Just as your name gives your personality an identity, your domain name too gives an identity to your business or website. The domain name you choose for your website becomes synonymous with the content your website hosts. It establishes a theme for the branding of a website before people even visit it for the first time.
BigRock’s platform powers over 7 million domains so it would not be incorrect to say that we do know a thing or two about choosing a great domain name Image may be NSFW.
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And that’s inspired us to pen down 8 pointers that you should keep in mind while selecting a domain name.
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1. Keep it Simple, Easy and Short
If people need to check and recheck your domain name while typing and they get it wrong even then, chances are they might give your site a miss. It’s best to avoid complicated words, homophones, numbers, double letters, and long or hard to spell words. Keep the name simple, thus making it easier for people to remember it. Also, remember to keep your domain name as short as possible. Typing “www.iwanttovisititaly.com” can be rather painful and uncalled for.
2. Self Explanatory
Make sure your domain name is easy to understand. Always select a domain that requires little or no explanation when pronounced aloud. Branding experts usually advise firms to opt for domain names which surround their marquee products and for a name that is memorable. Choosing a name that intrigues people to visit your site is probably one the most important things you should keep in mind.
3. Choose the Right Extension
It’s always important to choose the correct extension for your domain. Everyone mostly opts for a .COM or a .NET; however, picking an extension based on your location or purpose of your website is also extremely important. For example someone living in India, would most definitely consider opting for an .IN domain extension. You could also give .BIZ and .ORG a thought – if you are a business and want to portray a professional persona through your site.
4. Avoid Hyphens and Homophones
No one would want to type or even remember that your domain contains hyphens. Imagine searching for a domain called ‘www.i-want-to-visit-italy.com’ – extremely cumbersome, ain’t it? And then imagine wanting to visit “bareinformation.com” but instead ending up visiting “bearinformation.com”. Say your domain name out loud and make people hear it – You’ll definitely know then how it’s going to come across when someone’s typing it in their web browser.
5. Stay away from Copyright Infringement!
People don’t usually make this mistake too often, but one can never be too careful. It’s important stay away from brand related keywords like (e.g. “microsoftproductsreview.com” or “facebookhelper.com”). Recently Facebook took legal action against companies with “face” or “book” in their domain names. To be sure you’re not infringing on anyone’s copyright with your domain, “Google” the domain before purchasing it.
6 Stay away from Numbers
Just because your domain has “for” or “to” does NOT mean you need to use the number “4″ or “2″ in the domain. This will likely make the domain harder to remember and ultimately to use. However, having said this, many of the domain names used in China are numbers as some numbers are considered lucky in Chinese culture. Therefore it all depends on where your business is located and which audience you cater to.
7. Keyword Rich Domain Name = Good SEO
Businesses with keywords in their domain name have an easier time being ranked in search engines. And building a good SEO for your website is a really important. However, don’t spend too much on getting the right domain name if it isn’t already available. One can work through SEO with a non-keyword rich brand name as well.
8. ASK FOR ADVICE!
Last but most important – Don’t shy away from asking friends or colleagues what they think about your domain name. People, who are prone to making typing mistakes, can’t quite remember your domain, and who try anything they can in Google. Always be sure to receive feedback from at least three different people to confirm that their reactions and feedback meet with your approval to proceed with the domain purchase. You could also send out a survey with multiple options and ask people to send in their opinions and understandings of the domain names.
A domain name is once-in-a -lifetime purchase for your business that you make. Make sure you select the right one. Do you have any experiences or tips which you would like to share? Post them in the comments below Image may be NSFW.
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