When it’s time to start a new website, there are a lot of things to consider. One of the most important is the domain name. Although it may not seem like it, your domain name will have a huge impact on the early success of your website. When you check available domain names online, keep in mind that the name you choose will impact social media marketing and search engine optimization for your site.
Accurately Describe Your Website
The first step is to choose a domain name related to whatever your business or website is about. For example, if you’re selling video games and your domain is Fashion Forward, people will be confused as to what you’re selling. This will attract people looking for clothing, but steer away people who are actually looking for video games. You can get more specific by choosing a name that describes the type of games you sell. If you’re selling retro video games on your site, try a name that contains the keywords “retro” and “games.”
Easy to Remember
People love to get creative with their website names, but sometimes they’re too creative. The end result is a website name that is hard to remember or doesn’t make sense to the average person. You want your name to be creative and stand out without making it hard to remember. Keep rhythm and rhyme in mind when choosing your name as well. After coming up with a few names, honestly ask yourself if they sound good. Say them aloud to see which one rolls off the tongue best.
Keep It Short
Going hand in hand with keeping your domain name easy to remember, you want to keep it short. One or two words is usually best. In general, there are more than 100,000 successful websites that have nine characters or less in their name. Keep this in mind when choosing your own name.
Avoid Similar Names
You want your domain name to be unique, so you need to avoid choosing a name that is similar in nature to an existing website. This can be difficult to do since there are so many websites on the internet. The main reason why you need to avoid this is because people may type in the wrong name and end up on a competitor’s website instead off your own.
Shoot for the “.com” Domain Extension
When registering your name, always shoot for the “.com” domain extension. This works best when you run a website or store. It’s the one that people are most familiar and comfortable with as well. Websites will try and sell you on choosing “.tv”, “.net” and other extensions, but “.com” should be your first choice.
The importance of picking a good domain name is clear. In the early stages of your website, it can have a huge impact on whether or not your site is successful. You want your domain name to accurately describe your website and be easy to remember. Keeping these things in mind can help you develop a strong and helpful domain name.
