How thoroughly should you think about your domain name? Is it really that important?
If you have a quality website and business, people will visit your site no matter what the domain is, right?
Well, not so fast…
You see, your domain name is the key element of your website. It can make or break you, so it’s crucial to choose a domain name that works for your business.
But wait, why is your domain name so important?
- It’s your “first impression”. Your URL is the first thing your visitors will see. A good domain name can make a positive and lasting impression, while a bad domain name can send visitors running.
- It affects SEO. While exact match domains (EMDs) are no longer a necessity, keywords in your domain name can still help your SEO ranking.
- It defines your brand. We’ll talk about this in a minute – your domain name is a branding opportunity! The right domain name can increase brand recognition.
These elements are only a few of the many reasons why your domain name is so important.
How do you choose the right domain name? That’s precisely what we’re going to share with you today.
Important factors of choosing a domain name:
- Use .com, .org or .net (most popular ones)
- Brandable over generic
- Shorter is better
- Easy to type
- Easy to pronounce
- Avoid hyphens and numbers
- Consider using a keyword that reflects your website
- Think long-term over short term
- Check if it’s not trademarked
- Use domain name generators when stuck
How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name
1. Use The Right Domain Name Extensions (.com, .org, .net)
Source: domainnamestat.com
When you choose your domain name extension, you can be sure of one thing: “.com” is still the best.
According to research from Domain Name Stat, 43% of all domains have the “.com” extension.
Why? Well, “.com” is the most familiar and easiest to remember.
While there are many successful websites with a “.net” and “.org”, your website will probably do better if it has a “.com” extension. It’s the safest bet.
Our advice: Go with .com. If that’s taken, try .net or .org. If these are taken too, you’d be better off brainstorming a new domain name. And oh! – Avoid those weird extensions like “.club”, “.space”, “.pizza” and so on.
2. Brandable Over Generic
Creative and brandable are always better than generic.
Remember: Your domain name is how visitors will find, remember, and share your company on the web. It is the foundation of your brand.
Here’s the main difference between a brandable and generic domain name:
A brandable domain name is unique and stands out from the competition, while a generic domain name is usually stuffed with keywords and unmemorable.
For example, do you know the difference between Healthinsurance.net, Newhealthinsurance.com, or Healthinsurancesort.com? Probably not, right?
These are horribly generic. They don’t have any meaning. You won’t hear anyone talking about how awesome “Insurance.com” is. Variations of the word “insurance” will increase the competition and make it blend in even more.
Sites like UnitedHealthCareOnline.com and Anthem.com stand out because they stand for something. When people hear those domain names, there is a trust factor there.
Here’s how to find a more brandable domain name:
- Create new words. You can make up your own catchy, new words. That’s what Google, Bing, and Yahoo did.
- Use existing words. You can use a thesaurus to find interesting words that fit your brand.
- Use domain name generators. These tools can help you create a unique, brandable domain name from your initial domain ideas and keywords. (We’ll highlight some of our favorite domain name generators later in this post.)
3. Short Is Better Than Long
Source: datagenetics.com
In general, when it comes to the length of your domain, shorter is better.
According to research from DataGenetics.com, a blog by Nick Berry, the most common name length is approximately 12 characters.
(Popularity, in this case, refers to the amount of web traffic the site receives.)
All of this data shows that you should keep your domain name concise.
Aim for 6-14 characters – and remember the shorter, the better. Most likely the shorter domain names are taken a LONG time ago and sold for thousands of dollars. If you can’t find something short, make it brandable.
Our own site – websitesetup.org is exactly 12 characters.
4. Make Sure It’s Easy To Type
Think of some of the most popular websites in the world. What comes to mind?
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yahoo, CNN…
One big thing they have in common is that they’re all easy to spell.
Your visitors should be able to type your domain name without a problem. If you have to explain the spelling more than once for it to be understood, it’s too complicated!
