7 Tips to Choose the Perfect Domain for Your Online Business

You’re trying to get your business up and running on the internet. To achieve that goal, you’re going to need a website. However, the domain name search can be getting in your way from launching it.

It’s true. Getting the right domain for your online business can be exhausting. Therefore, keep reading this article if you want to know the seven tips to choose the perfect domain for your online business.

7 Tips to Choose the Perfect Domain for Your Online Business

1. Use Your Business Name

The easiest way to choose a domain is to use your business name. Making your offline and online business names uniform will make it easier for your customers to identify them.

However, there’s a big chance that someone has used your chosen business name. Therefore, you need to check its availability before registering it. You can use a domain checker tool, like this one from Hostinger, to see if you can claim it.

2. Choose the Right TLD

Top-Level Domain is an extension you put after your domain name. Some of the popular TLDs are .com, .org, and .net.

The .com extension is by far the most-used. As much as 51.9% of users worldwide get this TLD for their websites. Thus, we also recommend you to get the .com extension if possible. It’s important because most people will associate any professional business with .com.

3. Include Niche Keywords

Your domain name should reflect your brand. Therefore, find and use keywords that are relevant to your business niche. That way, people can quickly tell what your brand’s specialty is.

But, using too many keywords can make your name generic. Take a step back from this circumstance, as it can make your business struggle to stand out. Search engines, like Google and Bing, can mark your site spammy for using too many keywords.

Namemesh and Nimtools can help you get the perfect keywords for your domain name. These tools can also help you generate available domain name ideas based on your business’s niche.

4. Keep It Short

A good domain name usually includes six to fifteen characters. Therefore, keep your domain name three words at max.

A short domain name improves memorability. Suppose your domain name is easy to remember. In that case, it can help minimize your potential customers’ possibility of ending up on the wrong website or the 404 error page.

5. Avoid Numbers and Special Characters

Numbers and special characters contribute to domain name spelling confusions. With numbers, people will question how they should type it when you tell them out loud. As for special characters, they lower your domain name memorability.

Statista also revealed that 45% of millennials use voice-assisted online shopping. Imagine if Siri cannot find your site due to confusing website spelling. It sure won’t be good for your business’ growth.

6. Avoid Names that Limit Your Business Growth

Speaking of business growth, you also need to think it through when deciding on your domain name. One tip for this is to avoid being too specific. Doing so will allow your business to expand in the future.

For example, using geographic names on a domain name gives out the idea that your business only operates in that specific area. This can restrict your business growth, as it can leave people outside the area to feel excluded.

7. Track Your Chosen Domain Name History

When you’ve found the perfect domain name for your business, check if someone has ever used it in the past. This will get you away from names that have bad reputations.

Suppose you use a name that was once used by hackers. In that case, your business will struggle to get on top of the search result. This is because search engines put penalties on problematic domain names.

Things to Do if Your Chosen Domain Name Is Taken

Suppose someone has taken your chosen domain name. But you really want that name. In that case, here are what you can do:

• Experiment with other TLDs. There are new TLDs that have been gaining recognition, like .beauty, .tech, .store. These new TLDs are doing a great job in defining your business niche. Thus, opt for this one for an excellent .com alternative.
• Tweak the name. Try to find different words to accompany your main keyword. Or, you can add a hyphen. However, doing so can compromise your domain name memorability.
• Monitor the domain. Some tools can help you track a domain’s status and send you emails when it’s close to expiring. In the meantime, use a temporary name and redirects it once you get that perfect domain.
• Buy the name. If you really want that one domain, you can go to who.is to find out who the domain owner is and attempt to contact them to negotiate a purchase.

Conclusion

Getting your online business the perfect domain name can be challenging. However, by applying the seven tips you’ve learned throughout this article, you’ll be ready to get your business to shine.