Many small and medium business owners make the mistake of thinking that their domain name is just a website address.
But the reality is:
They’re so important for your business because they:
- Raise brand awareness
- Make you memorable
- Build up your SEO
Below, you’ll find 6 tips for establishing a memorable and amazing brand through your domain.
1. Be brandable
Your domain name is literally the digital face of your company.
What do I mean when I say “domain name”?
A domain name is the URL of your website. It’s the web address people type into their browsers to access your website.
Therefore:
You want to choose a domain name that sounds like your brand.
How? Think simplicity and memorability.
Here are a couple of things to avoid:
- Stay away from hyphens wherever possible
- Don’t use numbers or anything else that’ll sound unnatural and complicated
2. Be pronounceable
Even though users aren’t likely to be saying your domain name out loud, pronounceability is still important.
Why? Because of a little something called processing fluency: the ease with which our brains can process information.
Names that don’t require your potential customer to think too hard are usually the easiest to remember and more likely to inspire positive associations.
If your domain name is too hard to figure out, people will routinely misspell it.
And you know what happens?
You lose all of that potential traffic to your website.
Think about it like this:
If most people abandon a website after if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load, imagine how fast they’ll give up trying to find your website.
The lesson here is simple: Make it easy for customers to find you!
3. Keep it short
The key here is to strike a balance.
Choose a domain that’s brief.
But:
Don’t completely destroy your name by hacking off whole parts of words.
4. Aim for the .com
When it comes to extensions, being unique isn’t always better.
A “.com” extension is still the easiest to remember and most often used. In fact, 75% of all websites use a “.com” extension.
If you can’t get the “.com”, you could decide to go with other well-known extensions like “.co” or “.net” or “.org”, but always plan on acquiring the .com in the future.
5. Make it instantly intuitive
The ideal domain name should give users a good idea of what your business is all about right away.
For instance, “PerfectLandscaping.com” is an example of an intuitive domain name for a site about landscaping.
Right off the bat, a potential customer can guess what they’ll find on that site (perfect landscaping!). Your domain name and social handles should have the same effect.
Additionally, instant intuitiveness gives bonus points for memorability. When people grasp your site’s concept just from the name, it’ll stick in their minds.
6. Don’t overuse keywords
Having some keywords in your domain name or social handle helps a little bit.
However:
You shouldn’t be hellbent on including exact match phrases. Doing so will hurt your brand.
Bonus tip: Register your domain name
Register your domain name and close variants (to protect them from competitors) as well as your social handles at the same time.
Do this now – even if you’re not planning on building out your website immediately.
Resources to picking your domain:
Name Checker: … Opens in a new window to Name Checker’s websiteThis is literally one of my favorite tools. You add your business name in the search bar, hit enter, and immediately you see if your brand is available in nearly every social channel and domain.
Domain Registration:
When you’re ready to purchase your domain, here are my favorite options:
- Domain.com … Opens in a new window to Domain’s website
- namecheap.com … Opens in a new window to Name Cheap’s website
Email:
The easiest way to create a professional is using a Google Workspace … Opens in a new window to Google Workspace’s website account.
They start at $6 per user per month and you can create up to 100 alias accounts and choose aliases for your business, such as:
- info@yourdomain.com
- help@yourdomain.com
- bookings@yourdomain.com
You get all of that while only paying for one user/account.
Google Workspaces also work very well with your existing email.
Link your aliases to your current email address (Gmail or elsewhere) to receive all your messages in one place.
Hosting:
Our two favorite hosting platforms for anyone just starting a new business are:
- Bluehost … Opens in a new window to Bluehost’s website
- HostGator … Opens in a new window to HostGator’s website
They’re affordable, reliable, and easy to set up.
Don’t want to do this alone?
We’re more than happy to assist you in getting your business established and ready to dominate the online world.
Reach out to us:
- Send us a message
- Call us: 360.654.4145
- Email us: meow@hipcatsociety.com
