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One of the most important things to consider when making your website is choosing the right domain name. Choosing the right domain name, in the beginning, is very important to avoid any problems that can come with changing it. Changing your domain name is a very risky move because it can potentially hurt your brand and your search rankings. This makes it much harder for people to find your website. Fortunately for you, we have a good idea of what to consider when choosing the right domain name for your website.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is the address of your website that people type into the URL bar to go and visit it. Think of your website as a house with an address. Your website is your house, and the domain name is your address. People type in the domain name (address) to visit your website (home). So, why were domain names created?
Domain names were created to simplify searching for a website. Before domain names, people used IP addresses to visit a website. This proved to be quite tricky as it is a bit hard to remember a specific set of numbers. Then, the domain name was born. Now, it is much easier to go and visit a website. Instead of typing a specific set of numbers into the URL bar, you have to type an easy-to-remember domain name like ours, wundertre.com.
Does Using “.com” Make a Difference?
There are many extensions out there that are used today for many websites. Some of the most popular ones are .net and .org. Of course, there is one that is widely used by many websites today. That extension, of course, is .com. Think about how many websites you’ve typed in that ended with the extension, .com. More than likely, most of them used it, right?
Some domain extensions are related to what a website is about. For example, some pizza restaurants end their domain name with the extension, .pizza. Same thing for photographers and many other professions. But why should you stick with .com?
Using .com as the extension for your domain name makes quite the difference for people looking to visit your website. Many people automatically type .com at the end of any website they want to visit. This is where it can potentially negatively affect your domain name. Say, you’re a blogger, and you want to use the extension .blog. Some users might type in the URL bar, myblog.blog.com. They are just so accustomed to using .com over anything else that they put .com at the end of any domain name no matter what.
Another reason to go with using .com is that using some other extensions might come across as suspicious to some users. They may deem your website untrustworthy which can negatively impact your website traffic. You want people to visit your website, not avoid it.
Sticking with the domain extension .com is a safe bet to ensure that people are easily able to visit your website. Using any other extension might lead to confusion for the people who want to visit your website.
Things to Consider
Now that we’ve gone over what a domain name is and why sticking with .com as the extension for your website can make a difference, let’s talk about some things to consider when choosing the right domain name.
Extension to Use
This ties back with why you should be using .com at the end of your domain name. Using the right extension for your domain name is crucial to help users find your website. If you decide to use .net or .org, make sure that your website can benefit from using either of them.
Keywords
Keywords tell search engines exactly what your website is about. Using relevant keywords, having quality content on your website, and providing a good user experience can improve your Google search ranking. This is important if you want more people to find and visit your website. Of course, many keywords have already been taken by other domain names. This is where it pays off to get a little creative with your domain name as long as it is relevant to your website.
Length
The length of your domain name can impact your website traffic. With a longer domain name, you are increasing the chance of users entering in typos. This directs them to either an error message or a different site. This means you can lose some traffic to your website, which you don’t want to happen.
Making it Unique and Part of Your Brand
You want your domain name to stand out amongst the others. This is where researching other domains that are used within your market can be of value to you. You can find out what names are already taken and trademarked; that way, you can avoid trying to use those. Making your domain name brandable is also another way to help it stand out. Creating a catchy and memorable domain name that tells users about your brand is better than a simple, generic one.
Places to Register Your Domain Name
When you’ve chosen the right domain name for your website, it is time to register it. There are many services out there to help you register your domain name. Prices to register one can range from free to around $25. If you are starting a new website, some web-hosting companies, such as GoDaddy and HostGator, offer free domain registration in their packages. Another way to register your domain name without purchasing web-hosting is through a domain registrar. These registrars typically have many domain names to purchase from, and possibly even yours!
Conclusion
Choosing the right domain name can take a little bit of work. This work is necessary, though, as you want to select the right one from the get-go to avoid any problems that come with changing it. Once you’ve chosen the right domain name for your website, people can start searching for it!