Domain Names 101: Choosing the Right Domain Name

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You’re all set! You’ve found the best web hosting company available and you’ve chosen your hosting option. You’re just itching to go live on the internet with some great content. There’s just one problem – you still haven’t settled on the perfect domain name.

This is a common problem. Your domain name isn’t just a web address; it becomes your identity on the internet! That’s why it’s super important to choose a domain name that is not only recognizable and easy to remember, but is also indicative of your brand as a whole.

Make it Yours

Domain names have to be unique, so if you want a common phrase in yours, there’s a chance it will be taken already. Get creative. You also have to think about your content. Is it a website for your company? A personal blog? The nature of your site’s content should influence your domain name.

Come up with a name that speaks to you. Research the name to see if it is unique. You may have to tweak it a bit to find something that is available, but this name will stay with you for a long time. Changing in the future will result in a ton of lost revenue, readers, search engine rankings, and branding efforts.

Make it Easy

By far one of the biggest mistakes people make when choosing a domain name is going for something that is difficult to remember or ambiguous in nature. Numbers in a domain name are a big problem, as it can be hard to remember if the URL contains a numeral or a number spelled out.

Using alternative or funky spellings likewise can be hard to remember and often result in confusion. Using shortened forms of words (‘ur’ for ‘your’ or ‘you are’) or intentionally misspelled words is a recipe for trouble.

Spell things correctly, and keep it short. No one wants to type out a long string of letters or numbers; they want something they can remember easily and find quickly.

Make it Relevant

If your domain name isn’t your company name, make it a description of what your website is about! Keywords in domain names help people find your site and make it more likely they will click on it. Think about it, if you see a website with “fireplace-installation” in the domain name, what do you think you will find there?

The internet makes it easy for people to find exactly what they are looking for. Use your domain name to make it even easier! Misleading or off-topic domain names reduce the likelihood of garnering a lot of online traffic, so make sure yours indicates what the site is actually about.

Register

Alright, now you know how to choose the right domain name for your purposes! It should be easy to remember, easy to search for, relevant to your content, and something you won’t get sick of easily. Go register it and get your site up and running with the best web hosting you can find.

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