To many, this seems like a no brainer. Your domain name should be your business name, end of story – right? It isn’t really that simple. In fact, picking the perfect domain name for your site isn’t only difficult, it may be one of the most important decisions you make for your new website. From extensions (.com, .net, .us et al) to name length, your domain name may be the single thing you need your potential customer to remember. Don’t forget, many of the “best” names may already be taken. In a perfect world, the name you want will still be available, but in most cases they have already been snapped up. So, you are faced with a conundrum: how to pick the perfect name.
First, remember that shorter is better. You want a name that is easy to remember. Consider the owner of a new organic dog food company. While it may be true that www.bestorganicdogfoodintheworld.com might appear to be perfect, the name is simply too long. Potential customers might easily forget this lengthy name. Instead, the owner should search for a shorter domain name that will be easier to remember
Next, your extension does matter. While .com used to be pretty much your only choice, today there are multiple extensions available. Extensions like .net and .org are just a few of the alternatives. Ideally, choose the .com extension if possible. Remember that most surfers will default to .com if they are not sure of the correct extension. This could mean your potential customer winds up at a competitors site. Only consider using one of the other extensions if the ‘perfect’ domain name is not available with a .com extension and then be prepared to do some heavy marketing to ensure customers wind up with you and not your competition.
When possible, include your #1 keyword right in your domain name. Doing this will actually make your site rank higher with most search engines. This is because most surfers will actually search by your keyword. Using our organic dog food business as an example, most of the people looking for you will search by the phrase “organic dog food,” so, if possible, it should be included in your domain name. Be careful though – it is very easy to end up with a long domain name by including a key ‘phrase’ instead of a key “word.”
It is a great idea to look at expired domain names while you are trying to find the perfect name for your site. These names are often short, easy to remember and use the .com extension. There are registries of expired domain names for you to peruse and if you find the name of your dreams, contacting the current owner is usually easy. Even better, many of these expired names can be bought for a pittance.
Finally, don’t rely on gimmicks or trick words for your domain name. It may seem like a good idea to use www.gr8dogfood.com, believing surfers will remember the unique way you spelled great, but they are just as likely to spell it conventionally and end up at a competitor’s site.
Picking the best domain name should be done with care and thought as it can make a big difference in how many people find their way to your site. Don’t forget to put up a ‘park’ page once you have purchased the name. Include keywords and some links on it. This won’t only ‘hold’ your name; it will give some ‘age’ to the site when you finally put it up!
Contact us if you want to get that great domain name, we are domain brokers and we can help.
How to Choose a Domain Name for my Website
First, remember that shorter is better. You want a name that is easy to remember. Consider the owner of a new organic dog food company. While it may be true that www.bestorganicdogfoodintheworld.com might appear to be perfect, the name is simply too long. Potential customers might easily forget this lengthy name. Instead, the owner should search for a shorter domain name that will be easier to remember
Next, your extension does matter. While .com used to be pretty much your only choice, today there are multiple extensions available. Extensions like .net and .org are just a few of the alternatives. Ideally, choose the .com extension if possible. Remember that most surfers will default to .com if they are not sure of the correct extension. This could mean your potential customer winds up at a competitors site. Only consider using one of the other extensions if the ‘perfect’ domain name is not available with a .com extension and then be prepared to do some heavy marketing to ensure customers wind up with you and not your competition.
When possible, include your #1 keyword right in your domain name. Doing this will actually make your site rank higher with most search engines. This is because most surfers will actually search by your keyword. Using our organic dog food business as an example, most of the people looking for you will search by the phrase “organic dog food,” so, if possible, it should be included in your domain name. Be careful though – it is very easy to end up with a long domain name by including a key ‘phrase’ instead of a key “word.”
It is a great idea to look at expired domain names while you are trying to find the perfect name for your site. These names are often short, easy to remember and use the .com extension. There are registries of expired domain names for you to peruse and if you find the name of your dreams, contacting the current owner is usually easy. Even better, many of these expired names can be bought for a pittance.
Finally, don’t rely on gimmicks or trick words for your domain name. It may seem like a good idea to use www.gr8dogfood.com, believing surfers will remember the unique way you spelled great, but they are just as likely to spell it conventionally and end up at a competitor’s site.
Picking the best domain name should be done with care and thought as it can make a big difference in how many people find their way to your site. Don’t forget to put up a ‘park’ page once you have purchased the name. Include keywords and some links on it. This won’t only ‘hold’ your name; it will give some ‘age’ to the site when you finally put it up!
Contact us if you want to get that great domain name, we are domain brokers and we can help.