Choose a domain name for your new website

Choosing a domain name is the bedrock you’ll build your online strategy on, so we better make it good! But how do you even begin to choose a domain name?

Choose the wrong one and people may have trouble finding your site, whether they enter your address or just google you. Choose the right one and you’re setting yourself up for successful SEO and great branding. Let’s consider some things to keep in mind when you come to choose your shiny new domain name.

Make it memorable and not too long

Keep it short and sweet. The longer it is, the more likely people are to misspell or forget the order of the words. If you keep it brief it will be more memorable and easier for branding.

Don’t use meaningless abbreviations

Be wary if you choose to go with an abbreviation. This should only be an option if you are known well as that abbreviation. For example, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is known well as the CSIRO, however choosing cc for as a domain for Coca Cola would be a poor choice, given how well they’re known as their full name.

Say no to separators

These days people are pretty used to web addresses with no separators. Adding a hyphen just interrupts the flow of words and can make them harder to remember. ‘Now was that a hyphen between each word or only after the first one?’ Plus a lot of spammy sites have hyphens in their domain names, which is another great reason to leave hyphens out.

Do you want a .com.au or a .com?

You’re an Australian business, should you get a .com.au? This depends on a few factors: do you have dealings outside Australia or do you do business chiefly inside the country? If you’re dealing with Aussie customers it’s a good idea to choose .com.au as it can lend you extra legitimacy and trust from your customer base.

Avoid ambiguous spellings

Choosing a domain name is as much an exercise in branding as it is in SEO and online strategy, so it’s a good idea to choose a straightforward spelling of the words you choose. Eg: Use greatpictureframes not gr8pictur3fram3s. If your business name has a special spelling it’s ok to use this but you may have to go extra hard with your marketing efforts so that your target customers know you spell it krazykrates not crazycrates.

Consider using keywords

Instead of using your business name, you might consider using a set of keywords you want to rank for in google. If your business name is Uncle Jerry’s Bagels you could choose www.bagelsmelbourne.com.au There are lots of options for keywords for your brand; just ensure you target the most popular keywords for you.

Consider a non-.com address

In recent times a lot of non-.com domain suffixes have been popping up and allow you to tell more of a story about what you do with only your domain. Consider .education .info .club etc

Make sure it’s available

Don’t get too far down the road of committing to a domain name before checking if it’s available. Many hearts are broken this way when they find the perfect domain is sadly unavailable. Brainstorming is best done sitting at a computer checking as you go.

Lastly, get some advice.  At Technology Matters, we can help walk you through the process from brainstorming to securing your chosen domain name, so give us a call for a chat about choosing the best domain for you.  You can also order domains through us here.

And if you already have a domain with Technology Matters, manage it here.