The last thing you want is for the potential visitors to mistype your domain and end up on a different website!
Here’s an easy way to test this…
Tell 10 people your potential domain name and ask them to spell it. If more than a few people struggle to spell it, you need to simplify it.
5. Make Sure It’s Easy To Pronounce
As easily as your domain name rolls off the tips of your fingers, it should roll off the tip of your tongue.
This makes it easier for visitors to share your domain name by word-of-mouth and makes it easier for you to share your site with friends and potential customers.
You can test this the same way as with the “spelling”.
Write your domain name on a piece of paper and ask 10 people to pronounce it. If more than a few people struggle to pronounce it, you should simplify it.
Here’s what to keep in mind: You want your domain name to be passed along easily by you and others. The only way for that to be possible is if it’s 1) easy to spell and 2) easy to pronounce.
6. Avoid Hyphens And Numbers
Remember how your domain name should be easy to spell and pronounce? Hyphens and numbers make it more difficult.
Imagine explaining Facebook if it had a hyphen in there…
“Have you seen this new site Face-Book? There’s a hyphen in there by the way, between the ‘Face’ and the ‘Book.’”
Facebook might not have spread so quickly if that was the case.
The bottom line? Your domain name should be smooth and punchy – hyphens and numbers get in the way of that.
Stick to the letters!
7. Consider Using “Niche” Keywords That Reflect Your Website
Our website mainly about web development or helping people to create a website. Hence we chose to add a name that reflects all of it – “website”. Obviously website.com (or .org, .net) was no longer available, we simply chose “WebsiteSetup”.
Keywords can help to improve your SEO – you need to tread carefully here! If you try to awkwardly stuff keywords into your domain, it comes across as generic (like we talked about before).
If you choose to use keywords, put the keywords at the beginning of your domain. That’s where they’ll be the most powerful for your ranking.
You can find keywords with tools like Google Keyword Planner and Keywordtool.io.
8. Think Long-Term Over Short-Term
Are you ready to marry your domain? You should be because it will be one of the biggest elements that define your business and brand for years.
If you decide to change the domain in the future, it will cost you money, branding, and SEO rankings. In short – it’s a huge pain!
When you’re choosing your domain, think long-term.
For example, if your company helps businesses optimize their websites for SEO, you could choose a domain name like, “OptimizedSEO.com”
If you think there’s a chance you might expand to more general digital marketing services in the future, like email marketing, PPC, etc. then it might be wise to reconsider your domain name.
You don’t want to pin yourself down to a certain niche if you think you might expand out of that niche.
Therefore, keep your long-term vision in mind when picking your domain name.
9. Check If It’s Not Trademarked Or Already Used
Before you move forward with a specific domain name, check to see if the name is available on social media sites, as well as if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
To build your brand, it’s ideal to have the same name across your domain and social networks. This builds familiarity and makes it easy for your visitors, fans, and customers to find you around the web.
Avoid legal issues; you should stay away from names that already have trademarks.
How can you quickly check social networks and trademarks for your potential domain name?
It’s quite easy with a tool like Knowem. Search your potential domain name – it’ll show you if it’s available throughout over 25 popular social networks and if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
If it’s taken, consider tweaking it so that you can create original social media profiles.
10. Use Domain Name Generators When Stuck
At this point, you should have at least a general idea of some possible words to put in your domain. Some of those words may already be taken, trademarked, or just don’t have the “sound” you’re looking for.
That’s where domain name generators come into play. These generators can turn your ideas into fresh, available domains.
Here are some of our favorite domain name generators to try out:
- Wordoid. This tool allows you to plug in a word; it will come up with ideas that either contain that word, begin with that word or end with that word.
- Lean Domain Search. This tool matches your keyword with other keywords and generates a list of available domains.
- DomainHole. This tool allows you to search keywords, find expired domains, generate new names, and more.
Where Should You Register Your Domain Name?
