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Manila Bulletin devider Technews devider How to pick the right domain name for your website

How to pick the right domain name for your website

Published Nov 10, 2022 03:54 pm

8 tips for choosing a domain name for your small business

A domain name is often the first thing people see about your business. It is your website's unique address so that users can find your site effortlessly. With that, choosing the right one is crucial and requires careful consideration.

Continuously empowering people to succeed online, GoDaddy shares eight tips to help you choose a domain name that is right for your business.

1. Keep it simple

The first rule of choosing a domain name is to keep it simple. Make certain that your domain name does not have an unusual spelling, is not difficult to type, or not confusing. Chances of them finding you on the internet would be slim if your domain name is mis-spelled. Use proper spellings for words.

2. Shorter is better

The fewer characters your domain name has, the easier it will be to type, say and share. There is also less risk of losing visitors who might mistype or misspell it. They also allow more of the URL address to show up in search engine list results, which can help customers quickly find your website.

3. Add keywords to your domain name

Use keywords that best describe your business and the products or services you offer. This makes it easier to recognize the nature of your business. Include keywords that people might enter when searching for your product or service. This can help improve your search engine results.

4. Mention your location

Consider including your location in your domain name, by choosing a domain name extension for your location, like a .ph or a .sg domain name. This shows customers that you are a business located in that country. Whether you add your location before or after the dot, customers will be able to find you geographically more easily. This can be important for customers who would like to do business with companies located in their country.

5. Avoid numbers and hyphens

Numbers and hyphens can easily cause confusion. It'll be unclear for people who heard your domain spoken if you are using a number, or whether the number should be spelled out as a word. Same is true with hyphens. Customers could forget the hyphen or put the hyphen in the wrong place and mistype your URL.

6. Make it unforgettable

It is important to have a catchy and memorable domain name. An easy-to-remember custom domain name will help to encourage word-of-mouth advertising and help spread your brand faster.

7. Consider all your domain name options

The internet’s been around for decades, but there’s still a strong bias towards choosing a .com domain name extension. So, if you can, you can try and register a .com domain address. If not available, then there are a variety of industry-specific domain extensions available, such as .co, .net, .org, .life, .online and .news.

8. Safeguard your brand

Consider registering your domain name with various domain extensions, as well as misspelled versions of your domain name. This can help to prevent competitors from registering different versions of your domain name, and then using them to pull traffic away from your website.

Here are some reminders once you've found the perfect domain name/s for your business:

1. Check that the name is not trademarked or copyrighted by another company.

2. Check that the domain name you want is available on social media sites, by checking Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to make sure the name is not already taken. It is helpful to have the same name across your website and social platforms for consistency.

3. Be sure to keep your domain names current and registered, as you do not want the registrations to lapse.

GoDaddy offers automatic renewals for domain names to help ensure they do not expire.

8 tips for choosing a domain name for your small business

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