By Alisha Shibli, Radix
Between the chicken and the egg, we might not know what came first. But in the online world, your domain name definitely comes before your website. With millions of domain names registered online, you’re going to want yours to stand out and help you sell more.
At the same time, you want your URL to be easy to remember so that it can instantly resonate with your customers. Along with all this, you also want your website to rank high in the Google search, right?
If you answered “yes”, then this article is for you. In the next 3 minutes, you’ll know exactly how to register a domain name that you can be proud of.
1. Start with a “KISS”
That is, Keep It Short and Simple. The easier it is for a user to type your website address, the more likely they are to do it often. Pick a name that is easy to say, spell, and retain. Your users will thank you for it and, in turn, your business will flourish.
For example: bettyart.store > bettyartstore.com. Which address is clearer to you?
2. Avoid Slang
What is cool now might be irrelevant ten years from now. Your name should not only be meaningful, but also understandable to non-native speakers (whether you intend to conduct business internationally or not). Having a slang-free name can help with your local audience as well.
3. Choose the most suitable domain extension
One of the best ways to get attention is to do what the competitor isn’t already doing. With millions of websites already registered, it can appear challenging to get a short and sweet website address. However, small business owners have some exciting domain extensions to choose from, such as:
● .TECH for technology
● .STORE for retail and eCommerce
● .PRESS for publications and journalists
● .ONLINE for online businesses and blogs
● .FUN for events, parties and all things fun
● .SITE or .WEBSITE for small businesses and personal websites
With all these options at your disposal, you can easily pick something that best describes your business and your industry. That way, your name will not only stand out but also build an instant brand connection with your visitor.
4. Be careful with ‘I’ and ‘E’
Not everyone is good at spelling, and sometimes people are in a hurry. Your job is to make it easy for them to reach you. If you know that your domain name could be misspelled, buy it both ways. It won’t hurt you to have someone misspell your domain and still come to your site, but it will hurt you if they can’t find you because they didn’t spell your name correctly.
Try www.gooogle.com and you will know what we mean!
5. Avoid hyphens and numbers
Hyphens and numbers just make the name complicated and difficult to remember. People can get confused about whether the number is a digit (6) or a word (six).
If you want a number in your domain name because there’s a number in your company name, buy both versions (digit and word), keep one as primary and put a redirect on the other one.
6. Check for copyright and trademark
Getting sued for infringement will cost you a lot of money, time, energy and heartache…all things you could do without. Which is why it is absolutely crucial to do your homework and check that your domain name doesn’t include a brand name that has been copyrighted or trademarked by someone else.
In the US, you can run such a check on copyright.gov and uspto.gov — The Patent and Trademark Office even have a Trademark Electronic Search System to make searching easier.
