Buying a new house? Congrats! You might have thought about various things right? Similar is the case when you are buying a domain name.
Why so?
It is because it’s a long term-commitment and you need to be sure about your decision.
Got panicked? Don’t be. Just understand the reason behind this.
Your domain name is the first point of contact with your potential customers and the first impression is the last impression. The visitors will check who you are and what is your business from the domain name. So, making a decision on the domain name requires time, effort and creativity too.
Today, you will find more than 1200 new domain extensions. Due to this, the old and new businesses have got domain names that are keyword-rich, industry specific as well as fresh-feeling domain names.
But due to the wide range of options available, selecting a domain name can become a devastating task for many individuals and business owners.
So, how to find a domain name that is simple, short, unique, relevant, keyword-rich and just perfect?
Check the below questions you need to ask to ensure that your chosen domain name will add value to your venture.
Question 1: What Is The Need Of A Domain Name?
A website has a unique series of numbers called as an IP Address. One can’t remember that set of numbers for every website. Therefore, the domain names came into existence in order to find the websites on the Internet instead of using IP addresses.
For example, an IP address appears like 104.25.6.108, which isn’t easy to remember. Therefore, with a domain name, it becomes easier to access the website.
A domain name can include a mixture of letters and numbers, and it can be used with different domain extensions, such as .COM, .TECH, .SITE, .ONLINE, .SPACE, etc. For example, if your business is related to selling leather bags, you can select the domain name of your website as www.leatherbags.store.
It is important to select a domain name keenly. With a good web address, you will get a great value for your online identity. If your domain name is simple, shorter and well-branded, it will represent your website in a more authentic way. Take a look at the example above – www.leatherbags.store lets the user know that it is a leather bags’ website. If you select the website name as www.leatherbagz-foryou.com, it appears to be spammy due to misspelling, a hyphen and, its length and old version.
Find a reason to buy a domain name to better understand the need of a domain name. Do you need a domain name for a website or a blog? Are you using it for redirecting or for a custom branded link? Do you want to build a personal website – to represent your hobby or work?
If you want a domain name for your business then ensure that it is the best one. Also, it should be unique and such that it helps you stand unique among your competitors and your stakeholders for a long-time.
In case, you are purchasing a domain for redirecting it then it depends on where it redirects the user to. Does it redirect to your social media profile such as LinkedIn or Instagram? If it redirects to some other portfolio then ensure it is interesting as well as original. If it redirects to a specific page on your business website then it should be promotional.
Here are a few examples:
- www.milesweb.com is a great choice for MilesWeb’s business website.
- www.de-cor.com is a perfect name for furniture store in California.
- www.goldsgym.com is a great name for the popular gym website all over the world.
Question 2: What Can a Domain Name Be Useful For?
The purpose of a domain name completely depends on how dedicated you are with your domain name. Think on if the domain name will be used for a short-term that is for a specific project that will run for a particular time or for a long time. For this, you can select a short, descriptive -domain name will help.
But if you need the domain name for your business which is going to stay for a long time and will continue to grow for years then you can surely invest in a high-value domain.
If your budget is high then opt for a premium domain name to create your online presence and excellent brand representation. Though you have a small budget, you can still get a domain name that can stand unique in the industry.
In simple words, your domain name reveals your goals for your website.
Below are the examples for better understanding:
- Google launched the business.site to represent its global ‘Google My Business’ program. This popular search engine giant thought of investing in it for value addition to their program—today as well as in the future.
- The domain www.Casino.online was purchased at a very high price and is considered as a perfect category in its niche.
- www.JohnNSuzy.fun is a funny name that represents a wedding website.
Question 3: Will The Chosen Domain Name Help My Business Grow?
In case, you buy a domain name ‘www.vanillacake.site’ then it indicates that you aren’t planning to start a business related to other vertical of the industry like selling cookies or cupcakes or some other flavor cakes like chocolate. If your focus is on vanilla cakes then the above domain is the perfect one.
But in future when your business grows, you will think of expanding your business, so it is better to select a domain name such as ‘www.yummybakes.site’. In this way, you can make as well as sell all types of baked products such as bread, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, cakes, etc.
So, always have a clear vision for your website’s future while selecting a domain. After identifying your business’s niche and planning a path for it, you can pull many branding opportunities from the domain name.
Question 4: Is SEO Ranking Affected By New Domain Extensions?
One of the most overwhelming topics for several businesses is ‘SEO’. A business’s popularity in the online world depends on the ranking in the search engine for the right keywords. A domain name should be simple, short, keyword-rich and easy to remember, not just for good branding but for an effective SEO.
When it comes to Google’s search results, the search engine has mentioned in its Webmaster Blog that there isn’t a direct impact of the domain names on a website’s SEO rankings. Yet, it is important to know that understanding Google’s algorithm is very difficult, and it includes multiple factors for verifying a website’s search ranking.
Note that search engine considers two different domain names as equal. It is the users that treat two domain names differently and their preference has an impact on a website’s rankings. The users check the appearance of a domain name and then decide it’s credibility.
Below are the factors that add value to search rankings:
- Good backlinks from reputed websites.
- Content that is high-quality and relevant. A domain name that is keyword-rich and contains top-quality content on the website gets high traffic.
Use of anchor text in a correct way is also important. If your website is linked to words that are in your domain name by anyone, it will help to improve your SEO rankings. For example, if your website is www.kidshoes.store and it is linked to ‘Kid Shoes Store’, it will add a significant amount of value to your Google ranking. This is one of the examples of having a keyword-rich domain name.
In terms of SEO ranking any domain name can rank well, if the users like the content as well as the overall functionality of the website.
Check the below examples of keyword rich domain names:
- Consider www.SupremeAI.Tech which is a simple, short and keyword-rich domain name as compared to www.supremeAItechnologies.com or www.supremeAItech.com.
- For a fantastic keyword-rich domain, consider www.TheDublinStationery.Store for a business that sells stationery in Dublin.
Question 5: What Should You Consider When Changing Your Branded URLs?
Any domain name acts as a strong branding tool and it becomes powerful when appears to be descriptive. For example, if you have recently launched a new set of handbags and want your visitors to land on that page on your website, it would be better to select a domain name as www.latestbags.store.
When it comes to seasonal marketing and sales campaigns, you can opt for a permanent domain name for your complete sales promotion and change the content as per the time of the year. For instance, you can select a domain name as www.newoffers.fun and promote this link in all your marketing groups.
It is possible to create detailed links which help your users to remember your business in an easy way. Take the example of Amazon’s Kindle. The link to the Kindle store on Amazon’s website is https://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/ref=as_li_ss_tl?node=133141011&linkCode=sl2&tag=amznip-kindle.store-20&linkId=4cd0d831c10ebb77bbf4aeeb9b352a3a, but the users need to remember only www.kindle.store to get there.
Remember a highly creative approach in terms of using the domain names offers better results for overall branding and communication of your business.
Bottom Line
A domain name is the face of your brand and so, shouldn’t be taken lightly. Ensure that you ask the above questions to yourself while purchasing a domain name and then only build your website.
