Your domain name is an important that contributes to the long-term success of your business. Make sure that you put adequate thought into choosing one that will benefit your company. Brainstorm with your friends, family, and team to come up with a wide selection of potential domain names before you begin narrowing down your options.
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As you consider possible domains, keep these tips in mind:
- Keep it succinct – A longer name is tempting because it allows for a more detailed description of your business, but potential customers will have a hard time remembering and typing it. If your domain name can be easily misspelled, customers will have a hard time finding you.
- Avoid numbers and hyphens – For the same reason as tip #1, numbers and symbols could easily confuse your customers. When they hear your domain name, they have no way of knowing that it is composed of anything but letters. They may omit the symbols or numbers or put them in the wrong place.
- Branding – Your domain name should fit the type of business you have and the products you are promoting.
- Consider keywords – You want your domain to give a clear picture of what your business is all about. Consider a few descriptive keywords that capture your business and include them in your domain name.
- Target your area – A local business should consider including the state or city in the domain name. This will make it easier for customers to find you and remember your location. For example, if your business is a lawn care service in CityXYZ, something as simple as CityXYZlawns.com would serve you well.
- Appropriate domain extension – .com is the most popular domain extension. There are other extensions available, but .com is more familiar and, thus, more memorable.
- Don’t be a copycat – Using a domain name that might infringe on another business is too risky. You could end up in a messy and expensive legal battle. Do your research to make sure that nobody else is using the domain name that you are considering or any derivation of it.
You’ll have your domain name for a long time, so take the necessary steps to come up with an effective one. Develop it with the help of a team and try testing it out on a large group of people to get their opinions and input.