Back in 2020, when COVID struck, the resulting lockdowns led to a negative impact on several brick-and-mortar stores. This was the period that opened the eyes of entrepreneurs to the importance of a digital presence.
The only companies that stood a chance during the covid era were companies with a strong online presence. It was the saving grace that led to their survival. You see, the internet is a massive ecosystem, and because of how popular this ecosystem is, it is necessary for brands to develop names and make a place for themselves in this ecosystem.
But it’s not about having domain names to back up your different brand name ideas, are these domain names good enough? When investors are looking for the right properties, they view the properties in luxury estates as more valuable than others. In the same way, your domain name will be seen with more value when all the right features are in place. So, how do you develop an epic domain name?
The Four Major Factors To Consider When Choosing A Domain Name
1. Choose A Brandable Domain Name
One great decision you can make for your business is to give it a brandable domain name. When you take a look at the statistics, you see that over 90% of customers make their shopping decisions subconsciously without much thought. Also, 77% of these customers take into account the brand before making a shopping choice. These stats emphasize the need for a brandable domain name.
When you pick a brandable domain name, you’re choosing a name that’s memorable, unique, intriguing, and has the potential to grow with your brand. This is what brands like eBay, Facebook, Wattpad, and Skype have gone for, and we can all see how well that’s going. Visiting websites that offer unique domain names is a good place to start if you need any help.
2. Shorter Is Always Better
When it comes to picking a domain name, the shorter the domain name, the better it is for everyone. Always keep it short, precise, and simple because not only does this allow you to create a straightforward domain name, but it also allows customers to easily remember, spell, and search for it.
The human mind is full of unique features, and one of such features is its limitation to memorable characters. This means that there’s a range of characters that can be remembered beyond which becomes obscure. This range is from 3 to 12, and when your domain name goes above this threshold, you’re setting your brand up for an early demise. Why? Because then you have a domain name that’s hard to remember, making it hard to spell and search and in the end, customers lose interest and move on.
3. Be On The Look For Top-level Domains(TLDs)
What are Top-level Domains? These are domain extensions like ‘.com’ and ‘.org’ that form the final pieces of your domain name. And while there are lots more domain extensions in the market, none are as widely popular as these two listed. Based on a survey that was carried out by the Domain Name Association, despite the expansion in TLDs between 2016 and 2017, none still compares in terms of dominance to ‘.com’ and ‘.org’. The only setback with these extensions is their price. However, if you’re seeking a quick option, domain extensions like “.co.za” or ‘.io’ can suffice.
4. Be Careful With Keywords
Keywords in domain names are like double-edged swords. On the one hand, you get an SEO-friendly tool that helps customers understand your brand. On the other hand, you get a generic domain name that’s hard to customize and brand.
Before We Leave
Finding the perfect domain name is an important but not-so-easy task. However, the four tips above guide you along the right path. And for extra security, here are a few things to avoid in your domain name
- Misspelled words
- Numbers
- Hyphens and underscores
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Discussion about this post