Tips on choosing a domain name

Choosing a domain name for your website is something many business owners struggle with. You want to choose something which is easy to remember and represents your business. But with so many variations available and advice being offered, it can be hard to pick just one!  It’s a common problem we’re often asked about. So here are our tips on how to choose the right domain name for your website.

7 Tips to Make Choosing a Domain Name Easy

What makes a great domain name? There are so many schools of thought on this one. In our business, we see a lot of fabulous website names and those which are not so great. We’ve put together our top seven tips to help you with choosing your new domain name.

1. Keep it short – long names are hard to remember. They’re also tricky to fit on business cards, letterheads and other marketing materials. A short name has less chance of being typed incorrectly and visitors not being able to find your site.

2. Think about your branding – your domain name or URL will be seen everywhere. Is it a part of your business name? Will people instantly associate your business with its URL or could it be your competitor they are thinking of?

3. Make it unique – you don’t want your domain name to be too similar to another URL as it can confuse visitors.

4. Avoid hyphens and difficult spellings – hyphens and unusual spellings are often used when the first choice of a domain name is taken. Unfortunately, a hyphen can be viewed negatively by search engines as a type of spam. An unusual spelling is hard to remember, often mistyped and difficult to share on social media.

5. Consider extension options – until recently, there was little choice about a domain’s extension. Now as well as the .com and .co.nz there are a few others to think about. The .nz extension is also very popular. Depending on the market you are selling in, the .nz is best for local domains, while .com suits those selling overseas.

6. Check it is not copyrighted – sometimes a name has been trademarked or copyrighted. You can check for this using the ONECheck service.

7. Using a business name or keyword – once upon a time ago, the more keywords you had stuffed in your domain name the better. Nowadays this is not the case and keyword stuffing is not liked by search engines. Using a keyword can help make your domain name relevant and instantly tell people what your site is about. You could also use your business name which helps build up your brand profile.

You can find out more about choosing a domain name and check out if your name is taken on our Domain Registration page. We can also help you register your name too. If you need any help, feel free to contact us.