Finding the Perfect Domain Name

Home/Blog/Finding the Perfect Domain Name

Home / Instant Quote / Our quote is from £

When creating a new website, or building a brand, making sure you have the best domain name possible is one of the most important things you can do. Custom domain names can help boost your website in a multitude of ways, but it can be tricky finding one that is unique.

We’re going to go through some tips to help you find the best domain for your company, and how it can enhance your visibility online.

Domain name extensions

.com, .co.uk, and .net are all examples of some of the most popular domain name extensions out there, with .com being the most used one worldwide. The reason why most people look for a .com domain is because it’s the most popular, and therefore believe that it will be easier for people to find. While this isn’t untrue, the biggest downside to .com domains is their availability, or lack of, in this case.

If you know what you want your second level domain to be (the bit before the extension), and .com is available, then take it. In the case that it’s already been taken, then try looking for .net, .org, or .co as you may have more luck.

There are a wide range of domain extensions that are out there and more readily available than popular ones, but the problem is people tend to find the more niche domain extensions look a little dodgy and therefore untrustworthy.

Domains that end in .com are also more memorable than some of the more unique extensions that you can find, and oftentimes people automatically add .com to the end of domains just out of habit.

Keywords and SEO

Much like in other aspects of web design, keywords play a huge role in SEO, and being noticed by search engines. Using well researched keywords in your domain, along with good UX/UI design and an optimised site overall, will help give you an SEO boost, and will drive more people to your site, and have it ranked higher on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

As with a .com extension, keywords can be competitive, and it can be hard to find a domain with your chosen keywords that isn’t taken. One good tip is to look for words that have low-medium competition, so that you give yourself a chance to actually be able to rank.

Remember: make sure your chosen keywords are relevant to your brand!

Domain length

The best domains are the ones that are short and snappy. They’ll be clear and concise and explain exactly what they need to without you having to think too hard about it.

Long, wordy domains could actually hinder your chances of being searched, and while things like keywords are important, don’t go overboard. Having a domain that’s too long increases the chance for typos when searching it up, and they’re just not as memorable as shorter ones.

You should aim for between 6-14 characters, but a general rule of thumb when it comes to domains is the shorter the better. If the short domain you wanted has already been snatched up, think about making it brandable.

Brandable domain names include things like:

Google.com
Amazon.com
Facebook.com
Yahoo.com

Confusing characters

Another aspect you should bear in mind when creating your domain is leaving out any characters like hyphens, double letters, and numbers.

Hyphenated words in domains can lead to all kinds of issues. From typos, to confusion through word of mouth, to giving off ‘this is definitely spam’ vibes. Even if the domain you want has been taken, don’t recreate it with a hyphen. This will likely end up with people missing it out when looking for your site, and going to your competitors page instead, which is something to definitely avoid.

Much like with the hyphens, numbers and double letters can make your domain clunky and hard to read. People should be able to look at your domain and know instantly what it says, and double letters and numbers get in the way of this.

Long-term commitment

Something that a lot of people don’t realise is that changing your domain can be a hugely frustrating process. Not only can it affect your SEO ranking, but it will also cost you money on branding and marketing, and it’s just something you’d rather avoid.

To mitigate this, you’ve got to think about your domain long term. This is where using niche words may work against you. This is because if you end up branching out and focusing on other things that don’t specifically fit in to your niche, it can get a bit confusing for consumers.

If your brand has the potential to expand in future, then consider choosing a domain that is inclusive of everything you provide, currently, and in the future.

Still struggling?

If you’re still having trouble coming up with a suitable domain (there are over 350 million currently registered so we know it’s a struggle) you can always get some inspiration from a domain name generator.

These domain name generators are free tools that will use your keywords to come up with a list of domains that haven’t been taken, and can help to kickstart your ideas for the domain. Even if you don’t end up using a name from the generator, it can serve as some great inspo and might even be the trigger to find the name that suits your brand perfectly.

Final thoughts

Brand identity is one of the most important things you can establish when first setting up your business, and website. You may not think that choosing your domain is much of a priority, but it is a reflection of your brand so it’s crucial to get it right.

Spend time researching what kind of domain fits your business, and try and get at least one keyword in there to help with SEO efforts.

Searching for a domain can be a frustrating and time-consuming task, but it’s integral for any online business, and getting a good one now can save a lot of problems in future.

Tagged With

Contact Us

Let’s get the ball rolling.

Get A Quote

We are passionate about innovation, ideas and experience. Tell us about yourself and your project and we can start the ball rolling.

Branding