What does your domain name say about you? Does it convey an image of a solid, authoritative, and trustworthy business?
In the previous post, I gave you five tips on choosing a powerful domain name. In this post, I will give you some more advice on choosing a domain name that will present your business in the best possible light.
1) Don’t forget social media.
Make sure your chosen name is available to you on all the main social media networks – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and any other networks vital to your business. Chances are you won’t use all these networks. You will likely be active on only one or two of them, but it is always prudent to secure all these social media accounts, and then keep them in-house. You wouldn’t want someone else setting up a Facebook page with the name of your business, as that would lead to all kinds of confusion among your customers. So, even if you have no plans to use a Facebook page for your business, claim the page anyway, and then keep it in-house.
2) Avoid numbers.
Avoid numbers, mainly because they can cause confusion. For example, should the number be written as numerals or spelled as words? You don’t want your customers scratching their heads over this one, while trying to find you online. For the same reason, also avoid abbreviations. For example, if your website is called cater2u.com, your customer might write it as catertoyou.com, and thereby miss you.
3) Say it out loud.
Can you pronounce your domain name without getting in a twist? If you were to say your domain name down the phone, would the person on the other end of the line be able to write it down without too much fuss? Or will you have to spell it or explain it every time you mention it? If so, it might be a sign that you need to ditch it.
4) Make sure you can legally use that domain name.
This is an issue that affects not only the name of your domain, but also the name of your business.
Here, you should be careful of the following:
Many countries have laws preventing people from using certain words in the names of their businesses (and, by extension, in their domain names). For example, in the United Kingdom, you cannot take a business name that implies any sort of connection with the government. You also can’t use words that convey a kind of pre-eminence (for example, if you use the word “British” in your business name).
Also, make sure that no-one else has a right to use the business name (and domain name) that you have chosen.
5) Descriptive name?
There is much debate about whether to choose a domain name that describes your goods or services (for example, goodmarketingconsultant.com), or to choose one that doesn’t say anything at all about what you offer (for example, skype.com). There are pros and cons of either choice.
One of the greatest advantages of choosing a descriptive name is that it might help you to show up better in the search engines. And this is because of how search engines work. If you use keywords in your business name, it makes it easier for search engines to find your website and rank it favourably. However, if you overdo it with keywords, this can actually lead to your website being penalized by the search engines. So be careful; balance is key.
And, finally:
6) How to register your domain name.
There are many reputable companies from which you can purchase your domain name. They help you check whether the name you want is indeed available, and, if so, they can register the name for you. It’s worth checking out the following companies:
When you purchase your domain name, you normally get a choice of how long you wish to hold that name (for example, for one year, two years, etc). If you do not renew at the end of that period, the domain name becomes available again to the public. Most providers will warn you before your domain expires, so that you can renew and avoid having your service interrupted. However, to be on the safe side, it’s generally best to opt for automatic renewal. This way, your domain name is automatically renewed by your provider.
Conclusion.
Choosing a domain name is no easy matter. Chances are, most of the names you will think of will already have been taken. But it is still possible to create a powerful domain name that will convey the right impression about your business. To achieve this, there are certain key principles you shouldn’t ignore. In this two-part series, I have shown you these principles. Follow them, and create a domain name worthy of your business.