Ask any online marketer what their domain name means to them, and they will automatically tell you that their domain name is their company's identity. It tells surfer everything they need to know: who they are? What they do? What their product/service can do for them.
It essentially acts as a summation of your company's web identity, so making sure you pick one that accurately describes you is vital.
For this reason we recommend that you pick something that is memorable, distinct and original. One that stands out from the rest in your product niche, but also at the same time efficiently reflects your company's products/service.
So how do you decide which is the right domain for you?
Well the first thing we recommend, especially if you are interested in incorporating SEO into your web design, is to pick a domain name that is SEO friendly.
But as with all things, this in itself can lead to more problems when it comes to choosing your domain. You see, you are just one of many companies online, who have undertaken the task of finding a URL that is SEO friendly.
So trying to find one that is distinct to your product niche and that has also been left untouched can be difficult. The competition is fierce.
But you can overcome this. You can offer your domain a uniqueness presence. Take the following details for example. Each can help make your decision easier.
Brand: as we said before your domain name is your websites identity. It represents who you are to the entire marketing sector and what you are trying to achieve as a company.
Saying this, your brand essence can also play an important factor in what domain you decide to choose.
All your brand is, is an extension of your company's identity. It is another means of allowing your surfers to recognise who you are and what you do.
So if for example you are a property investment teaching company, within your domain name it needs to mention the phrases 'property courses' or 'property investment.'
Length: which do you choose? A short domain name that is easy to remember and type into your browser or a long domain name that will enable you to incorporate SEO and explain your product?
Both of these have got their benefits. It is just a matter of deciding which one would best benefit your website.
One way you can have the best of both these worlds is to set a word restriction of up to 67 characters. By doing this, you can give your domain name just enough description length so that it is not obscured, but a clear cut off point.
Saying this, if you can keep your domain name to under 67 characters that will prevent surfers from making any errors when come to type in your domain name.
Hyphens: similar to the length of your domain names, hyphens can bring both its advantages and its disadvantages.
On the one hand, using hyphens can help you to get the domain you want whilst making your keywords more accessible to SEO e.g. propertyinvestment to property-investment.
But then on the opposite end of the scale, if surfers forget to include them, they could either be taken to another company's website, or they won't be able to find your website at all.
Domain name type: when picking your domain name you need to decide what you want your top level domain to be.
All a top level domain is, is your domain names extension for example .com, .net, .org, .us or .biz.
Now most companies choose to go for .com but there is nothing necessarily wrong with using any of the others we have mentioned above. In fact, with .com being such a popular domain source, it can be quite competitive to get your domain name with them so choosing one of the others could ensure you get the domain you want.
So take the time to decide what domain name best suites your website, and make sure you consider all the above pointers. Do that and you can offer your website the best in domain representation.
Caite Scott is a professional copywriter who has been working in the field of digital marketing and new media web design for over 6 years.
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