Top 10 Tips To Follow Before You Buy A Domain Name
When choosing a domain name for a website, it is important to look beyond a web address for the site. This is because a domain name will be the anchor of a brand for many years. Maybe, even a lot more than that. Therefore, before you buy a domain name for your site, it is necessary to do some research upfront. You need to make sure that the domain name meets your requirements over the long run. You need to make sure it perfectly suits the website’s purpose. So, what next?
At HostSailor, we have sorted out the top tips that might help you when buying a domain. Make sure that you go through these TOP 10 TIPS shared below before you buy one. READ NOW.
1) Check Competition Before You Buy A Domain
Make sure to check the domain name of competitors of your business. Do not forget to note the keywords that they include in the domain name. And also the domain extension. For instance, if you are operating a bicycle shop, your domain name can include variations of words. For eg, bicycle, cycle, or bike. After finding domain names that you like, check their availability. You may make use of our domain name search tool. This will let you know if the domain name is already registered and in use. If that is the case, you can move on to other domain names in your list.
2) Find Names That Are Easy To Remember And Type
It is important for a website to have an address that people can relay through word of mouth, even if the website ranks well in search engines. This is because, it will be difficult for people to remember domains with odd spellings, hyphens, and other characters. People should be able to know how to type the website when they hear the domain name or after a very brief explanation. This is called the “radio test” in the web hosting industry. When you talk about your business over the air or run a radio advertisement, this can be very much useful.
You also need to avoid words that can have more than one spelling. If you have to use any such words, try to register an extra domain with the alternate spelling of the word in the domain name. You can then forward the variant to the primary domain, thereby allowing people to find your website without any issues.
3) Avoid Slang When Buying Domains
While planning for the long-term success of your website, you need to select a web address that has a classic appeal. Never ever go for something that will fade away in popularity in a few years. In the same way, avoid slang, or make use of slang that is recognizable universally. With the internet reaching globally, it is not unlikely that your site will attract people who speak English as an alternate language or a second language. Do not make it difficult for these people.
4) Short Is Best When You Buy A Domain
As mentioned earlier, a good domain name is one that is easy to remember, and shortening can help make it easier to remember. If there are many words in your domain name, users will have to remember all of the words in order and should type these words correctly to reach your website. Therefore, make sure to buy a domain name that is short and easy to remember.
5) Consider Extensions Other Than .com
As per the statistics, the average length of a .com domain is about 15 characters, which can be a very big domain name. Luckily, there are many other domain extensions available for you to choose from. There are about three hundred different domain extensions available and you can choose the one that perfectly matches your business.
6) Check Social Media Handles Before You Buy A Domain
Before you register a domain name, check if it is already in use as a handle on any social media platform. It is better to have a social media handle and domain name to match. That might help to make a stronger brand. Visitors will be more confident finding your business online. Moreover, your business will have more credibility when you share the stuff that you are doing.
7) Stay Away From Trademarks
With so many new domain extensions available, crooked people might be tempted to use the reputation of an already established brand. For instance, imagine that you register a domain using the word Adidas paired with an extension. One that is recently released and then use it to market your sports goods. This can look like an easy win, but it will surely catch the eyes of the legal department of Adidas. And what, you will be in legal trouble. Simply, try to stay from using trademarked brand names.
8) Protect Your Brand
Even if you have trademarked your domain name and idea, someone could imitate it without any legal repercussions. For instance, a competitor of your bicycle shop can use a similar domain name. By using some other extension to imitate your website. You can avoid this by registering different variants of the domain that you need to protect. So, make sure you do it.
9) Avoid Hyphens When Buying A Domain
If your domain name has two words, you may be tempted to add a hyphen to improve readability. However, people might not remember the hyphen and can end up at some other website. It was commonly believed that hyphenated domains made it easy for search engines to parse. And it will be more SEO-friendly. However, it is now understood that search engines link hyphenated domains to spammy behavior. Which may even lead to penalizing these domains.
10) Avoid Numbers Too
Like hyphens, numbers can also create confusion. This is because users might not be sure if you are spelling out the number or using a numeral in your domain name. It might be safe for the user to assume that it is spelled out, like in the case of ‘threeroses’. Likewise, numerals can also present as much challenge in a domain name. This can be overcome by registering both versions of the domain name. You can then forward these domains to the primary one. Make the stronger domain the primary address.
The ten tips are over. But, there is ONE EXTRA TIP from us. READ
Extra Tip When You Buy A Domain
Once you are sure about what your domain name should be, go search if it’s available. IF YES, register the domain on the spot! Every day, millions of domain names are registered. And, that takes them off the web hosting market. When you find a suitable domain name fitting your brand, register the same at once. You can also register any variants before anyone else can register them on their name.
Conclusion
So, those were the 10 tips from HostSailor that we believe will help you buy a perfect domain name. Get a simple, small, and catchy address for your website. At the same time, make sure it perfectly matches your type of business and brand. It might take some time, but will be worth it. So, start working on it today. Just don’t forget our tips!
Read the tips? Got some domain names in mind? If it’s a YES, check out if the domain is available HERE. Please feel free to contact our customer support for any help. Even if it’s about buying a hosting plan for your website that you just bought a domain for. We are here to help. You can CHAT, EMAIL, or MAKE A CALL. It’s as simple as that.