If you don’t know where to register your domain name, we recommend choosing another guide of ours – How to Register a Domain Name (+ tips for getting it for FREE)
Your domain name will have a significant impact on the success and potential of your website. Make sure to put some careful thought into choosing yours.
Ryan
Hey Nick and thanks for the helpful guide!
I was wondering if you had any input on a couple things?
1) For the sake of this post, I’ll call my company/brand, “Chips & Salsa”. Starting out, I simply want to build an e-commerce store with an active blog/social media to set the foundation for hopefully building a successful non-profit.
My dilemma is choosing between “chipsandsalsa” or “chipsnsalsa” for the website…or both?
I’ve seen big, successful companies with either approach…
Both options fit the mission/purpose behind the brand and because my target audience is demographically broad, perhaps each will have it’s value?
2) For both listed spelling options above, all of the common endings are available at reasonable prices.
I had planned on securing the .com, .org and possibly .net for whichever domain I decide.
Would it be unnecessary and paranoid selfishness to secure all 3 endings for both chipsandsalsa as well as chipsnsalsa?
I’m very early start-up and I’m all in with the little budget I have…This feels like one of those “better be safe than sorry” situations
and I’m all about avoiding any obstacles down the road but I don’t have a good enough grasp on domains to know what is smart
vs overkill.
Thanks again for sharing your wisdom and guidance!
Nick Schäferhoff
Hey Ryan, thanks for the great questions!
1. In this particular case, I would be partial to chipsnsalsa. I think it looks nicer and is a bit playful. Of course, you have to decide if that fits your particular brand. However, I generally think using “n” instead of “and” is doable. You can, of course, get both. However, you would still need to decide on a main domain and redirect the other to it so I’m not sure about the value beyond catching those who misremember the domain spelling.
2. I understand the motivation of staking your claim across several domain endings. However, I think you might be going for overkill here. First of all, I would look for what makes sense to be your actual domain. For example, if you are building a non-profit as you mentioned, going for the .org domain is probably the best idea. You could also go for .com as an addition since this is the most common domain ending and people might first type that into their browser. However, if you go for .com as your main address, I don’t know if you also need .org. I also generally don’t see any value in getting .net in either case.
Hope this helps!
daphne
hi I was wondering would it be on to use the hyphens in my domain name like books-beauty.com or should i use booksbeauty.shop if dot com is not available.
Nick Schäferhoff
Hey Daphne, I would generally avoid hyphens if you can. booksbeauty.shop looks like a good alternative to me.
Julie Iverson
It would be helpful to have some input on the use of a phrase as a domain name. Ex: “the land of…..” or “Dispatches from…”? What are your feelings regarding weigting of easy spelling and pronunciation vs. concept? A phrase can begin to tell a story. How much does storytelling or a relationsihp to it figure into your thinking?
Mostly, are tiny words (“A,” “the”, “of”) ok with consideration or totally out?
THanks, Julie
Nick Schäferhoff
Hey Julie, I would avoid starting your domain with “a” or “the”. If you go for a domain name like that, something like landofxyz.com is probably better than thelandofxyz.com. Generally, I think phrase domains are fair game but the same rules apply as above, especially about brevity. talesoftomorrow.com should be ok, dispatchesfromthegreatbeyond.com is probably not.
Camellia
Hi Nick,
Your article is super helpful! I’ve been stuck in choosing a domain name for my website then I found this post. Thanks a lot for sharing your rich knowledge.
Actually, I have a question related to your advice: Choosing an easy-to-pronounce name. I have come up with the name Arpoto.com that comprises an important message to my branding strategy. But regarding your recommendation, I am not sure if this name is readable to everyone. Based on your experience, could you please give me advice on this? I’d really appreciate.
Best,
Nick Schäferhoff
Hey Camellia, thanks for the kind words! Concerning your question, at first glance your chosen name does not look hard to pronounce so I think it’s a valid candidate. The only thing I would keep in mind is the language of your target audience.
