Choosing the right domain name is extremely important if you want to maximise the traffic your site receive online. With a great domain name , you can easily outrank even the most competitive sites.
So how exactly should you go about picking your domain name? Here are our top ten tips:
1. Do Your Keyword Research
Before you do anything, brainstorm five keywords that are related to your website. If you plan to sell ‘dog food’ online, then your keywords may be:
- Dog Food
- Doggie Biscuits
- Pet Food
- Healthy Pet Food
- Food for Dogs
Once you decided upon your five keywords, try to combine as many keywords into one. For example, ‘Healthy Pet Food for Dogs’ would be a great combination from our hypothetical list.
2. Make Your Domain Unique
You don’t want your potential visitors to confuse your site with another more popular site. For example, if you’re thinking of creating a video sharing site, don’t call it YoTube. Make it unique and memorable
3. Make Sure Your URL is Easy to Type
Short and sweet is the golden rule here. Try to use common, everyday words in your domain name. You don’t want to scare people off with too many z’s, q’s or x’s.
Also, it is a lot easier to put short and easy to digest URL’s on business cards and flyers.
4. Only Register .com, .net or .org’s
This rule applies more to websites that are looking to create a brand. Fortunately, you can get these domains at Digital Pacific for under $10. They even offer dedicated servers!
5. Avoid Infringing Copyright
So many sites have gone under because they used a domain name that infringed on a big corporation’s copyright. To ensure that you don’t make the same mistake, check out copyright.gov before you buy.
6. Don’t Use Hyphens or Numbers
It may seem like a good idea to break up your domain name with hyphens or even a few numbers. Unfortunately they are notoriously hard to type and this frustration can cost you many potential visitors. It is much safer to simply avoid them.
7. Steer Clear of Trends
You want your website to stay fresh and in vogue for years to come, so don’t pin it to some silly fad. For example, if you want to setup a website on men’s pants, don’t call it ‘Jims Parachute Pants.com’ but instead ‘Jims Funky Pants.com’. This way you can keep your site fresh for many years.
8. Look Closely For Embarrassing Word Combinations
Always spell out your potential domain before you buy. This way you will avoid any embarrassing word combinations. For example, the keywords ‘Experts Exchange’ seems harmless enough, but when you use it in a URL – www.expertsexchange.com – it puts forward quite a different message!
9. Avoid Slang if Possible
If you have a choice between www.sarahsboutqie.com and www.sarahsBOOTieck.com , go for the URL with plain English spelling. You don’t want to scare off visitors with an unfamiliar domain name.
10. Don’t Delay
With millions of people online and buying domains, chances are you dream domain won’t stay unbought forever, so get it before somebody else does!
