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Some new business owners don’t realize how their choice of a domain name can influence their business for the long term. They may think that just slapping a .com at the end of their business name is more than enough, but domain names have a lot of influence. They can affect searchability, brand identity, and in some cases, credibility. It’s important to choose your business name wisely. Let’s explore some strategies to help you pick the right name, and the impact it can have if you don’t.
General Strategy for Choosing a Domain Name
Of course you want a name that sounds good, but choosing a domain involves more than some creativity. You’ll need something easy to spell, remember, and that reflects your overall brand. You can even choose a name better optimized to search engines.
The best domains are simple. Too much complexity means that clients will struggle to remember exactly how to spell it or what it is. Names that are too long can create barriers to helping people find you online. You also need the name to be relevant. It should reflect your business name, your industry, and help with overall brand recognition.
How to Handle Things if Your Desired Domain is Already Claimed
Many businesses spend endless hours brainstorming domain name ideas. Then you finally think you’ve found just the right one, and a quick domain name search reveals that it’s taken. The disappointment can be palpable. The good news is that there are many different approaches you can take if at first glance you can’t get your desired domain name.
One option is to perform a search in the WHOIS database to find out who owns the site. If the site is taken but not being used, the owner may be open to selling it. This means that if you reach out in a professional way and offer to buy the site, it’s possible they could be willing to hand it over.
If that’s not the case, another option is to make some minor modifications to your domain name. You might want to add a location based variant or choose a different TLD. Instead of a .com, you might be open to a .co, .biz, .io, or other extension if it works for your industry or your needs.
Bad Domains Hurt Business
If you choose wrong, you may run into some problems with your business along the way. Names that are too hard to spell or are too long can create confusion and frustration for potential customers. This confusion means less traffic, and of course, customers could accidentally end up on a competitor site.
Other domain issues include being misspelled and using numbers in the domain. Of course numbers can seem creative like using 4 instead of the word “for”, however, some customers just might not get it. It’s also important to consider if your domain has any homophones, which are when words sound the same but are spelled differently. If you have to explain your domain too much, it’s likely that it’s not the best choice and will work against you in the long run.
Get SEO Benefits With the Right Domain
Businesses rely on good SEO to drive customers to their site. And for some businesses, the right domain name can help search engines prefer their site over other similar businesses. Google’s algorithms for instance look at things like relevancy, structure, domain name, content, and more. A well thought out domain name can help engines like Google better recognize your site as a trusted source for your topic.
Plumbers for example may use a domain that includes their city or the word “best” in it. This could mean their site looks like BestPlumbingAtlanta.com or uses their business name and the city. These geo specific tags can be crucial to companies who rely on business in specific areas.
Another way to make your domain stand out as a trusted authority is to use an industry specific TLD. Something like .law, .tech, or even. photo can help you stand out online in your industry. It also shows your area of expertise before someone even reads your site.
Brands rely on a good domain name to help them connect with their ideal customers and clients online. Using the right strategies to choose one means that you can stand out as an authority in your industry and be easily found online. It also helps with SEO. These important tips are just some of the ways modern businesses are using their websites to attract and get the right customer base.
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