For example, for English or Spanish speakers, this is probably an ok name to pronounce and remember because all of the syllables exist in these languages. However, for other languages it might be different.
Just something to keep in mind since I don’t know where you will be operating. Hope this helps!
Yuri
Hi, Nick.
Thank you for your post.
I have one question and one addition.
1.(question):
In #6 recommendation (“Avoid Hyphens And Numbers”) you write: “Remember how your domain name should be easy to spell and pronounce? Hyphens and numbers make it more difficult.”
Please explain, how numbers in FQDN make more difficult spell & pronounce it?
2.(addition (as #11 tip)):
I think, user should be check, how your domain name appear/view/sound on other language, in other country and in other culture.
For ex., synthetic (i.e., not exist) english word “suka” for Russian speaking peoples appear as “bitch”.
—
Sorry for my ugly lng,
Nick Schäferhoff
Hey Yuri, thanks for the excellent question and addition! Here are my thoughts:
1. One problem about having numbers in your domain name is that you will always have to explain that they are in there when the domain is not written down. So, if someone asks you on the street where your website is located, and your domain is houses4sale.com, you will always have to say something like “but the 4 is written as a number”, so they don’t enter housesforsale.com and land somewhere else. Does that make sense? Also, numbers in domains often don’t look professional.
2. This is absolutely true! A major car maker made the mistake of naming one of their car models “Pajero” without checking the name properly. Turns out it is a swear word in Spanish. However, I think, unless you are a truly international brand, you don’t have to go crazy with this. Maybe entering your brand name into Google Translate to see what it comes up with is a good idea though. Thanks for the tip!
Shira
Someone told me that a website ending in .org indicates a non-profit organization and would require a 501c3. Is this true?
WebsiteSetup Editorial
Not true, while it is often used by non-profits, there’s no rule that restricts anyone else from using .org domains for commercial sites.
Ali Brown
Hi,
Thank you for this great article.
I want to start a blog as a Freelance Writer, but I am not sure about how to call it.
I had a concept in mind which is to document my journey as a Freelance Writer. I would share everything that I am learning, my successes and failures. So I thought about a domain name: freelancewriterjourney.com or thewriterjourney.com.
Reading your article, I realize that it might be too long and perhaps spammy. But at the same time having a domain name which states what the audience can expect on the blog seems essential.
Any advice, please?
Regards,
WebsiteSetup Editorial
Having a relevant domain to the content is great, but I wouldn’t say it’s essential. It’s much better to focus on a domain name that’s easy to pronounce and memorable. With that said, the first domain name you mentioned is definitely too long but the second one seems promising. Try playing around with variations of it until you find something that’s available.
Ankappa
Which will be a better domain name for my website which is about English learning through the Kannada language (kannadaenglish.com or Englis.in)? Or please suggest any other.
(Kannada is a local language in India. Main purpose of this website is to teach basic English for Kannada students. This website will be local. Global users are not expected. I feel Kannadaenglish.com will be better option. But need your suggestions)
WebsiteSetup Editorial
I agree that kannadaenglish.com is the better option here, you could also go with kannadaenglish.in since it will be a local site.
Maud
Hi Nick,
Thank you for this article that helps a lot! What do you think about domains finishing with .coffee or .cafe ? Which of them would you use ? It will be for a commercial space.
Thanks for your help!
Nick Schäferhoff
We generally advise to stick to more conservative TLDs like .com, .net., or similar. However, I have seen endings like .pizza, etc. used more commonly so I think you can give it a go. As for which ending, I think that depends a little on the rest of your domain but, in general, I would prefer .cafe because it’s shorter and looks more pleasant in my opinion.
Nihara
Hi Nick,
Loved your post. Helped in to zero in on 2 names but still confused.
I have an Interior Design Business and name of my firm is IOSIS which means transform.
