How to Choose a Domain Name

How to Choose a Domain Name

How to choose a domain name for your new website is something everyone finds difficult. Our simple guide to help you buy a domain name will ensure you have a domain name to be proud of, visit our domain names page to check available domains and extensions.

There are a number of things to consider when you choose a domain name:

Easy to understand

using slang can make it harder for customers to find your site, e.g. using u instead of you can be confusing, try to avoid slang or alternate spellings. It is important to bear in mind that domain names in a different language should only be used if you are targetting people who speak that language.

Short is best

put yourself in your visitor’s shoes, a long domain name is difficult to type and mistakes can happen, especially if they are using a mobile device. Remember that the majority of visitors will view your site using a mobile phone or tablet so ensure you choose a domain name that is easy to remember and short enough to type quickly.

Describe your business

it can be a good idea to describe your business. For example, if you repair shoes shoerepair.com would be a great domain name. You should try to use keywords people are likely to use to find your business.

SEO

choosing the correct domain name for your business can have a dramatic influence on the search engine optimisation of your website. Keeping the domain simple and descriptive can go a long way to improving how well your site ranks in the search results.

Geographic domain names

if you only sell your services to a small area including the city or county is a good idea, e.g. londonshoerepairs.com. But, if you intend your site to sell everywhere using geographic names when you choose a domain name can be a bad idea as they can restrict your business to only being available to visitors from that geographic area.

Numbers or hyphens

in domain names lead to confusion, this is can be really difficult to not only remember, but should the customer use say the number 1 or spell it out as one? If using a number is vital, it may be worth registering two domains one with the number and one domain with the number as a word.

Catchy domain names

are easier to remember. Check with others to help you choose a domain name that is catchy, see if they like it and find it easy to remember etc.

Research

is very important when you choose a domain name, you don’t want to be using someone else’s trademark or copyright of another company, this could result in a big legal battle

Domain extensions

such as .com, which is the most popular, help to make your domain name more memorable. Choose a domain name with the correct choice of the domain extension is also very important, for example:

• .com usually is a company or other commercial entity
• .co.uk are UK companies
• .uk are UK based websites
• .org is often used for organisations such as theowlstrust.org
• .info this was originally used for information sites, but big companies often buy this along with .com

There are now numerous domain name extensions available that offer a better description of the site, for example:

• .photography
• .mobi
• .edu
• .accountants
• .best
• .camera
• .photography

Visit our domain names page for a full list of domain extensions you can buy.

Brand

remember when you choose a domain name you are establishing your brand, it is worth buying several extensions at the same time to protect your brand. For example, in the UK you could purchase .com, .co.uk, .uk, .info to ensure others do not secure your brand and make it confusing for your visitors. If you are in the UK and have just .com visitors will find it difficult to correctly find your site if the .co.uk refers to a different business.

Act Fast, choose a domain name now!

Domain names sell quickly, choose a domain name now! There are some organisations around the world who purchase domain names so the legitimate company has to buy from them, often at a hugely inflated price.

Once you choose a domain name, it’s time to build a great looking website. Our sister company EWD https://madebyewd.com can build you a new website, that will not only look great but won’t hurt your budget.