Domain names play a crucial role in creating brand value for you. If you don't know how to choose a perfect Domain name for your website, then this post is just for you.
It is hard to change a domain name after you start getting a lot of traffic to your blog or website. So, you should always choose the right domain name for your blog or website at the very beginning.
If you are creating a blog for the first time, then it can be quite tricky to come up with a preferable domain name.
And even if you come up with an awesome name, there's always the possibility that it's already taken.
So, in this article, I will share all the tips and tools that you will need to find a perfect domain name for your blog or website.
First, let's take look at why a good domain name is necessary?
- First impression: Your domain name actually gives the first impression about your website. A good domain name can drive traffic and create a good impression on a user's mind even before visiting your website.
- Brand Value: Your domain name can create brand value for your website, which helps you to overcome the competition.
- SEO: Even though keywords in the domain name don't have effects on SEO, names related to your niche increase your CTR.
Choosing a domain name is almost similar to choosing a name for your blog. You may have already noticed it, that most of the blogs name and domain names are actually same.
So, before choosing the name you have to find the niche of your blog. Once you find your blog's niche, it's time to find the best name for your blog.
How to choose a Perfect Domain Name for your Blog
There are not any hard rules on how to choose your domain name or blog name. But, you should follow these tips to get better results.
Easy to pronounce
The domain names you choose should be easy to pronounce. This is very important because it helps users to have an idea about the website, they are about to visit.
For example, whenever you search for something on Google, you see some snippets in the search results.
The snippets contain three things, tile, description, and post URL. If you think carefully, then you will notice that many times we simply skip some results.
It's because the domain names are unfamiliar and hard to read. So, you must always choose a domain that is easy to pronounce and read.
Brandable Name
You should always choose a brandable domain name.
Why?
Cause people will remember it. Brandable names help you to stand out in this competitive environment of blogging. But, what makes a name brandable?
A catchy word or some catchy words that explain your blog niche can be a good brand name.
Sometimes misspelling can be a good option for your blog name. You can also take help from online tools like name generators.
There are many business name generators available online for free. You just have to enter the niche and they will make a list of related names.
This way you can have the basic idea for your domain names.
Avoid Trademark infringement
Before finalizing your brand name, make sure it's not already used by other companies. A similar name can not only hurt your brand value, but companies can sue you for using their trademarks.
For example, if you are creating a blog about WordPress, then you should not use the keyword WordPress in your domain name.
Rather, you can use WP instead of the keyword WordPress. For example, WPBeginner is a popular blog that writes articles about WordPress.
Now, you might be thinking, why this website uses the blogger keyword in the domain name?
Cause, blogger is also a profession. People who do blogging, are called bloggers, so it isn't a trademark infringement.
Keywords in Domain
There was a time when keywords in the domain can boost your search rankings. But, that time is gone.
While it is a good idea to choose a domain name related to your blog niche, but buying a domain name for the exact match keyword is not necessary.
It's also good to keep in mind that blogs evolve over time. And, a blog can cover many different topics in the future.
For example, if your blog reviews about TVs, you can buy domains like mytvreviews.com.
But, what if you want to write reviews for other products in the future. That's why you should think about the niche of your blog carefully.
If you want to build a micro-niche website, you can have keywords in your domain.
Avoid Hyphens
I would recommend staying away from hyphens in your domain name.
Hyphens inside the domain name make it too generic and mostly doesn't sound like a brand. Also, it's harder to remember and type.
And also, users might think it's a spammy site, and avoid it. And, if you are thinking to buy a domain with a hyphen because your desired name is already taken.
Then, don't buy it, cause users will end up on another domain if they forgot to type the hyphen.
Avoid using Same Multiple Letters
It is a good idea to avoid using the same letters multiple times consecutively in your domain name.
Because you can lose a lot of traffic because of wrong typing.
For example, if I buy bloggger.com and connect it with my blog, then most people will type wrong and end up in blogger.com.
So, it is better to avoid using the same letter consecutively multiple times.
Avoid very Lengthy Names
Even though it doesn't have much effect, it is better to get a shorter domain name. The idea is the same as before. People will type the wrong domain name if it's too long.
But, the longer domain names can also be helpful if it's easy to remember and the words are too common to misspell.
Still, I will recommend you to choose a domain name under 15 characters.
Try to get .com
Even though this is not necessary, you should try to stick with the .com top-level domain.
Why?
Cause it is the most popular TLD, and people usually trust .com websites faster than others. But, it is hard to find a short domain name with .com TLD.
So, what to do?
Don't worry, if you are not able to get the .com, then you can use other generic top-level domains like .net or .org. It doesn't matter that much now.
Also, if you are writing a blog in your regional languages like Hindi or Bengali, then you can choose a country code top-level domain like .in.
Read more about, What is a Top-Level Domain and how to choose a good Top-Level Domain for your website.
Now that, you know all the tips to choose a perfect domain for your blog, it's time to choose one for your blog.
Summary
Now, if we simply summarize the article, then here are the top things to keep in mind while buying a domain name for your blog:
- Use Easy to Pronounce Word in your Domain name.
- Try to create a unique brand name for your blog, rather than using generic keywords in the domain name.
- Don't use other companies' names or trademarks in your domain name.
- Buy domain related to your blog niche, but don't get too specific. Keep space, so that you can expand your blog niche in the future if you want.
- Avoid Hyphens in Domain names.
- Avoid using the same letter multiple times in the domain name,
- Try to use short names.
- Try to get .com for your domain. If .com is unavailable, then use other gTLDs. And if your blog is a local language, then you can use ccTLDs too.