Introduction
Choosing the right domain name for your website is crucial because it can impact your business in many ways. There are a lot of reasons to spend time brainstorming for your website name. The right one can help you with branding, SEO, credibility, and better user experience, and even can prevent potential legal issues.
While a well-chosen domain name is crucial, this isn’t the only thing that you should consider. That’s why we will show you several other factors, that will help you establish credibility with future users.
Brainstorming Domain Name Ideas
Brainstorming potential brand names before choosing one can be an overwhelming task, but is one of the most important ones because you can explore different options and find the best fit for you.
First thing first, start with your niche. Try different combinations that accurately reflect the website’s purpose and target audience. Research relevant keywords for this niche and make your brand short and memorable. With that said, hyphens, numbers, and symbols can make it harder to remember.
For better options, try some of the many domain generators available on the market. One of the best options for the users is the IONOS domain generator. That tool provides suitable domain name suggestions and guarantees you won’t miss something great.
Choosing a Domain Extension
There are different domain extensions. Domain extensions, also known as top-level domains (TLDs), are in the last part of the name, after the dot. Each TLD has its meaning and when choosing a suitable and relevant domain for your website, it is important to know what exactly you are searching for.
Here are some of the most common domain extensions available on the market:
- .com – this is the most common extension used on the market. It is short for “commercial”, and was intended for businesses. Since then it has been widely used for all types of websites, and it is used all around the world. .com is one of the best choices for a new website because users usually trust them more.
- .net – This tld is short for “network” and it was originally used for internet providers, networking websites, and all network–related businesses. But without a doubt, .net these days is used for a lot more than network–related stuff. If you choose a name and .com is taken, check if .net is available, since is the second most used TLD.
- .org – Short for organization .org is widely used for non-profit organizations.
- .io – this TLD became one of the most used for technology startups, crypto businesses, and AI tools. IO stands for “input/output” and it is one of the best if you want to start a tech–related business.
- .info – as you may be already thinking, .info means “information” and it is used for a lot of informational websites and blogs.
- .co – Short for “company” In the last few years people started using .co as an alternative to .com for business websites because .com is harder and harder to get
- .me – Short for “personal” if you want to start a personal blog, portfolio website, or anything personal related, .me is what you need.
- .biz – This TLD means “business” and it is usually used for business-related websites, company portfolio websites, etc.
Regional TLDs – Also known as country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), these are specific to a certain country. These TLDs can be obtained by individuals or businesses that are targeted toward that country. Some of the most used regional TLDs include:
- .us – United States
- .co.uk – United Kingdom
- .ca – Canada
- .de – Germany
- .au – Australia
- .cn – Japan
- .fr – France
Note that some of the ccTLDs have additional requirements for their owners such as citizenship. (verify your domain ownership, and complete a verification process)
Keeping It Simple and Memorable
A domain name is the foundation for your website. Because of that it should be unique and easy to spell and write so that users can easily remember it and return to the website. Use domain names relevant to your topic or niche. Irrelevant names or domains with hyphens and other symbols can confuse users and make it more difficult to find you or remember your brand.
Avoiding Trademark Infringement
Legal issues are among the worst outcomes for new online business owners. With that said, choose a domain name that can’t be confused with an existing brand or even worse – a registered trademark. This is the only way to prevent said legal issues. Also, creating a unique brand name will help you establish credibility and will make you look like the trustworthy professional you are.
Add Some Keywords
A carefully chosen domain name can also help you with search engine optimization (SEO). Domain names with relevant keywords that are closely related to the topic of your website can boost your rankings. Even if the domain name is the first step of your long SEO journey, it is a truly important one.
If you want to rank even higher, consider choosing a web hosting plan with SEO features included, such as Bluehost. It offers things like caching for improved loading speeds, SEO tools, and analytics. Combined with a great domain name it can make a drastic change in performance.
Checking for Availability
Did you find the right fit? It may sound great, short, and easy to remember, but there is something that can ruin everything – to be already registered by another user. Yeah, sometimes you come up with an idea, but not everything is perfect and you find out that your perfect name is already taken. Don’t worry, it is not as bad as it sounds. Check the availability of a domain with our free domain checker tool. It will save you time and more important – you can discover other TLDs to choose from.
Registering Your Domain Name
The hard part is already behind you. After you choose the right brand for you, it is time to become its owner. You just have to follow a few short steps to buy every domain name that you’ve wished for.
- Choose a domain registrar – Almost every web hosting company offer its domain registrar. It is usually a better idea to register your domain name directly in your hosting account because you can add a hosting plan and even create a website with only a few clicks.
- Provide personal information and payment details – If you don’t have an account with a domain registrar or in a web hosting company, consider creating one. You will need to provide some information about yourself. Once you create an account, add a suitable payment method and complete the payment process to register your domain name.
- Additional instructions – There may be some additional details to be done. Check your email or your account inbox to see if there is anything you need to do.
Conclusion
Your domain name might seem like a minor detail, but it is one of the most crucial things when creating a website. If your brand is long and hard to remember, you can’t expect users to find you. If it doesn’t match the topics it can be confusing.
The well-researched domain name will help your audience reach you, will help Search engines recognize you, and will help you and your new business. Good luck!