Often, small business owners get a bit giddy when it comes to working on their website.
There’s so much option, with numerous functions and plugins you can include, not to mention being able to choose from thousands of themes.
This, after all, is where you can let your creativity go wild.
However, when it comes to choosing your domain name, you really need to keep your head.
Unless you’re willing to spend a lot of time and effort on changing your domain name in the future, you need to pick one that’s going to really stick.
So to avoid any disasters later down the line, stick to this domain name checklist.
Keep it simple
Don’t get into a pickle by overcomplicating your domain name.
You might think those extra colons and hyphens make your name unique and jazzy, but in reality is it the best thing for your website?
Choose a simple name that people will be able to find easily. Anything too wordy (or punctuation-y) will lose you precious conversions, which means less people paying for your products.
Check your options
Before you get set on a domain name, you need to check that it’s free.
And if it’s not, you don’t want to get stuck with one that sounds a bit like what you wanted, but isn’t really.
Instead of adding a ‘1’ to the end of the name, try thinking of different names that you would like to use.
Include keywords
When you’re looking at the options available to you, you should also make sure that they include relevant keywords.
While it’s likely that the domain name will be the name of your company, it’s important to make sure that this is relevant to the industry you work in.
Target your audience
If you’re a local business, you should focus on targeting your local audience with your domain name.
For example, if you operate in Manchester, you might call it ManchesterITServices.com.
This will make it easier for people in the area to find your business.
However, if you’re looking to expand your business to other regions in the future, don’t include your location in the domain name as this could restrict you when you look to develop your business.
Consider the extension
The domain name extension is the ending of your domain name, for example, .com, .fr, .uk.
Some domain name extensions have specific uses, so you need to be sure you choose one that’s relevant to your business.
Here’s a list of what some domain name extensions are used for:
- .org – charities and non-profit organisations
- .me – personal blogs and CVs
- .biz – business websites and e-commerce websites
- .net – technical and internet infrastructure sites
- .ac.uk – academic websites such as universities
If the domain name you want isn’t available, try using a different domain name extension that’s suitable.
Stand out
Once you’ve managed to adhere to all of these rules, you should also make an effort to help your brand stand out.
Build your brand around your company name and domain name, so that it fits seamlessly into your company and targets your potential customers.
What steps did you take when choosing your domain name? Leave a comment in the section below or get in touch over on Facebook or Twitter!
