How to Get the Right Domain Name for Your Business
A domain name is that part of your web address between “www” and “.com”. It is what your visitors type in the address bar when they want to visit your site. Choosing a domain name is among the most important decisions you’ll ever make for your online brand. When you get it right, it can do wonders for your marketing efforts. Here are some tips on coming up with the perfect domain name.
You want visitors to be able to remember your domain name in a snap. As a rule of thumb, your domain name shouldn’t exceed 14 characters. In addition to being short, your domain name should also be catchy, and memorable. Keep in mind that you might lose a sale if a customer can’t find your online store, so make it as easy as possible. Trusted domain name vendors like IONOS allow you to check the availability of many potential names so take the time to come up with several options. One should be available.
If you register another company’s trademark or copyright as a domain name, they can seize it from you. This can be devastating for your business, especially if you have established the domain as your online brand identity. Most intellectual property authorities provide an online portal where you can check if a name is already registered or available.
You can also choose to have a descriptive domain name that communicates your business, something like “apexplumbing.com”, for a sports site, make sure your domain alludes to your niche. This not only previews your line of work but can boost your ranking on search engines. If you serve a specific area, you can include it in your domain name, something like “wokingplumbing.com”. Your location and type of business serve as keywords that search engines will recognize when someone is searching for your services.
Your marketing efforts will be significantly improved if you are consistent across all your online channels. Your official social media accounts will be more effective if they are consistent with your domain name. Customers are more confident interacting with your brand on social media if they are familiar with your handles as part of your brand identity.
Your domain name shouldn’t be confusing, and research has shown that most web users will forget to include a hyphen or an underscore. Even worse, they can place it in the wrong position. Without the underscore or hyphen, visitors will either be directed to a different website or they will get an error message and assume your site went down. With numerals, visitors can get confused as to whether to spell out the number or use the numeral, instead of typing”big5.com” they may go for “bigfive.com” and vice-versa.
The dos and don’ts of web domain name selection include making it short and catchy, not using a registered trademark or copyright, and making it descriptive with keywords for SEO benefits. You should also check if it’s available as a social media handle and avoid characters like hyphens, underscores, and numerals which confuse users.
