Picking a domain is one of the most important steps to establishing your online presence. It’s the backbone of your identity on the website and can be the core determinant for gaining visitors and building your brand. Following are 10 golden tips that you should know before identifying a domain name for either your corporate or personal website.
1. Keep It Short and Simple
Short names are easily remembered, typed, and shared. The length of the domain name should ideally be between 6-14 characters. Shrill, long, and complicated domain names with too many words may confuse users and can be prone to typos.
2. Spell and Pronounce It Easily
Your domain name should be easy for the people to spell and pronounce. If it is hard to pronounce or a bit tricky to write down, they may forget it or misspell it while trying to access your site. Simple words and common phrases are always better than jargon or complex terms.
3. Don’t use numbers and hyphens.
Numbers and hyphens are confusing. If you use a number, like “5” as opposed to “five” people don’t know if they should type the numeral or the word. Hyphens may be forgotten, or misremembered, triggering errors when a person tries to access your site.
4. Utilize Keywords Applicable to Your Business
If at all possible, include a keyword that gives a flavor of your business, industry, or niche. If you bake bread and behind-the-counter treats, a domain like “BestBakery.com” will tell all that this is what your website is about. This is also good for SEO since it might help with high ratings in search engine results.
5. Make It Brandable
Your domain name should reflect and be unique to your brand identity. A brandable domain is distinctive, catchy, outstandingly memorable, and all that other good stuff. It is not about what the word means; it’s about how it resonates with your audience. Create one that’s catchy, unique, and in line with the tone and personality the brand set.
6. Selecting the appropriate domain extension (.com, .org, .net, etc.)
While most of the domain extensions exist and are situated today, .com leads into the acceptance or trust by users. If your desired domain name is taken using the more familiar .com, it should be followed with .net and .co. Never use weird domain extensions except if that weird domain extension is directly linked to your brand; for instance, .tech could work for a technology site.
7. Avoid Trademark Infringement
Make sure your domain name does not violate trademarks or copyrights. Using a domain name which is considered ‘too similar’ to another company’s trademark could result in legal implications and may require you to rebrand later. Check the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or any other database relevant to your location in order to make sure your domain clears of conflicts.
8. Think Long-Term
Choose a domain name that will grow with your business. Avoid using something so narrow that when you come to expand or diversify, it may limit your future direction. For instance, if you deal with clothes, avoid a name like “TrendyJeans.com” while planning to sell all kinds of apparel in the future.
9. Verify Domain Availability on Social Media Sites
Before finally settling on a domain name, find out if it’s available on major social media sites. This ensures harmony in the online presence that you are trying to establish, and with harmonized domain and social media handles, it’s easier for your targeted audience to find you on every different platform.
10. Check Its SEO Potential
While keywords in the domain name are important, you also have to take a look at its SEO potential. Also, avoid the names that may mean something negative or bring unwanted associations-this will affect your ranking positions. Make sure the name isn’t connected with spam or other irrelevant content which may affect your authority.
Conclusion
Choosing a domain name is a big decision; it is one that will affect visibility, branding, and the overall success of your site. You want it to be simple and easy to remember, and preferably related to your brand. Following are the top 10 factors that you have to consider while selecting a domain name. Based on these key considerations, one can easily decide their path to enjoying a robust online presence.
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