Choosing the right domain name for your website can be very important to your business, so it’s a good idea to take some time and research some of your options before jumping right in and buying the first available name you find.
Here are some tips to help you choose an effective domain name for your business website.
Make it Unique
You don’t want your customers to be confused over which website is yours and which is your competitors, so try and find a domain name that stands out and separates you from the crowd. By all means, stay away from copyrighted names and brands to avoid lawsuits.
Your domain name is a big deal to search engines too, so think about what your customers might search for when trying to find your business and consider incorporating those words into your domain name. Just don’t over go overboard with the length of the name (see “Size Does Matter” below…).
Make it Memorable
Your domain name should be easy to remember and easy to spell. If your customers have to Google your website every time, then you risk giving your competitors a chance to bring them to their website instead. Likewise, if they have to search for the spelling of your name they may not think twice before going elsewhere.
Size Does Matter
Your domain name should be short enough for your customers to type in by hand. The longer the domain name is, the more chances your customer has to become confused and go to the wrong website.
You will also want your domain name to fit on your business cards and marketing material, so aim for twelve, maybe fifteen characters at the most before the domain name extension (.com, .net etc).
Go for the .com Ending
There are dozens of domain name extensions available (and hundreds more coming soon), but today’s consumers still consider the “.com” extension the mother of all extensions. Look for a .com extension first when choosing a domain name.
If that’s not possible, consider a domain with a “.net” extension, but avoid “.info” and others because consumers simply don’t respect them as much as a good old .com ending.
What tips do you have for choosing a domain name? Share them with us on Facebook and Twitter!