In layman’s terms, a domain name is the name that you type on your web browser in order to visit a website. Just like naming a person, a well thought of domain name is important because it is going to be associated with your website for as long as it is live.
The following are the tips that I would like to share with you about finding the right domain name:
1. Plan and Brainstorm
It is important that you have an idea of what type of site you are going to launch. List down phrases or terms that are related to your planned blog niche. You can then try to play with these keywords by adding some prefixes, suffixes or other words. For example, if you plan to start a travel blog, you can consider words such as “travel, voyage, trip, journey and tour.”
2. Keep it Short and Easy to Remember
A domain name can be 67 characters long but the fewer characters you have in your domain name, the better. Why? Because it makes it easy to remember and less prone to typing errors. For example, I chose to register WAHWM.com instead of workathomewifeandmother.com (which, by the way, is available until now) because it is shorter and allows for easy recall. Also, avoid using hyphens and numbers in your domain name.
3. Get a Second Opinion
Have someone (or more people) see your shortlist of probable domain names before registering it. There are times when you think you found the perfect name but it may have a different meaning when other people read it like the following domain names:
- penisland.net for the site of Pen Island Pens
- itscrap.com for Regency Technologies, an IT company
- whorepresents.com for the site Who Represents, a database of talent managers
.Com domain names are still the most popular top-level domain in the internet right now. Although I prefer them than other TLD’s, many good domain names for .com TLDs are already taken. You can now go for TLDs such as .info, .net and .org or country specific ones such as .us, .it and .ca domain registrations.
Do you have other tips that you think might be helpful to those who are trying to register domain names? Care to share your thoughts in the comments section below?
i like your tips! I loled especially at the examples, when choosing a domain I think we should put in mind these:
– niche (what will the topic be?)
– type (is it personal, commercial or something else?)
– uniqueness (how can you make it unique among others?)
I used to buy domains out of nothing at all and just being random but then I realised sooner I should have focused on the topics, most of my blogs/sites are personal and random. Heehee. But if I would get a new domain it’d be something based on these I’ve said and your tips!
Thanks for sharing this!