If you’ve decided that a website for your business is essential, and you want to solidify your brand, expose your business to more customers and give your business added credibility, your first step in establishing a web presence is to register a domain name — the web address where your customers will access your website. Choose your domain name carefully.
A successful domain name:
• makes a positive and lasting impression;
• positively affects search engine optimization (SEO) — the process of getting traffic from the results of searches;
• is a branding opportunity — Your domain name is how your customers will find, remember, and share your company on the web;
• is concise — A good rule of thumb is from 6 to 15 letters as longer domain names are harder to remember and your customers will be more prone to enter typos (especially with site-based email address, e.g., info@extremelylenghthywebsitename.com);
• should consist of letters only if possible — Avoid hyphens and numbers, although hyphens can break up unintentional run-on alternate spellings;
• should be easy to read — Look at your domain name carefully to make sure it can’t be read differently than what you intend (a popular example of a domain name gone wrong is therapist.com);
• should support potential growth of your business — A well thought out domain name will allow your business to evolve into related niches;
• should be available on social media sites and available for trademark — To build your brand, it’s ideal to have the same name for your website and social media network (and you will avoid legal issues if your name is available for trademark);
• uses the right domain name extension — The “.com” extension is dominant and preferable. If your ideal domain name is taken, be aware that “.org” is typically for nonprofits and “.net” is for web-enabling services. Better to use “.biz” or another extension for a business if it serves your goals. Hyphens can be useful in gaining a desired name: If “wefixit.com” is taken, consider “we-fix-it.com” — a more readable alternative;
• is yours from three to five years — It’s believed that major search engines see a lengthy domain expiration as a positive criteria in search results;
• is one you’ve registered yourself — If you’re the registrar you are in control of all future development of your website and can change hosting services.
There are exceptions to these rules. The important thing is to set clear goals and guidelines but allow some leeway as you analyze and narrow your selections. Keep in mind that a memorable domain name can make the difference between creating a successful web presence for your customers or leaving them to do a general search which may lead them to a competitor.
You don’t need a website in order to purchase the domain you want — even if you are months away from establishing a website, the sooner you get your domain name the better.
Resources
For help finding the right domain name, use a domain name generator to get ideas. Some popular ones are shopify.com/tools/business-name-generator, leandomainsearch.com, and webhostinggeeks.com/nameideas/business-name-generator/.
Domain names cost around $10 a year to lease. Some website hosts, such as bluehost.com, offer a free domain name when you purchase their website hosting service. Some popular domain name registrars with step-by-step instructions are hostgator.com, godaddy.com, and domain.com.
Joel Mielke and Lynn Harvey are owners of Carson Park Design, a creative agency specializing in all aspects of brand development and communication in Eureka.