How to choose the right domain name
A domain name effectively defines your brand/company online, so it is really important to choose the right one. This importance has only increased over the past year as more and more customers have decided (or been forced) to engage services/buy goods online, rather than in-person or over the phone.
So, what exactly is a domain name?
A domain name can be thought as the digital version of a postal address. It is the name that customers need to type into the address bar on their browser in order to access to a specific website.
How is a domain name constructed?
A domain name is made up of two main parts: the name and the extension. The technical name for the extension is the top-level domain (TLD). There are a number of TLDs available and they are used to represent different types of organisation. For example, the extension .org is used for non-profit organisations, whilst .com is used for businesses. Some extensions also represent the country of origin of the organisation, for example .ru (Russia) or .uk (United Kingdom).
Most common top-level domains
According to research by Statista, the most popular top-level domain worldwide (as of Oct 2020) by a long way is .com, followed by .ru, .org, and .net.
If you need to buy domain name services or other related services, companies such as names.co.uk offer a range of paid-for options as well as useful free advice.
Picking the best domain name
Ideally, you want a domain name that reflects your business, that is unique, relevant, memorable, short, and easy to type. Also:
– Avoid numbers and hyphens as these can complicate things.
– If possible, try to include relevant keywords in your domain name. For example, if you are a hairdresser, you might want the word ‘hair’ in your domain name.
– If you are a local business rather than nationwide/global, you could include your location in your domain name e.g. LondonHairForYou.co.uk or even HairForYou.London.
– Make sure the name that you have decided on is not already in use. This could potentially cause legal issues and confusion.
– It is important to use the most appropriate extension/TLD for your business. This could be country-specific, location-specific, industry-specific, or even product-specific.
The above steps should help you pick the best domain name for your business.