Looking to pick perfect domain name for your business website? If yes, make sure to read this article in full. I share some of the best tricks out there in this post. This free guide will be of a great help for people who are new to this field. If you know someone who may need to see this, please share the article with them.
Why I am writing this post?
I have been working in this field for 13 years, have learned a lot over the years. I believe its time that I share my knowledge with others as well, hope that answers the question! So, without wasting anymore time lets get down to the business!
Pick the right TLD
TLD (Top Level Domain): In layman’s language, TLD is the extension of a domain name, some of the popular ones are .Com, .Org, .Net, .Biz, .Info, .Edu and plenty more. Its a great practice to pick the right domain extension for your website. For example, if your website is commercial, you should only choose .Com, if your website represents an organisation, .org will be the right pick!
Whats with .Com Domains?
Almost 90% of the websites use this extension irrespective of the niche or category the domain represents. This is the only extension which comes to minds of people. Even big organisation tend to buy this extension for their websites a long with .Org. They simply redirect the .com domain to their main .Org domain later.
For example, Coursera has their domain name with extension .Org. If you enter .com version of the website in your browser it redirects to Coursera.org.
People do make mistakes by adding .com at the end of a domain name. This is a direct traffic, no organisation would want to loose it. Therefore its best to have the .Com extension for your website along with the main extension.
Hope this answers why .Com domains occupy the most space on the internet.
What is best branded domain or Domain containing Keyword(s)?
A branded domain name is the one that represents a brand name, a good example is Udemy.com. Udemy is one of the leading website for online courses, the website chooses brand name over the keywords like “Online Courses”, “Online Classes” etc.
And, a good example of website that chooses keywords in domain name is Onlinecoursesgalore.com. The website clearly has a Keyword in domain name.
Now, for me, I recommend brand name in the URL if you want to do well in online sphere. People often search for the websites of popular brands, having domain name representing your brand gives your website authority and recognition.
Having a keyword in your domain name is also a good thing but nothing beats a brand name in the URL. You do get some SEO benefits for having a keyword in the domain but still Google gives preference to authority these days. What matter in the end is the quality of content your domain name has.
Keyword in a domain name is only helpful in cases where the keyword is huge, you still have to back it up with great content. Mere keyword in a domain won’t get you far!
What to do if the domain you need is already registered by someone else?
Yes, that happens a lot, people have great ideas but the domain they want is often unavailable! If you also face the similar scenario, you can do the following:
- Reach out to the person who holds the domain
- See if you can use an alternate domain name
Reaching out to the holder is your best bet, there are several ways to do that. If the domain name is not hosted, try reaching out to the registrar. Following are the ways:
- Do a whois check and see details of the registrar
- If the domain name is parked somewhere, look for the contact option
- Consult with leading domain registration providers if you can’t find the contact details of the holder
Once you find the owner, just make an offer to them, if they like the offer, they may transfer the offer. The transfer of the domain is a very important thing, always choose the best mediators to facilitate the process. I recommend Godaddy and Sedo for this.
You need yo persuade in best way possible, that’s the only thing which works in reclaiming the domain from someone.
Make Use of the Expired Domain names
One of the best ways to find the best domain name is through websites like Expireddomains.net. This website is search engine of expired, deleted and ready to register domain names. The best part about this website is, it tells you how popular the domain name is. Here’s the snapshot showing the filters you can pick:
Use this website to pick a domain name which has the popularity and the authority. This sure gives your startup the initial push it requires.
Always look at this website to keep an eye on the domains about to expire. You may end up buying a great domain for peanuts if the owner decides not to renew it for some reason.
Why should you buy Domain Privacy?
Buying domain privacy is a must, especially if you are an individual who wants to hide his details. By default, anyone can check who owns a particular domain name through “Whois Lookup”. Domain registrar’s important details like Mobile Number, Email Address, Physical address can be traced if you don’t enable domain privacy.
Now, most registrars charge you few extra bucks to enable domain privacy. I highly recommend, if privacy is your major concern, always go for it.
Currently, NameCheap is offering Domain name Privacy free for domain you register with them. You may want to buy your domain name from them. So, do check that out here.
Conclusion:
If you follow this guide, you will be able to make good decisions to choose the perfect domain name for your business. Make use of the tools I share in this article and you will be good to go.
I hope you find this article informational and helpful. If you do please share it with your friends, it will be of a great help 🙂
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