How to Select the Best Possible Domain Name for Building a Real Brand	2.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
Catherrine Garcia May 08, 2018

Are you starting a new business? And, looking to buy a new domain?

If you do, then keep reading.

Domains are one of the most intricate aspects of a business. And, that’s why it should be chosen with care. In this article, we will focus down on why it is important and also share essential tips that you need to know for choosing a domain name.

As we already mentioned domain name is crucial to the success of a business. Generally, after getting a proper domain name, business try to find web hosting that will help them get online. However, we are not going to discuss web hosting in detail or which web hosting provider is better when it comes to choosing Bluehost vs. Godaddy. Our focus will entirely be on the domain part. So, let’s get started.

Your domain name is brandable

It is common for the new business not to relate their domain name to the business. That’s a huge mistake and can cost you a lot in the long term. Take Google, Facebook or even Uber as an example. All of them have a domain that completely reflects on what they are about. It leaves an impression directly to the audience without making them think twice.

This means you should build your domain name around your core business name. If it not available or already taken up, then try to figure out alternatives by adding suffix or prefix to your brand name (more on this later).

The shorter, the better

Always remember that the general audience doesn’t have a great memory. They will quickly forget anything that is hard to remember or not useful for them. The research done by Gaebler.com also reflects on the same findings and shows that out of 10 top websites, five website has a domain name with six characters in them.

Source: Gaebler.com

Should you go for .com?

The next element that needs to take care of is the extension of your website. It can be .com, .net, .org, .info, and .co. The choice, however, depends on your target audience or the type of organization you are running.

.com Top-level domain (TLD) is ubiquitous among the online website as it covers up to 48% of the online website with over 102m domains. The choice is motivated by the fact that .com TLD performs way better than the other domain names. However, if you worried about your local audience, you can buy the local TLD extension and simply do 301 redirects. This will make sure that you cater to both the local and international audience.

TLDs can be bought as well. So, if you are a serious business who care about a unique TLD, you can simply buy a new TLD for $2M.

Domain names should be easy to pronounce and type

Choosing a short domain name is just part of the whole deal. However, you don’t want to choose a domain name that is hard to type or pronounce.

Word of mouth is always the number one way to get more visitors. And, it is obvious that you don’t want your visitor to have a hard time pronouncing it. Before you choose a domain name, try to get feedback from random people. What do they think? Can they remember it without being stressed out? Can they spell or pronounce it correctly? All these questions will help you get a better grasp of what needs to be done.

Personal Branding

If you are an individual and looking to create a business around your services, you can try creating a brand around you. To do so, you need to choose a domain name that is built with your name!

For example, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, should build a domain name, BillGates.com or maybe become creative and choose “gatesnotes.com.” The 2nd URL is the blog platform for Bill Gates himself. The idea is to use your influence to create a powerful brand out of it.

Be Creative and Use Keywords

Millions of domain names get registered every single day. So, you might find it hard to get single word domain. In that case, you need to use your creativity to decide on a domain name.

For example, you can start compounding two words or may be try to add a prefix or a suffix.

Avoid Number and Hyphens

It might sound cool to add a number to your domain or maybe a hyphen to highlight your domain name. However, you should avoid them at any cost. Adding hyphen will make it harder for visitors to type or remember.

Also, numbers also have the same effect and should be avoided at any cost.

Use domain name generators

Generating domain names is not a simple task. It can really consume your time. To make sure that you invest your time in better things, you can expedite the process by using a domain name generator.

Search Social Media Websites

To ensure that you don’t get stuck in any trademark violation, you need to search social media sites and trademark sites to check if your domain name is not registered already.

Many businesses trademark a brand but don’t buy a domain name related to it. If you miss this step, you might bring yourself legal attention when the trademark owner notices your domain name.

The best approach is to search social media. It can be easily done using KnowEm. It is a tool that searches through the 500 social media platforms. It will notify if your keyword is already trademarked or not.

If you find that none of your domain name keywords is taken, you should quickly create social media profiles around it. This will protect your interest in a long run.

Conclusion

Domain names carry more importance than you might think. In this article, we listed the nine essential elements of choosing a domain name. So, what do you think about the tips and tricks? Comment below and let us know.

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