Your Website Is Going to Need a Domain Name 

A domain name is your website's address. It's what people type in to find your website, and what search engines use to index and then send people to. Without a domain name, your website cannot go live, making it 100% necessary.

But when it comes time to choose a domain name, many people find it hard to pick on. Either their chosen name is already taken by someone else, they can't decide which domain idea they like the best, or they've completely drawn a blank. 

To help you choose a new domain name for your website, we've put together a list of things for you to do.

How to Pick the Perfect Domain Name

Your domain name is the first impression someone will have of your website, can impact upon your SEO and is a branding opportunity. Many businesses choose to use their brand name as their domain name, while others use keywords; some buy both domains and redirect one to the main domain!

When thinking about your new domain name, remember that:

• short is best - a short domain is easy to remember, spell and type. 
• branded names are easy to remember
• your domain suffix is important - whether it is .com, .weddings or .co.nz, the suffix you have at the end of your domain name is important. It shows either the country your website is aiming at, or the industry you are in.
• hyphens and numbers get confusing - is that 2 or two? Numbers and hyphens just make it harder for people to remember your domain name, so avoid using them if you can.
• use your business name - your business name (if they know it), is what people will enter into search engines specifically to find you. If you can, secure this domain so none of your competitors can. 
• check for different suffixes - you can buy more than one domain and each one could have a different suffix. For example, wellington.weddings, wellingtonweddings.nz, wellingtonweddings.com This effectively stops other sites using your domain name, masquerading as your business or piggy backing on your marketing to direct traffic their way.
• being unique is a good thing -if your domain name is similar to another, you risk people visiting their site and not yours. That's where keeping it unique is a great idea, and invented words and brand names work well here.
• check for existing copyright and trademarks - if someone else has paid to have a word or name trademarked, you can't use it in your domain name. Use the ONECheck website to see if your domain ideas are taken.

Once you've decided, registering a domain name is easy and affordable with us. Enter your chosen domain name and we'll double check its availability. We'll then walk you through the process of adding your details, creating an account with us (if you have one already, login to it before buying your domain) and completing payment.