We are often asked how to choose a domain name that stands out and could potential get me more customers?. Picking a domain name is very crucial and sometimes thricky for gaining trusted followers to your site. Understanding what a domain name is and how it works will help you get more traffic to your site and it make your site trusted which may potential become customers.
Choosing The Right Domain Name Extensions
What is a Domain Extension? Domain Extensions as the name suggest is the combination of characters following the period in a web address(onlinebillonaires for instance) and the extension is .com. When you want choose your domain name extension, you should always consider going for popular domain extensions such as .com, .net, .org: “.com” is still the best for blogs and for ecommerce websites. According to research from Domain Name Stat, 37% of all domains have the “.com” extension. Why? Well, “.com” is the most familiar and easiest to remember. While there are many successful websites with a “.net” and “.org”, your website will probably do better if it has a “.com” extension. It will be your the safest bet.
Note: Stick with .com. If that’s taken, try .net or .org. If these are taken too, you’d be better off brainstorming a new domain name. And oh! – Avoid those weird extensions like “.club”, “.space”, “.pizza” and so on. because the are very hard for your followers to remember.
A Domain Name Should Be Brandable Over Generic
Creative and brandable are always better than generic.
Your domain name is how visitors will find, remember, and share your company on the web. It is the foundation of your brand.
Here’s the main difference between a brandable and generic domain name:
A brandable domain name is unique and stands out from the competition, while a generic domain name is usually stuffed with keywords and unmemorable.
For example, do you know the difference between Healthinsurance.net, Newhealthinsurance.com, or Healthinsurancesort.com? Probably not, right?
These are horribly generic. They don’t have any meaning. You won’t hear anyone talking about how awesome “Insurance.com” is. Variations of the word “insurance” will increase the competition and make it blend in even more.
Sites like UnitedHealthCareOnline.com and Anthem.com stand out because they stand for something. When people hear those domain names, there is a trust factor there.
Here’s how to find a more brandable domain name:
Create new words. You can make up your own catchy, new words. That’s what Google, Bing, and Yahoo did.
Use existing words. You can use a thesaurus to find interesting words that fit your brand.
Use domain name generators. These tools can help you create a unique, brandable domain name from your initial domain ideas and keywords.
Short Is Better Than Long
In general, when it comes to the length of your domain, shorter is better. According to research from Domain Registration.com, the most common name length is approximately 14 characters.
(Popularity, in this case, refers to the amount of web traffic the site receives.) All of this data shows that you should keep your domain name concise. Aim for 6-14 characters – and remember the shorter, the better. Most likely the shorter domain names are taken a LONG time ago and sold for thousands of dollars. If you can’t find something short, make it brandable.
Make A Domain Easy To Type
Think of some of the most popular websites in the world. What comes to mind? Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yahoo, CNN… One big thing they have in common is that they’re all easy to spell. Your visitors should be able to type your domain name without a problem. If you have to explain the spelling more than once for it to be understood, it’s too complicated! The last thing you want is for the potential visitors to mistype your domain and end up on a different website! Here’s an easy way to test this… Tell 10 people your potential domain name and ask them to spell it. If more than a few people struggle to spell it, you need to simplify it.
Make A Domain Easy To Pronounce
As easily as your domain name rolls off the tips of your fingers, it should roll off the tip of your tongue.
This makes it easier for visitors to share your domain name by word-of-mouth and makes it easier for you to share your site with friends and potential customers.
You can test this the same way as with the “spelling”.
Write your domain name on a piece of paper and ask 10 people to pronounce it. If more than a few people struggle to pronounce it, you should simplify it.
Here’s what to keep in mind: You want your domain name to be passed along easily by you and others. The only way for that to be possible is if it’s 1) easy to spell and 2) easy to pronounce.
Avoid Hyphens And Use of Numbers
Remember how your domain name should be easy to spell and pronounce? Hyphens and numbers make it more difficult.
Imagine explaining Facebook if it had a hyphen in there…
“Have you seen this new site Face-Book? There’s a hyphen in there by the way, between the ‘Face’ and the ‘Book.’”
Facebook might not have spread so quickly if that was the case.
The bottom line? Your domain name should be smooth and punchy – hyphens and numbers get in the way of that. It doesn't sought of bring out trust to your site.
So always Stick to the letters!
Consider Using “Niche” Keywords That Reflect Your Website
Our website mainly about web development or helping people to create a website. Hence we chose to add a name that reflects all of it – “website”. Obviously website.com (or .org, .net) was no longer available, we simply chose “onlinebillonares”.
Keywords can help to improve your SEO – you need to tread carefully here! If you try to awkwardly stuff keywords into your domain, it comes across as generic (like we talked about before).
If you choose to use keywords, put the keywords at the beginning of your domain. That’s where they’ll be the most powerful for your ranking.
Think Long-Term Over Short-Term
Are you ready to marry your domain? You should be because it will be one of the biggest elements that define your business and brand for years.
If you decide to change the domain in the future, it will cost you money, branding, and SEO rankings. In short – it’s a huge pain!
When you’re choosing your domain, think long-term.
For example, if your company helps businesses optimize their websites for SEO, you could choose a domain name like, “OptimizedSEO.com” If you think there’s a chance you might expand to more general digital marketing services in the future, like email marketing, PPC, etc. then it might be wise to reconsider your domain name. You don’t want to pin yourself down to a certain niche if you think you might expand out of that niche.
Therefore, keep your long-term vision in mind when picking your domain name.
Check If It’s Not Trademarked Or Already Used
Before you move forward with a specific domain name, check to see if the name is available on social media sites, as well as if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
To build your brand, it’s ideal to have the same name across your domain and social networks. This builds familiarity and makes it easy for your visitors, fans, and customers to find you around the web.
Avoid legal issues; you should stay away from names that already have trademarks.
How can you quickly check social networks and trademarks for your potential domain name?
If it’s taken, consider tweaking it so that you can create original social media profiles.
Use Domain Name Generators When You Do Have Any Ideas
At this point, you should have at least a general idea of some possible words to put in your domain. Some of those words may already be taken, trademarked, or just don’t have the “sound” you’re looking for.
That’s where domain name generators come into play. These generators can turn your ideas into fresh, available domains.
Here are some of our favorite domain name generators to try out:
Wordoid This tool allows you to plug in a word; it will come up with ideas that either contain that word, begin with that word or end with that word.
Where Should You Register Your Domain Name?
If you don’t know where to register your domain name, we recommend choosing choosing bluehost which comes a 2.75$/month. cheapest domain registrar which will help you stay on your budget.
Your domain name will have a significant impact on the success and potential of your website. Make sure to put some careful thought into choosing yours.