My Top 7 Tips & Tools for Picking a Domain Name for Your Website
Choosing the right domain name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when building a website. The domain name is the first thing people will see and it’s what they’ll remember, so it needs to be memorable and specific to your brand. It also needs to be secure and easy to remember—you don’t want your customers forgetting where they are or typing in incorrect addresses. And while some websites have been successful with generic names like “example.com” (or even worse), if you’re trying to build a brand that people will trust, an unappealing domain can be a hurdle that makes it hard for potential customers to find you online.
Brainstorming
One of the first steps to choosing a domain name is brainstorming. Brainstorming helps you come up with a lot of ideas for your domain name, so it’s important that you get as many ideas down on paper as possible before making a decision. You can brainstorm by yourself or with friends and family, but keep in mind that people who are close to you might have an opinion about what type of business or website you should create, which might not be aligned with what’s most important to you as an entrepreneur.
Think about what words describe your business, products or services (e.g., “fun”, “creative”).
Think about words that are relevant to your industry (e.g., “technology”).
Think about how people search online for things related to your business (e.g., “designer shoes NYC”).
Domains are your business location
A domain name is your business location. It’s the address of your business, and it’s also a great way to brand yourself or your company. For example, if you’re a baker who makes cakes for weddings, you could choose “TheCakeBakeryWeddings.com” as your domain name (this would be great for SEO purposes too!).
Your domain name is also the address where potential customers can find you online. If someone looks up “cake bakeries near me,” they may find that TheCakeBakeryWeddings has a website with all sorts of information about what they do and how they operate their business as well as an online store where they sell their specialty wedding cakes!
A domain name is also like an email address: Your customers will be able to contact The Cake Bakeries by sending emails through this address itself–that way they won’t have any difficulty getting in touch with them whenever there are questions about ordering products or booking appointments in advance etc.
Choose a domain that fits your brand
The domain name you choose should be easy to remember, spell, pronounce and type. It should also be flexible with respect to how it works over the phone (ie. 1-800-flowers) and in social media channels like Twitter and Instagram. In addition, it’s important that your brand not only have a unique name but also one that matches all aspects of your business including:
Your logo design
The color scheme or theme of your website
The mascot/character associated with your brand
Domain name extensions
There are many different extensions available to you when selecting a domain name. Some of the most common include .com, .net, and .org. If you’re looking to start a website related to your business or organization, then you might want to consider using one of these extensions as well.
.com: This is probably the most popular domain name extension out there today. It has become synonymous with “website” over time and is used for all sorts of websites ranging from personal blogs to large companies like Google and Amazon.
.net: This extension is used primarily by businesses that operate on the internet but do not have an actual physical location (for example, web developers). Businesses that do have physical locations can still use this extension as well; however they may find it more useful than other extensions because there aren’t any other obvious options (such as “us”).
.org: Organizations such as schools and charities often use this type of site because it appears much more professional than something like “aaronwebsites” or “mynewwebsiteproject” would look like–even if they both have similar meanings!
Keyword rich domain names
Keyword rich domain names are important. They help search engines find your website, they help users find your website, and they help you rank higher in search engines.
If you’re not sure what keywords to use for your domain name, try putting some of the words that describe the topic of your website into Google’s Keywords Tool (https://ads.google.com/.) This will give you a list of related terms and phrases that people use when searching online for content related to what you have created on your site. Once you have this list of keywords in hand, prioritize by looking at how many searches there are for each keyword on average over the last 12 months (you can do this by clicking the “Competitive” tab below the main chart). If multiple terms are equally popular then pick whichever one is most relevant or easiest to spell out (i.e., don’t pick “the” as it’s not necessary)
Do your research
As you begin to brainstorm your new website’s name, it’s important to do research on the possible domain names. First, check if the domain name is available for registration. This may seem like a simple task but don’t be surprised if an available domain name has already been registered by someone else on a site like Namecheap or GoDaddy.
Second, make sure that the domain name does not infringe on any trademarks or copyrights (for example: facebookname). If you find out after registering a particular domain name whether or not it infringes on anyone’s copyrights or trademarks, there are ways around this through transfer agreements and disclaimers.
Thirdly, check each proposed website name for spammy characteristics such as hidden links or auto redirects that could lead people to malicious sites (aka phishing). A quick way to do this is by using tools like Google Safe Browsing or Netcraft Web Server Surveyor which will give you an idea of how many spammy sites are currently running from this particular IP address and whether any red flags arise when searching for its content in Google searches such as “buy Viagra cheap” etc…
Protect your brand
Once you’ve determined your domain name, it’s time to register it.
Before purchasing your domain name, make sure that no one else has already registered it (this is called “domain squatting”). You can do so by searching for the exact phrase in question on a site like whois.net or domaintools.com and making sure no one else owns it. If they do own it and they’re not willing to sell their domain name to you, then try buying their next best alternative (for example: if “buymyshoeshere” isn’t available as a .com/.net/.co/, then try buying “buyshoeshere”).
If someone does indeed own your desired URL as a .com/.net/.co/, then there are two options: either negotiate with them for ownership of the URL or consider other alternatives such as adding another word before or after the name (“buymyshoeshere”).
Use domain name generators
If you’re not sure where to begin, a domain name generator can help! These handy tools will let you quickly generate ideas for your site and check if those names are available. Some domain name generators even offer suggestions based on keywords or phrases related to what you want your site to be about, which is super helpful if you have no clue where to start.
Domain name generators are free and easy-to-use, so why not give one a try?
No matter what business you are in or about to be, you need to choose a domain name that works for you.
No matter what business you are in or about to be, you need to choose a domain name that works for you.
The domain name is your brand. It’s how people will find your website and social media profiles, so it should be memorable and unique. You want it to be something that people can remember easily when they see it or hear it over the phone. The right domain name can help promote your business by being more memorable than a competitor’s site with an unappealing address like “robswebsite1234″ (which I just made up).
A great way to come up with names is by brainstorming with colleagues, friends or family members! Brainstorming sessions usually take place over coffee or lunch where everyone shares ideas around the table—a fun activity that results in some silly jokes as well as great business ideas.
Conclusion
When you are ready to start thinking about your domain name, make sure that you take the time to do it right. Remember, the domain name is a crucial part of any website and can be one of the biggest factors in its success. So don’t rush into anything without first doing all this research!
