVIEWS to send visitors to a testimonial page.
Your domain name sets the tone for the rest of your website—it’s not something you want to rush into unprepared! Keep all of these tips in mind when registering your domain, and you’ll be able to find a domain name that is perfect for you and your website.
