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Choosing the right domain name

Choose A Domain Name for Your Brand.

hoosing the right domain name for your business is a big decision. Your domain name is more than the words you type into the browser, it’s the foundation for your online identity.

Choose the wrong domain name and you’ll end up doing your business a disservice. But, choose the right domain name and you’ll make your online success that much easier.

But, how exactly do you choose a good domain name for your blog or business?

We’ve got you covered. Below you’ll learn how to choose a domain name for your business, and the most important factors in getting your domain name right

What Makes a Good Brand Name?

There are plenty of theories and a few studies on what makes a good name. For example, a 2010 University of Alberta study found that consumers have a more positive reaction to brands with repetitively structured names, such as Coca-Cola, Kit Kat, and Jelly Belly.

While there is no magic formula, there are common traits that make a brand name easier for you to use and easier for other people to remember. Ideally, you want something that’s:

  • Meaningful: It communicates your brand essence, conjures an image, and cultivates a positive emotional connection.
  • Distinctive: It is unique, memorable, and stands out from your competitors.
  • Accessible: People can easily interpret it, say it, spell it, or Google it. (Even if you have an unusual or bizarre name, it must be understandable.)
  • Protectable: You can trademark it, get the domain, and “own” it, both legally and in the general consciousness.
  • Future-proof: It can grow with the company and maintain relevance—and be adapted for different products and brand extensions.
  • Visual: You can translate/communicate it through design, including icons, logos, colors, etc.

This is useful criteria to help you vet names, but there is really one question to determine whether a name is successful (note that we didn’t say “good” or “bad”). All that matters is this: Does it resonate with people?.

Keep it short

When in doubt, make your domain as short as possible. This will help with making your brand more memorable. The fewer characters your domain has the easier it’ll be to type, say, and share with friends.

While keywords are important, don’t go overboard with domain length. It’s better to have a domain name that’s short and memorable.

We recommend keeping your domain name under 15 characters. Longer domains are harder for your users to remember. Plus, since more internet users today use their smartphones to browse the web, you need to make it easy for them to type your domain into their browser

Not to mention, users will also be more prone to entering typos with longer domain names which can lead to loss traffic.

That’s why it’s a good idea to keep your domain length short.



Make Your Domain Name Easy to Pronounce and Spell

You should be able to easily share your domain name when speaking as well as writing. You never know when you’ll be asked to share your domain name in person.

If you’re planning to use your domain name to create a professional business email address, then it definitely should be easy to understand and spell for any listener.

Make it brandable

Brandable means that when you see or hear your domain it sounds like a brand. By looking at your domain name your visitors should be able to intuit what your website is going to be about. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to spell out exactly what your business does with a list of keywords but instead try to capture the essence of what you do.

When a customer sees a name like billreducer.com, they have one expectation in mind: this website is going to help me save money by reducing my bills in some way.

Choose a name that is going to let customers know what they are in for from the moment they read it. Your site should deliver what it says on the label, and your domain name is the label.

For example, if you sell pet supplies in Tulsa, www.tulsapetsupplies.com makes that clear to visitors in a way that, say, www.treatsandtoys.com does not.

Don’t make it confusing for your visitors to figure out what your business does. Say it all with a great domain name.

Unlock the power of keywords

Internet search is based on a framework of keywords and phrases when indexing addresses and sites, so why not take advantage of this when choosing your domain name?

Brainstorm keywords related to your organization and use these in shaping your chosen name. For example, your butcher’s shop might name meat, butcher, smoked, cured, savory, friendly, and service as descriptive keywords for your business. An appropriate name might then be SavoryService.com or TheSmilingButcher.com. Either domain respects the fact that search engines work off of such keywords when indexing and fetching information for users, while providing a description of what customers can expect in the process.

What keywords do people use to search for businesses like yours? Use them in your domain name if you can.