How To Choose That Perfect Domain Name
A domain is the entrance to your website, the front door to everything you have online.
Without one, no visitor can walk through you door and view your products or want your services, so the importance on choosing the right domain is crucial, which is probably why it can take so much time.
It is rumoured that 100% of all 2 and 3 character domain names are now taken, so unless you have many hours to spare checking this fact, you are going to have to look at longer alternatives.
You can rest with the peace of mind that you have an astonishing 63 characters to play with, so even the largest company name in the world should be OK when it comes to choosing a relevant domain name.
Choosing a domain name is normally equal to choosing your company name, it is the one area that will probably take you the longest to decide upon.
Choosing a domain name is easy, choosing a brilliant domain name will normally take you a long time, because even if you can decide what you want, you will quite often run into the barrier that someone else has already beaten you too it! You can buy domain names from leading sellers like 123-reg or GoDaddy and you can normally buy them with your hosting company as well.
All domains have a controlling body, in the UK it is Nominet but around the world you will find that all domains are controlled by a body which can step in to sort any issues out should they arise, which is more common than you might think.
If you are looking to buy a domain name, we have some useful tips below to make sure you choose the correct on.
Keep It Short - If your URL is going to be on the company car or on the back of other types of advertising material, you might want to consider something really short and easy to remember.
There is no harm in having a main URL that you can optimise easily and another short URL that people can type in and the domain is redirected to your proper site.
Either way, try to keep your URL easy to remember, easy to spell and don't make it the challenge of a life time for any visitor trying to access your site.
Avoid Misspelling Opportunities - If you have a keyword that is either hard to spell or has different variations our advice would be to look for alternatives, because the last thing you need is people ending up elsewhere because they can not spell your domain name.
Choose Extension Wisely - If your services are mainly aimed the UK, then make sure you go for a co.
uk.
If you are looking to offer things further afield then a.
com is always a good bet and if you are in other countries try to get the correct extension for that country.
In our experience, it is only the location extensions and the.
com that ever really ranks very well, so try to stick to these if you can.
Think About The SEO - Having a keyword or two within your domain is always a good idea if you can get away with it, because the domain name is part of the overall ranking factor.
If you have a company selling washing machines, you could always have a domain name with washing machines and your company name, but if you are location specific then it can also be a good idea to get the location into your url as well.
Do take some time when it comes to choosing your domain name, as once you have it and have spent months and years optimising it and getting rankings, the last thing you will want to do is move to something else.
Without one, no visitor can walk through you door and view your products or want your services, so the importance on choosing the right domain is crucial, which is probably why it can take so much time.
It is rumoured that 100% of all 2 and 3 character domain names are now taken, so unless you have many hours to spare checking this fact, you are going to have to look at longer alternatives.
You can rest with the peace of mind that you have an astonishing 63 characters to play with, so even the largest company name in the world should be OK when it comes to choosing a relevant domain name.
Choosing a domain name is normally equal to choosing your company name, it is the one area that will probably take you the longest to decide upon.
Choosing a domain name is easy, choosing a brilliant domain name will normally take you a long time, because even if you can decide what you want, you will quite often run into the barrier that someone else has already beaten you too it! You can buy domain names from leading sellers like 123-reg or GoDaddy and you can normally buy them with your hosting company as well.
All domains have a controlling body, in the UK it is Nominet but around the world you will find that all domains are controlled by a body which can step in to sort any issues out should they arise, which is more common than you might think.
If you are looking to buy a domain name, we have some useful tips below to make sure you choose the correct on.
Keep It Short - If your URL is going to be on the company car or on the back of other types of advertising material, you might want to consider something really short and easy to remember.
There is no harm in having a main URL that you can optimise easily and another short URL that people can type in and the domain is redirected to your proper site.
Either way, try to keep your URL easy to remember, easy to spell and don't make it the challenge of a life time for any visitor trying to access your site.
Avoid Misspelling Opportunities - If you have a keyword that is either hard to spell or has different variations our advice would be to look for alternatives, because the last thing you need is people ending up elsewhere because they can not spell your domain name.
Choose Extension Wisely - If your services are mainly aimed the UK, then make sure you go for a co.
uk.
If you are looking to offer things further afield then a.
com is always a good bet and if you are in other countries try to get the correct extension for that country.
In our experience, it is only the location extensions and the.
com that ever really ranks very well, so try to stick to these if you can.
Think About The SEO - Having a keyword or two within your domain is always a good idea if you can get away with it, because the domain name is part of the overall ranking factor.
If you have a company selling washing machines, you could always have a domain name with washing machines and your company name, but if you are location specific then it can also be a good idea to get the location into your url as well.
Do take some time when it comes to choosing your domain name, as once you have it and have spent months and years optimising it and getting rankings, the last thing you will want to do is move to something else.
Source...