I have a Youtube Channel: Interior Iosis By Nihara
Now i am Confused between:
1) Interior by Nihara.com
2)Interior iosis.com
Nick Schäferhoff
Personally, I find interiorbynihara.com easier to remember but a little long. If iosis is a normal word in your target language, interioriosis.com is probably the better choice. However, seeing it written down like that I realize that it’s a little hard on the eyes because the same letters repeat a lot. Have you considered interior-iosis.com?
Jay
Hi Nick,
It is great that you have pulled together such a useful post and subsequently been so responsive to comments!
Domain name is something I’ve been weighing up a lot recently. I’ve long had the nickname of the Black Jew (due to being frugal, nothing to do with religion) and so had initially chosen the domain name BlackJewTravels. I have since received some feedback that such a name can be deemed as offensive. Very little feedback, but it is something still…
Abbreviating the title to BJtravels doesn’t work for obvious reasons lol and using my alternative nickname of J1 poses the issue of confusion for people spelling the URL.
Am I overthinking this, and would you consider the name to be acceptable as-is? Or alternatively, would you suggest that something along the lines of [censored], although longer, would be a safer and more appropriate domain name to take on?
Thanks a lot in advance, whether you get around to responding or not!
Nick Schäferhoff
I don’t know where you are based but I can tell you that in much of the English-speaking world the word “Jew” itself has quite problematic undertones. These days, you would usually speak of Jewish people/persons or say that someone is Jewish. In addition to that, using Jewish people as a stand-in for frugality is pretty offensive as this is a stereotype often used to discriminate against the Jewish population. For both reasons, I would strongly discourage you from using it as part of your business name and also reconsider if that is a nickname you want to continue using for yourself.
Jay
Thanks for the feedback, Nick.
With the way that the world is heading at the moment, I decided that it may be unnecessarily problematic to use either Jew or Black in my name. Although there was no intent on being offensive, I have decided to play it safe and bought a new domain to avoid any confusion.
Naomi Odoi
Hi Nick.
Thanks for your article, very informative.
I have recently used Wix website builder to create a site for my college assessment on social media module. I would like to upgrade this website to have a personal domain and use it to promote myself/career progression in the long term and finding a bit difficult to come up with a name. Was thinking of using NaomisZone.com , NaomisBuzzworld.com, NaomisCareerProgression.com, Naomiscareerinterests.com, NaomiOdoiOyster.com
Any suggestions/pointers will be very appreciated.
Many thanks
Naomi
Nick Schäferhoff
How about simply using your name? I think that would be the best for a portfolio or personal website.
Rob Brennan
Nick
Are there global restrictions on registering names or can you choose one that is already taken in say USA and change the extension to .co.uk? Is trademarking only valid in the country you registered it?
Thanks
Rob
Nick Schäferhoff
This is a very complicated issue that I am not really qualified to give advice on. I can tell you that domains are not automatically trademarks and, therefore, not necessarily protected in every country of the world. However, to get a real answer on this, I recommend you talk to a lawyer.
Ronaldo Cayanan
Hi Nick,
Hope things are well.
I have a registered limited company (REAJ LTD) here in Alberta, Canada. I would like to start an online business using Shopify platform and become a professional seller of products i.e. household, sports, gadgets, etc. It would be highly appreciate if you could provide me your honest opinion or suggests in terms of store name and domain name to use in shopify.
Example:
Domain Name: reajltd.com
Store Name: Online Merchandiser or The Merchandiser
Again, thanks for your help!
Thanks
Ronaldo
Nick Schäferhoff
You would not commonly include the legal entity (Ltd., LLC, etc.) in your domain name unless it is somehow part of your brand (e.g. the record label “Murder Inc.”). So, that’s probably not a good idea. In addition, your store name suggestions seem generic and not very memorable. The store name should either be a brand name (think “Adidas”, “Siemens”, “Nike”) or something that describes what you do/offer (e.g. “Reaj Kitchen Interiors”). Otherwise, it’s unlikely anyone will remember the name or find you online.