Choosing the best domain name for your startup can be a daunting task. There are so many options, and they all seem to have their benefits, but how do you know which one is right? Spending extra time conceptualizing the perfect domain name will help you establish stronger brand positioning and credibility right away, putting you ahead of your competitors. Of course, saying it is much easier than doing it. It’s often aggravating, and it necessitates a significant amount of effort. In this post, we will give you seven tips that will help make the decision process easier.
Let’s take a look at what you must consider before choosing the best domain name for your startup.
1. The Name Should Sound Positive
The domain name should sound positive. Make it memorable and easy to pronounce so people can remember the site’s address for future use. You must think of an excellent catchy word with an appropriate extension (.com, .net). Other attachments can be used but may not give your business the exposure or impression you are looking for.Â
The most common ones are .co (short for company), .me (personal website), or another language-specific extension such as Spanish “es,” which would translate into English as “.us.” You will also need to ensure that whatever top-level domains (.com, etc.) go along with this extension allow commercial ventures.
2. Research Well
You should spend some time researching to find out if the domain you want is available or not. Many people will search for parts on premium sites like GoDaddy and NameCheap, but other options include Zoho, Uniregistry, Hover.com, etc. The point is that there are many places online where you can do your research and purchase your domain name.Â
You need to know what resources you have access too so make sure you conduct an extensive internet search before moving forward with anything else.
3. Keep It Simple
Keep the name as short and simple as possible. You don’t want to confuse your customers with a long domain name, or worse yet, try to make them remember it. The shorter the name, the better chance your customers will remember and type it easily without any spelling errors or typos. A short domain also looks nicer when you use a logo with text above or below it.
4. Select The Appropriate Top-Level-Domain For Your Business
Domains are ranked on a scale of popularity – the Top-Level Domain makes you select one domain over another, such as .com or .org. The right TLD can make your business stand out from the competition and provide an additional layer of credibility to consumers online who may otherwise be turned off by seeing “.biz” in your URL.
5. Avoid Hyphens And Numbers
Domain names should be memorable and easy to spell. Avoid hyphens, numbers, or acronyms that are hard for people outside of your organization to pronounce. For example, if you own a company called ACME Technical Services and want the domain name, acmetechservices.com then avoid this domain name because it contains an acronym that is difficult for most people to say out loud in conversation without sounding like they’re speaking gibberish. Consider using domains with words ending in “.com” instead of other endings like “.net.”
6. Think Long-Term Over Short-Term
The domain name should be something you want to stick with for a while, as it is difficult (if not impossible) to change once set. For example, if your company’s name changes or becomes outdated because of an event like bankruptcy, trademark dispute, etc., the domain can’t just be changed. The new website will have to go on a different URL than the original one, which can confuse visitors who may think that they are visiting the site under its old title.Â
If you need to update your domain at some point in time, consult our article on how best to transition from your current content management system before doing so.
7. Use Domain Name Generators When Stuck
Trying to find the name for your startup? Your domain should be short, unique, and memorable. If you’re struggling with coming up with a good name or are second-guessing yourself, there’s no shame in using a generator. Domain name generators are a great way to get you started. You can use the website Namecheap, for example, or go with something more fun like Uniregistry’s “choose my name.”Â
These resources will help you brainstorm and then provide a domain name for you to use.
The Bottom Line
Make sure you choose something that doesn’t already exist. This is especially important if your startup has a product or service with the same name as an existing company. You don’t want to get lost in Google because of potential confusion, and it could even lead to legal battles down the road.
