Whether you’re a new company, or an existing one looking to make the transition online, you’ll need a website. Many new business owners make one mistake by seeing a domain name as just an address for their website. It’s so much more than that!
From search to social media results, click-through rate, referring links and more, your domain name is more important than you realize. It has a massive impact across the web and is especially important for your online marketing. Here’s how picking a domain name is both smart and effective.
Always go for .com if you can
It doesn’t matter where you are based globally, ‘.com’ is still the gold standard of extensions. Although newer extensions like ‘.me’ or ‘.pro’ are certainly unique, ‘.com’ is still the crème de la crème for numerous reasons. Firstly, it signifies your brand is global. Something that many new businesses want to convey or work towards. Its biggest advantage is the fact that it’s the most accessible and most widely used. According to Forbes, 3/4 of all websites use a ‘.com’ extension.
Make it memorable
One of the easiest ways to do this is to come up with something short and snappy. As your domain name will essentially be the face of your company, it needs to be brandable. We’d always advise avoiding things like hyphens, numbers or anything that makes it too complicated. You want people to be able to pronounce your brand’s website with ease! Another great tip is to make it instantly intuitive, tell your customers exactly what you plan to do. For example, Rand Fishkin uses “PastaPerfected.com." This is a great example because immediately, the viewer knows what to expect when they visit (perfect pasta!) to gauge a similar impact.
Avoid trademark infringement
A good rule of thumb to live by is if you think your domain name could be confused with another brand’s (especially a big household name), scrap it and start over. The last thing you want when setting up a new business is to be up again legal action. Not only is this a good way to avoid fees you can’t afford, but you’ll also avoid brand confusion too. If you have any real concerns, always talk to a legal professional.
Consider using keywords
SEO software giant, Moz, states that keywords in a domain name can help from an SEO perspective. The way this works is that the anchor text you get from people linking to your domain can help you rise through the ranks on Google search. They advise if you can get a keyword mention in your domain name that helps make it obvious, you should go for it. However, avoid keyword-targeted words that make the domain name too long-winded. Amazon and Google’s names don’t have any association with what they do. They are very well-branded! No keyword richness in their names.
Monday, April 5, 2021