9 Tips for Selecting the Perfect Domain Name for Your Website

What’s in a name? For your website… everything.

Names have power. And we know that selecting the perfect domain name to represent your website and your business is a lot of pressure. You want to make sure it’s right for you, but there are literally thousands of words and combinations to pick from. The right domain name can make or break your site, so it’s important to take your time and create a good one.

Now don’t let this tie you into knots. Creating a domain name isn’t hard to do, but it does take time and preparation on your end.

First… what exactly is a domain?

A ‘domain name’ is the name of your website, the ‘URL’, or ‘web address’. Examples include ‘google.com’ and ‘brittanystreck.com’.

To clarify:

• Domain = twingenuitygraphics.com
• URL = https://www.twingenuitygraphics.com

We would like to offer you 9 tips for mastering your domain:

1. Easy to remember, say and spell:

   Put yourself in your user’s shoes. Will they remember a long name with special characters? Probably not. To create an easy domain avoid excess, like capital letters.

2. Say ‘no’ to hyphens:

   It’s far too easy to forget hyphens and they often decrease type-in traffic because people often forget the hyphens and their placement. When verbally communicating your domain name to others, hyphens are confusing and choppy. Which sounds better “my domain is twingenuity hyphen graphics dot com” or “my domain is twingenuity graphics dot com”?

3. Reject numbers:

   When you hear the website address you won’t know if the number is a numeral (8) or spelled out (eight). Numbers, along with hyphens, also lead to poorer rankings in Google.

4. Include your brand:

   The most common and easiest to find domains are the ones including a business’s name. If it’s for your personal brand, use your name or pseudonym.

5. Short and Sweet:

   Remember less is more. Short and simple is the way to go and will prevent people from messing it up.

6. Use keywords:

   Try to include keywords in your domain that explain what type of company you are. Say for example John is in construction, he could use ‘www.johnconstruction.com’, which helps with SEO. If you are a local company only, try using your city or state – www.milwaukeeconstruction.com.

7. Add a hook:

   There are so many website addresses, be a little creative and be memorable.

8. Stick with .com: With 75% of websites using ‘.com’, it’s the preferred option and the go to option if they can’t remember the extension.

9. Extensions matter:

   Continue below to find out more….

.COM, .EDU, .NET… oh my!

You may notice that there are many different extensions, from .com to .edu. Which one is right for you? Read the following extensions and who uses it. Be sure to pick the one that works best for you.

• .com: ‘a.k.a. commercial’ meaning for commercial and company use – most popular
• .org: non-profit organizations
• .net: technical or internet service providers
• .info: informational sites
• .mobi: sites intended to be viewed on mobile devices
• .edu: education or for schools
• .gov: government websites
• .biz: business or commercial use, like ecommerce stores

To prevent other people from selecting a domain name similar to yours, buy the different extensions (.com, .net, .us, etc.). You can also buy domains with the plural/singular and misspelled versions of your domain.

For example did you know that so many people misspell Google that they bought 14 similar domains and they all redirect to google.com? 7 ways to misspell Google and still get to Google:

1. gooogle.com
2. gogle.com
3. goolge.com
4. gogole.com
5. googel.com
6. google.net
7. googl.com

What if my domain name is already taken?

• Use a different domain extension. Instead of the .com extension, try .net or .us – if it makes sense.
• Shorten your name. For example Festival Foods uses festfoods.com
• Try using similar words (use a thesaurus)
• Ask others for input

Start exploring your domain name options and avaliablity now at GoDaddy’s Domain Name Search Engine.

Remember, your website starts with an awesome domain name!

What was your domain selection process like? Need advice? Leave a comment below!