10 ideas for choosing the right domain

10 ideas for choosing the right domain

Nowadays we got a huge range of possibilities when it comes to choosing a domain address. The future domain will be the online central piece of your business so it definitely needed you fullest attention in choosing both the domain name but also the domain type. 

Curreny recognized top-level domains:

• 1544 TLDs in the root zone in total
• 1403 TLDs are signed;
• 1396 TLDs have trust anchors published as DS records in the root zone;
• 5 TLDs have trust anchors published in the ISC DLV Repository.

So in essence, you have a lot of options, let's put things into perspective and help you decide the best domain for your online business:
1. Keywords are important. 

Having keywords in your domain name is still important even though some voices have claimed over the years that keywords stopped playing an important role in a domain name. Truth is that for most businesses out there, keywords are important and if you can integrate one into your domain name without making it too ridiculous, do it! 

These keywords don't really need to directly reflect your business niche but you do need to start somewhere so making a list of keywords may be a start. Try adding suffixes and prefixes to those keywords and figure out which sounds better. 

2. Your domain name needs to be unique. 

Don't copy other businesses and certainly don't copy the competition. You need to stand out and you need to be genuine, choose a domain name that is different, I'm not saying go in the exact opposite direction, I'm just saying it needs to be unique in some way.

3. In my opinion, .com's are still the best TLDs to have. 

If the content on the website is in English then you have no reason to choose anything else but a .com. On the long run, the .com is the best kind of domain you want to have, even if it's more difficult to find a catchy name, I assure you that there are plenty of .com's good names out there, you just need to find them. Also, even if Google doesn't want to admit it, .com's are still valued more in search engine results compared with .org's for example or .co.

4. Users need to be able to write it directly in the addresses bar. 

The name needs to be simple enough so that users can type it directly in the address bar after hearing it once. If you fail at this and users aren't able to properly type it correctly in the browser's address bar it means you have chosen a complex domain name and my advice is to search for another one. 

5. Make it catchy.

Your domain name needs to be catchy and easy to remember. As I said in the previous tip, it needs to be simple and memorable enough so people can type it in their browser. You can help with this by also giving it a catchy aspect that people will remember and enjoy. 

6. It needs to be short enough. 

The shorter the domain name the easier is to remember. It also saves up space inside search engines, doesn't forget Google loves short URLs. So yeah, keep it small and don't go over a combination of two words. Any domain name that is composed of more than three words is just ridiculous. 

7. It needs to be niche orientated. 

Just understand this: the domain name must indicate at least partially what the users expect from your website in terms of content. So you may want to stay relative closely to your niche and don't go in a totally different direction without a good reason. 

8. It needs to sound like an actual brand. 

Dose your new domain name sounds like a brand that has been around for a long time? If not, you might want to reconsider your domain name. You want users to take you seriously and you also want to create a brand over time, pick a name that honors all this. 

9. Don't copy anyone. 

Don't fall for trends and do not copy the popular competitors. It may not last and nobody likes a copy in the end. Trends come and go, what happens with your domain name when a certain trend is dead and buried? 

10. Use tools. 

Try using tools like http://www.domainsbot.com/ or https://www.namemesh.com/ - both can help you pick up domain names or at least help you with an idea for a domain name that you can refine and make it your own.