A domain name is your brand’s internet address, similar to renting internet space for your company.

It is an online address that provides a simple way to access a website’s true online locator: its Internet Protocol address (IP address).

A domain name is composed of a user-selected unique name and an extension or Top Level Domain (TLD), such as.com, .net, or .org.

When choosing a domain name, consider more than just a web address for your site, as it will serve as the anchor of your brand for years to come.

There are several factors to consider when selecting a name.

When you have decided on a unique name for your domain, you can register it with a domain registrar.

1. Memorable; easy to remember

Users should be able to easily remember your domain name after hearing it.

People should know how to type it as soon as they hear it or after a very brief explanation.

In the domain industry, this is commonly referred to as the “radio test.”

Also, try to avoid words that have more than one common spelling.

In short, remove any form of confusion or need for an explanation from your choice of name.

2. Shorter is better

People use nicknames all over the world because a short name is simpler to remember than a long one.

A good domain name is easy to remember, and shortening it significantly helps.

If the domain contains multiple words, people will need to remember all of them as well as the order in which they appear, not to mention correctly typing the entire thing out.

This is why you should look into TLDs other than .com, as they provide more name options.

Try to keep it to 11 characters or less.

3. Choose the appropriate TLD

A Top-Level Domain (TLD) is the string of letters that follow the dot at the end of an internet address, such as .com, .org, etc.

Also known as a domain extension, some TLDs are restricted to specific entities.

For example, .edu can only be used by accredited educational institutions.

However, there are several other domains available to describe your business in a more relevant way e.g. a travel company could use .travel, a pizza company could claim .pizza, and a photographer could register a .photo domain.

Use of the appropriate TLD aids search engine optimization (SEO) in that it makes it easier for search engines to know which content your site has to offer.

For example, a .ng domain indicates the site’s origin is Nigeria and hence, relevant to a Nigerian audience.

4. Domain Privacy

Domain details are public records in the WHOIS and RDAP directories, many businesses correctly choose to keep their personal information private.

Unprotected user data is susceptible to being mined by spammers and scammers.

Set up your domain with domain registrars who offer privacy protection for free or for a cheap amount.

5. Avoid unprofessional words or slang

Unless you are setting up a site for a select young group or a particular esoteric club, it is best to restrict your name choice to professional words, especially in running an online business with an audience target of the middle class or elderly group.

Planning for long-term website success means picking a name with classic appeal, not something that is trendy or fades from popularity within a few years.

6. Avoid the use of hyphens and numbers

If a domain name uses two words, it might be tempting to add a hyphen in between the words.

The problem is people might not remember the hyphen and have typed the words together, end up on a different site, or cannot access any files at all.

Today, it is understood that search engines consider hyphenated domains with spam-related behavior unlike in the past when it was believed that hyphenated domains were easier for search engines to parse, so they had better SEO value.

Just like hyphens, numbers also present a dilemma, especially if users are unsure of how they should be typed, as a numeral, or spelled out the number.

7. Analyze name use cases on social media

For branding purposes, it is advised to create social media profiles using the domain name or inferences from it.

Before registering your idea and picking a name, take some time to see if the name is already in use as a handle on common social media platforms.

It’s ideal to have domain names and social media handles match in order to create a stronger brand.

Visitors will feel more confident finding your business online, with matching social media handles.

8. Avoid common brands or trademarks.

You might think choosing a name close to or sounds the same as a common brand name e.g. Facebook or Google is a good idea, but it is not!

With all the new domain extensions available, some people might want to feed off the reputation of an established brand.

Explore other options and build your brand up, name registrations similar to common brands usually result in messy copyright legal cases

9. Protect your data

Aside from not protecting your personal data from public records, some registrars go out of their way to sell your data to third-party organizations such as marketing teams.

Some registrars even mine the WHOIS database and send out false renewal invoices, getting people to unknowingly transfer their domains.

Make sure to find a registrar who promises never to sell or misuse your customer data for marketing purposes.

10. Check competition websites.

Look at the domain names of competitors and leader brands in your industry.

Note the keywords used, their arrangement, domain extension, etc.

A client operating a bicycle shop would likely find relevant domain names including some variation of bike, bicycle, or cycle.

11. The domain name should be available.

This indicates that it has not been registered by anyone else.

This can be verified using the box below…

 

Memorable TLD unique