Here’s How to Choose a Kickass Domain Name for Your Startup
This is a guest post written by Raul Harman.
Every new startup in the market needs a recognizable name for their online presence because, without a proper online presence, it’s like you don’t exist at all. This is where a domain name plays a truly vital role.
As you may already know, a domain name is basically your online business name, as well as an online address. Therefore, choosing a kickass domain name is essential. However, choosing the right name isn’t as easy as it seems.
The main reason is that you need to take the time to consider what’s best for your startup and choose a domain name you won’t have to change later on.
The problem is that the majority of domain names are either already taken or reserved for someone planning to start a business, which means you’ll have to come up with something unique.
Still, everything is possible if you put your mind into it. That said, here’s how to choose an awesome domain name for your startup business.
What makes a great domain name?
Choosing a domain name can be difficult. It’s like creating a character in an online game where every name you can think of is already taken, so you pick something at random out of sheer frustration and end up regretting your decision afterwards.
Picking something random when it comes to domain names is a mistake that should best be avoided at all costs. To help you understand and simplify the process, here are a few factors that make a great domain name you should have in mind:
- It’s short and simple
- It’s understandable and easy to read
- It’s recognizable and memorable
- It’s unique to your business
- It’s well-written and free of any grammatical errors
- It’s catchy and witty (optional)
Don’t complicate things
If you follow the above mentioned guidelines, you’ll be able to come up with something great. However, you’ll also be undoubtedly tempted to complicate things a bit so that you can have a domain name that’s already taken. For instance, you’re aiming for the “mybusiness” domain name, but that one is already taken.
It might seem like a good idea to spice things up, such as choosing a “123my-business” for your domain name. This is probably the biggest mistake you can make. The main reason is that by using numbers or hyphens in your domain name, you’re branding your business and website as spam. In other words, people will avoid your website as soon as they see the URL.
Your best bet is to avoid complicating things and especially avoid using hyphenated domain names. As mentioned before, keep things short and simple so that you don’t mistakenly confuse the target audience you want to lead back to your website or any other content-filled page.
Go for the right extension
It’s no secret that the most important aspect of your domain name is the so-called TLD (Top-Level Domain).
Moreover, the actual name in your domain is called SLD (Second Level Domain). Therefore, choosing the right extension, such as .com, .org or .info, as well as any other relevant extension for your domain name, is of vital importance.
It seems silly to focus on the last segment of your domain name first, but that’s how it goes if you want a truly kickass domain name. There are a variety of TLDs to choose from, with .com being the most popular and most commonly used one.
However, going for the obvious option isn’t always the best way to approach this matter. The fact of the matter is that there are other popular TLDs that can make your entire domain name more unique. That said, unique domain names get more attention and are more memorable than the common ones.
For example, opting for a .me TLD is a way to personalize your domain name and make it quite catchy. This is a country-code TLD that’s quite popular these days. Therefore, deciding to go for a non-dotcom extension can oftentimes be a unique opportunity to ensure recognition for your startup business.
Choosing a unique domain name
Finally, it’s time to choose the actual domain name for your startup. If you really want something unique, it’s advisable to pick a domain name that either includes a relevant keyword in it or a domain name that’s branded.
Branded domains are a more viable option if you’re considering branding your startup at some point. If not, a keyword domain will do just fine, as long as it’s relevant to something your startup offers, such as products or services, for instance. The right domain name with the right extension will ensure proper visibility, recognition, and credibility for your startup business.
Domain names are essential for any business, not just startups. Choosing the right name, therefore, requires time, dedication and effort. If you decide to skimp on this process, you’ll end up having a domain name that doesn’t really represent your business, as well as a domain name that consumers simply don’t find appealing enough to explore further.
Author Bio:
My name is Raul and I am editor in chief at Technivorz blog. I have a lot to say about innovations in all aspects of digital technology and online marketing. Please take a minute to connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.