How to Choose the Best Domain Name?

Your domain name is the key element of your website. Therefore, it is critical to choose the right domain name that works for your business. It can make a difference between creating a successful web presence or getting lost in cyberspace.

With nearly 2 billion websites in circulation, the competition for the perfect domain name is fiercer than ever. So how do you choose the perfect domain name for your website?

1. Going beyond .com

The most popular domain ending or TLD (top-level domain) is .com, but there are now a wide variety of TLDs, i.e, .co. You can find the full list of new TLDs by seeing the dropdown list at https://choose.domains. With many TLDs to choose from, brands now have more options to create a distinctive domain name that quickly communicates the purpose and value of their offering. Because new TLDs haven't been around that long, short and memorable domain names are often still available and they don't adversely affect your SEO.

2. Get premium domains

If your desired domain name is not available, don’t despair. Your dream domain might still be available, but it will probably cost you. A current operating business may be using the domain, but oftentimes, domains are purchased and never used, or the domain was snatched up as an investment and is for sale. These are known as Premium Domains. If you are convinced that your business must have a certain unavailable domain name to succeed, investing in a premium domain name upfront could pay off in the long run.The cost of a premium domain name will vary based on several factors, but consider taking a long-term view on its value when formulating your brand.

3. Make your address mobile-friendly

Mobile devices drive 54.4% of internet traffic as of the fourth quarter of 2021.

Mobile website traffic (Image source: Statista)

More than half of the people using your domain address are going to be using a mobile device to get there. When you’re picking your domain name, try it out on your mobile phone first. How easy is it to type? You might want to have someone a little less savvy try it out on your phone.

4. Add keywords in your domain name

Include the keywords that people enter when searching for your products or services. By using keywords in your domain name, you tell the search engines what your website is about and it helps improve your rank on search engines (which increases traffic). Try using keywords that describe your business and the services you offer. For example, if you’re in the logistics business and your company name is ABC, you may want to register AbcLogistics.com or AbcLogistics.co.

5. Keep your domain name short, easy to pronounce and spell

Make sure your domain name is short, easy to remember, type, and say. This is valuable for word-of-mouth advertising because those visitors will need to visit your domain directly, but it also matters for processing fluency. Stay away from domain names that include numbers or other non-standard characters, use unusual spelling, or are longer than about 15 characters. Longer domains are harder for your users to remember. Not to mention, users will also be more prone to entering typos with longer domain names which can lead to less traffic.

6. Keep it unique and brandable

Your domain name must be unique, so you can stand out in your visitors’ minds. When you choose a domain name, make sure the name you’ve selected isn’t trademarked, copyrighted or being used by another company. It could result in a legal mess that could cost you a fortune, as well as your domain!

7. Avoid hyphens and numbers in domain name

Never create a domain name with hyphens and numbers. Hyphens or numbers can be a sign of spam domains which you do not want to be associated with. Hyphenated or numbered domains are also prone to typos. If you choose a domain name with hyphens and numbers because the domain you want is already taken, then your users will likely end up at your competitor’s site if they forget to type in the hyphen or numbers.

8. Leave room to expand

It’s smart to choose a domain name that’s related to your industry / niche because it gives users some idea of what your website is about. But you also don’t want to limit your long term options too much. For example, a fish breeder might choose a domain name like goldfishblog.com, but then he/she may want to start blogging about other fish species besides goldfish. In that case, the domain might prevent you from attracting readers interested in other fish.

9. Use domain name generator for better ideas

Searching for individual domain names manually can be very time consuming. Tens of thousands of domain names have been registered. This leads to many people saying that all good domains are already taken. This is where domain name generator come in. These free tools automatically search for your defined keywords to find hundreds of great domain name ideas. We recommend using our domain name generator, which is one of the most popular domain name generator tools online.

10. Don’t wait until someone else takes it

Each day thousands of new domain names are registered from all parts of the world. If you have found a domain name that you like, then don’t wait too long. Domain names are like real estate. Thousands of people are actively looking for good brandable domain names that they can register for better rates in the future. If you don’t act fast, then someone may go ahead and register your domain idea. Since domain names are relatively cheap, we always recommend our readers to act fast. If you change your mind later, then you can simply let it expire.