How to Choose a Domain Name
The perfect domain name for your website is simply “yourname.com,” correct? Well, if yours happens to be a household name that would probably be true, but the chances are that isn't the case. The best domain name brings potential customers to you quicker than your competition. Not everyone can be the top keyword search on Google, but with the proper domain name, the chances of being found by your ideal customer increase. When asked about how to choose the best domain name, we suggest the following criteria.
Keep Your Domain Name Short
The best way to get a name remembered is to keep it short. Once you get the basic concept of what your website offers down on paper, try to find a way to make the title short. People will remember one to three words easier than a long title that includes everything you offer. For example, if you sell home cleaning products that are all-natural, a title such as Naturally Clean Home will be easier to remember than something like, Chemical-free Cleaning Products for Your Whole House. The second title may be more exact, but the first title also gives a good idea and is easier to remember.
Consider Your Brand When Choosing A Domain Name
You spend a lot of time establishing and promoting your brand. By choosing a domain name that reflects your brand, you are always reinforcing it. Think about your brand and try to determine a title that reflects it.
Domain Name Spelling Rules
It may be tempting to try and stand out by misspelling a word, but you may end up limiting the number of people who find you. Consider what you would put in a search engine if you were looking for pet supplies for your dog. You would most likely look for “dog products.” You are not likely to pull up a business named “DawgProducts.com” as their domain name. They may very well sell the best choice for what you seek, but they won’t see you visiting their site if you don’t find them. In fact, try to pick a domain name that isn’t likely misspelled on a regular basis to avoid confusion.
A Matching Set
Your domain name and website title should be the same if at all possible. In this way, you almost guarantee that it will show up in searches. Hopefully, you included at least your main keyword within your website title. Then you will have your main keyword listed twice already, and you haven’t even gotten into the content.
Get Help Choosing Your Domain Name
Thinking up titles can be something that even people who write for a living have difficulty doing. Asking people who have lots of experience working with websites may help you get some ideas. Another place to help with ideas is to visit this page of Twelve Tools for Picking a Domain Name.
A Special Note
Once you have settled on your domain name and made sure it is available for purchase, there is something you can do to help protect it. Domain names are rather inexpensive, so buy as many of the extensions (.com, .net, .info, etc.) that you can. Also, if people misspell your name easily, consider buying some of the more common misspellings also. For example, people often miss type “SCV” as “CSV” thus messing up when they type our old company name. So, in this case, we bought “CSVHomeTownWeb.com” so that it can redirect to our website. Once you have the domains, set up a redirection from all the various domain names to your main site. In this way, if someone comes even close to the actual domain name you have, you won’t lose out on their visit. Following this will benefit you in the way of additional sales.
Final Words
Choosing a domain name can be time-consuming, but it is worth it if you get noticed in search results and remembered by people. The goal is to attract those who hear your domain name once and decide they want to check it out.
