Domain Name Do’s and Don’ts

Are you about to choose a domain name for your website? Do you lack ideas of what it should be? No worries, we’re here to help you out!

Before making a decision, in order for your domain name to be successful, it's essential to check out some tips about what your domain name should be. Sometimes, even though you have a great product and website, a bad domain name will fail your whole idea.

Since there are 1.5 billion active websites online – and the number goes up every second – the choice of a good domain is really narrowed down. If you go for a unique domain name, then you don’t have to stress. There will always be space for authentic domain name ideas, even if the number of active websites online surpasses 2 billion.

Your domain name will have an impact on three very important things, which are:

• Making a good first impression on your customers;
• Increasing your SEO rankings;
• Strengthening your brand.

These are the reasons why a good domain name plays a pivotal role in providing you with the most important access to online success.

Read on to find out what characteristics your domain name should have and which type of domains you should avoid.

What Makes a Domain Name Successful?

If your domain name helps you promote your business, establish authority and credibility, and reinforce your brand identity, then you’ve probably chosen the right one. It should be short, appealing, and SEO and user-friendly.

Choose a Short Domain Name

Most of the successful domain names are two-syllable words. The fact that they are concise, easy to type, and easy to pronounce makes them user-friendly. If you use a short one, it will be less likely for your users to make a mistake when typing it or trying to recall it.

Make It Memorable

The domain name you choose should be catchy, easy to remember and leave an impression. This way, you’ll attract users to keep coming back to your site.

You are free to make up your own new words that will sound intriguing and authentic. Some companies that have made up their domain names are Zapier, Google, Nike. The global success of these companies is proof that newly invented words function perfectly. So, why don’t you follow the example of these top companies and use their ideas for inspiration?

Use Keywords

If you can use keywords as part of your domain name, you’re going to increase your SEO rankings. However, this isn’t something you should do by all means, because it might have the opposite effect. Sometimes implementing keywords in your domain name will make it sound generic, which is something you should definitely avoid.

Generic domain names aren’t unique and don’t stand out from their competitors. So, if implementing keywords mean losing the uniqueness, then you should drop this point.

Target Your Area

If you have a local business, make sure that you target your area in your domain name. This means that you can have a domain that is specific for the people in the area, like some word that is commonly used, or use an extension with the country you live in, for instance, .uk, .au, etc.

Go for the .com Extension

If you aren’t targeting a certain area, then you should always go with the .com extension. The .com extension is used by most of the websites online and people naturally add .com to any brand name, especially when they don’t know the actual extension.

That’s the reason why you should avoid using .io, .co, .biz, or any other extension from the variety out there. Thus, to be on the safe side, pick a .com extension since you can’t make a mistake with that one.

What Should You Avoid When Choosing a Domain Name?

Even though you might be doing your best to choose a valuable domain name, you can choose a bad domain name if you make some of these mistakes:

Your Domain Name Is Too Long

Long domain names have the tendency to be easily mistaken. That’s the reason why they should be avoided. Anything that can confuse your user might have a negative impact on your brand, mislead them, or confuse them.

It’s Trendy

Trends change so quickly. Because of this, it’s a huge mistake to tie them to something as long-term as a domain name. That’s the reason why domain names that are based on fads, look obsolete and outdated after a year or so.

To Sound Like an Existing Domain Name

If you are trying to get a 5-minutes glory by creating a similar domain name to an already successful company, we have to tell you: Don’t do it! Even if some people are tricked into accidentally visiting your website, once they see that they aren’t at the page they were looking for, they’ll flee and never come back. So, make sure to avoid this practice.

To Sound Weird

If your domain name is difficult to pronounce or sounds very weird, you should drop it. Once you read it out loud and it signifies something else or it just doesn’t sound quite right, it’s time to go for another one.

Summing It All Up

Now that you know all the do’s and don'ts when it comes to choosing a domain name, we hope that you’re going to make the right choice and pick out the perfect one.

To know if the domain name you choose is available, use this free tool by Domain Name Sanity. If it isn’t available, this tool will give you suggestions that are similar to the one you initially wanted.

We wish you luck in choosing your domain name and a lot of success with your new site!