Your domain name is the first thing that any prospective customer will see when they come to your website, and will, in a number of cases be their route there, so you must make sure that you get it right first time as mistakes are hard to rectify later down the line. When choosing a domain name it is worth considering that it can form a large part of your company branding both online and in other forms of marketing material, it could also influence your target audience or market. If you get it right it could help your search engine rankings and in some cases your domain name could even form your company name for example 888.com, play.com etc.
If you don’t have a website or your company is not planning to have one in the near future then it is worth giving it some thought now. Otherwise, when you get round to it the perfect domain name may already have been snapped up by someone else. Remember that a domain is more than just a website address, it can also be used to create a more professional perception of your business by forming your company’s email address; a Gmail or Hotmail address will never look as professional as yourname@yourcompany.com. So with many company’s now offering low cost domain names there is no real excuse not to have one, and with the new global top level domain just released (.co) it has now become easier to get that domain name you really want!
Want more information about domain names? Read Inventive Webs top 5 things to consider:
What is in a domain name?
It’s very important to choose the right domain name for your business; you need to choose a name that people will remember. It does not need to be your company name; it could be your main product or service. The right domain name will increase visibility, inspire trust and attract browsers and search engines to your site.
Keep it short and snappy
Always aim to keep your domain name as short and memorable as possible. Nobody likes to type in an essay to get to your site. Short and snappy names are much less likely to be mis-spelt and will prove easier to pass on via word of mouth.
The domain should always represent your company’s interests. Remember to bear in mind the brand and products that you offer and also never forget to consider where you would appear if you were to be listed alphabetically.
Use different domain names or websites to highlight specific areas of your business
Having multiple specialised sites can work better than having one website that offers a broad range of information. In the future your business could expand into other areas so it might not be a good idea to make your domain too specific to any one area of your business.
Use your company name, a relevant solution-related name, or even your own name.
Domain names that solve a problem could help people to better understand what your site is about and are a great idea, you could try using a name that describes the products or services your company offers e.g. ‘Organic Farming’. Either way an approach like this will help drive targeted traffic to your website. Try to think about search terms that people are likely to use to find you and what you want to be found for.
Finally, to ensure plain sailing:
- Always remember to check the availability of your domain name before committing to it, this may sounds obvious but remember to check all the various suffixes and variations to ensure that they are also available. You don’t want to buy the .com only to discover that your main competitor has the .co.uk. You can search the availability of domain names with a simple ‘who is’ check or by using a domain name checker like www.checkdomain.com
- If there are other suffixes (.co.uk, .net, .org) available, buy them. This will ensure that no one else can come in and capitalise on your brand name using a different domain name at a later date.
- Check that your domain name is not a commonly known brand name or trademark.
- Domain names are only allowed to contain letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed and domain names are not case sensitive.
- If you intend to buy a number of domains names, ensure that they point somewhere and remember to make a note of when your domain registration is due for renewal and renew it in good time. Most providers should remind you of this but don’t count on it. There’s nothing worse than building good traffic and circulation to your site only to find that it’s all been undone because you forgot to renew a domain name!
