When operating a business, there are a lot of things that are important to do and keep in mind. This includes marketing well, developing a great product or service, offering superb customer service, and learning as much as possible about your customers.
However, one thing that is often underrated when it comes to doing business in the modern day is the importance of a good domain name. All businesses today should have a website, and the domain you decide to use can have a major impact on the success of the site (and business) as a whole.
But what should you be looking for in terms of a domain name? Well, that is exactly what this guide is going to take a closer look at. Read on to learn more about some helpful tips to choose the right domain name for your company website.
Use a Domain Name Generator
One of the best tips that businesses of all shapes, types, and sizes can use it to find and utilize a domain name generator. By simply entering a few relevant keywords, the tool will produce dozens of potential domain names that could fit what you are looking for. This can be a particularly good tool if you are stuck or don’t know where to start.
Using a domain name generator is excellent choice if you want to ensure that the domain name you end up with is related to your industry or brand-related keywords. While you don’t need to choose one of the provided options, they can help to steer you in the right direction and give you a jumping-off point when it comes to finding a domain name you love.
Keep it Short and Sweet
In most cases, you will want to keep your domain name short and sweet. The benefits of having a short domain name include that it is easy to remember, straight to the point, and easy to convey or explain to others. The longer a domain is, the more cumbersome it is to type, and the more likely that a typo or other issue will occur.
The exact amount of characters will depend on your specific industry and business, but try to keep it as short as possible. In addition to making sure it is short, try to keep your domain name relatively simple, too.
It shouldn’t be hard to spell or pronounce and should be very clear to all who see it. Aspects of your business can certainly be complex and high-level, but your domain name generally shouldn’t be one of them.
Make Sure it is Unique
Next, you want to make an effort to ensure that the domain name you choose is also unique. It should represent who you are as a business, and help you stand out in a sea of competition. If the domain is too generic, it won’t be nearly as memorable and could struggle to get as much attention as it will simply blend with everyone else.
A part of finding a unique domain name is performing some domain research ahead of time to get a sense of what others have done. The last thing you want to do is choose a domain that is already taken or too similar to a competitor, so take your time and perform the necessary amount of research before choosing a domain name.
Keep it Related to the Business
While being unique is crucial, you also want to make sure the domain name is relevant and related to the business. It should be easy to see a connection between the domain name, and what you do. There is room for some nuance, but make an effort to ensure that people can see and identify the connection.
Think about what you do as a company and what you have to offer, and how that can be incorporated into your domain name. You could also include certain keywords in your domain name, but only if they are short and fit well. Don’t extend your domain too much or make it too cumbersome simply to fit a keyword in.
Avoid Dashes and Double Letters
When it comes to the contents of your domain name, you generally want to avoid things like dashes and double letters. Dashes (or hyphens) can help you land a domain similar to one that you wanted (but was taken) but introduces another set of issues.
Not only is verbally expressing the dash or hyphen a little awkward, but it also makes the domain more challenging to type out. Double letters, can often be hard to see or identify, which can easily lead to errors when people try to visit your site.
In general, anything that could confuse the visitor or lead to spelling errors when entering your domain should be avoided.
Aim for Flexibility
Another incredibly helpful tip when choosing the right domain name is to make sure it is flexible. While the domain needs to be specific enough so your audience knows what you offer if you are too specific it can hold back the growth of your company. If you plan on expanding what you do, you need to ensure that your domain name still makes sense and doesn’t become confusing.
For example, if you currently focus on graphic design, but think you may also take up something like web design or UX design in the future, you need to ensure the domain you choose fits all of the services you offer, not just some of them.
Of course, if you never plan on expanding or changing what you offer, feel free to get more specific. But even if you think you may want to change what you do or offer more services, make sure the domain you choose makes sense and isn’t too restrictive. This long-term vision is something you will likely be thankful for somewhere down the line.
In conclusion, use these tips to help make sure you end up on the right domain name for your business website.
