You want a domain name that stands out, right?
When you are considering creating a website, you will need a place to host the site and a name for your website. While the process of obtaining these two are easy, choosing is difficult. In fact, choosing the perfect domain name is a long-term investment. This article will cover how to find a good domain for your website.
As it pertains to using keywords in your domain name, some people say it is necessary for good website traffic, but others say it is not required.
Who is correct?
An update of the Google algorithm called Google Penguin came out in 2012. It sought to decrease the rankings of listed websites that were using deceptive SEO techniques. While using domain names based on keywords might have been a good idea in the past, it is no longer going to benefit you the same way.
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While it’s fine to have a keyword in your domain name, you shouldn’t register a domain just because it contains a keyword.
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Follow these tips for a great domain name for your business:
Make it Brandable
Google favors a website with a good reputation and brand name. When trying to find a good domain for you website, go with a name that stands out.
Here is what makes a domain name brandable:
- Your domain name should relate to your mission.
- Make it memorable.
- Your domain name should look and sound professional. Don’t cheapen your domain name by starting with “best”, “greatest”, or “top”.
- A short domain name is easier to remember.
- Keep the spelling simple. Avoid words that are frequently misspelled.
Make it a .com Website
A .com extension, rather than some obscure extension, is more trusted by search engines and people. Of course, you should use the appropriate extension if .com is not as applicable. For example, if your website is going to be similar to a TV show, then it’s OK to use the .tv extension. For most business websites, though, you will want to use a .com extension.
Make it Brief
Keep your domain name short and to the point. You want it to be memorable. A very long domain name is hard to memorize. Good examples of brief domain names are Facebook, WordPress, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
You do not have to fit long keywords into your domain name if you have built your brand successfully. Take, for instance, Moz. It is a website dedicated to SEO (search engine optimization). The name “Moz” has no direct relevance to SEO, but this website it one of the most popular sources when it comes to SEO.
Make it Hyphen-Free
People tend to forget hyphens when typing in a URL. So, if they are searching for your website, they might get directed to a completely different one! Do not let this happen. Also, when you are trying to find a good domain for your website, using hyphens to make a domain name possible is a bad choice. For example, if onewordtwowords.com is taken, you should not take oneword-twowords.com. If you do register a domain with a hyphen, you’ll end up driving traffic to the domain without the hyphen.
Avoid numbers
Numbers in domains create confusion. If you would register 1sandiegowebdesigner.com, it could be confused with onesandiegowebdesigner.com. If you really want to register a domain with a number, you should only do it if you can register both versions, the number and the spelled out versions.
Ignore trends
Trends come and go, but I hope that your business will remain. A domain name based on a trend could go out of style and it could end up hurting your business.
Avoid Copyright Infringement
Take time to check to see if someone has a name copyrighted. Use copyright.gov to learn more.
Finding and Registering a Domain Name
There are plenty of available sources on the internet that will let you purchase a domain name. Two in particular are GoDaddy and NameCheap.
GoDaddy is very popular. It regularly has deals and even will hold auctions for already-registered domain names. On a side note, GoDaddy is the perfect example of a domain name without keywords in it.
Another good source is NameCheap. It comes with free WHOis protection and boasts a cheap renewal fee.
Feel free to explore other options when trying to find a good domain for your website. Regardless of your choice, make sure you follow the guidelines covered in this article!