Things to Consider When Choosing Your Domain Name
3rd May 2021
Choosing a domain name for your business website is an important step in forming your online presence. You’ll want to get it right from the outset to prevent the hassle and cost of switching domain names farther down the line.
There are a number of things to consider when choosing the perfect domain name, which we will discuss shortly. But before we do, let's take a quick look at what a domain name is, and the function it serves.
What is a domain name?
Your domain name is your website address – The URL that users type into their browsers to connect to your website. It’s the web equivalent of your home address, which browsers use to find and deliver visitors to your website – www.itseeze-stevenage.co.uk for example.
It may not seem like choosing your domain name is something that requires too much thought. However, there are a number of factors you should consider before committing to your domain.
For your convenience, we have listed some of the main things to consider when choosing your business website domain name below.
Choose .com or .co.uk?
When choosing the perfect domain name for your site, one of the main considerations is which extension to opt for. There are plenty of options available, but .com and .co.uk are the most common used by UK businesses.
There are plenty of alternatives, but unless your preferred name is not available in either .com or .co.uk, you will be best served going with one of these. They are the most popular choices and easily remembered.
If you are running a UK business, and primarily offering your products or services to a UK audience, your best option is a .co.uk. It will give customers confidence that you are a legitimate UK based firm, and is just as commonly used and well known in the UK as .com.
If your services are offered worldwide and your audience is international, opt for a .com website.
Head to I Want My Name for a comprehensive list of all available domain extensions and pricing.
Keeping it simple
When it comes to deciding on your domain name - keep it short and simple.
You want your web address to be easy to type, easy to say and easy to remember. This will increase visitor numbers and make it more likely that a customer will recommend your site to friends and relatives.
If a domain name is too long or too complicated, it is less likely to be remembered, which will reduce the opportunity of traffic directed via word-of-mouth.
Domain names that are too long are also prone to being input into browsers incorrectly. This will have a direct and negative impact on traffic and customer retention.
In an ideal world, your domain will consist of one or two words, with a maximum of 12 characters (not including www and the extension) – www.itseeze.com is a great example of short, simple and – most importantly, memorable.
Avoid trademark infringement
Another crucial factor to consider is to make sure that your domain name doesn’t infringe on any registered trademarks. In extreme circumstances this could result in legal action brought against you, which would be costly in more ways than one.
If your website address is deemed to be too similar to that of another company, you could find yourself involved in legal proceedings, and if found to be at fault, your website would have to be taken offline until you have registered a new domain name - and possibly business name.
Not only would this cause loss of business while your website is out of action. It would require a complete update of all your marketing materials, which would be both costly and time consuming.
If you have concerns about your domain name infringing a trademark, it would be worth seeking professional legal advice.
Ensure that you own your domain name
If you have outsourced the job of building your website to a web design agency, you will need to make sure that you will own your chosen domain name. Don’t just assume that you own it, only to find out later down the line that the domain name you chose is actually registered in the name of the agency that set it up for you.
This could cause issues if you ever decide to change your website provider. You may find yourself having to negotiate to buy the rights to your own domain name.
You’ll be pleased to know that here at it'seeze, we always register your domain in your name, so you own your website address from day one.
Note that when you choose it'seeze to build your website, you always retain ownership of your domain. We'll manage it for you, but you always own the domain.
Things to avoid
The points we have listed above are some of the main considerations to take into account when choosing the domain name for your business. If you follow these guidelines you can’t go too far wrong.
In addition, there are some things you should avoid entirely for the purposes of an effective, memorable domain name. Below we have listed a few no-no’s to take into account.
Numbers
Don’t include numbers in your website address. They just add unnecessary complexity. If you tell people that your web address is webdesign1, for example, they won’t know it’s a 1 or a one. This will make your domain less memorable and potentially lose valuable traffic.
Stuffed keywords
You might think that including lots of keywords in your domain name is a great idea, and that search engines like Google will reward you for it...but they won’t – and once again, it makes your address harder to remember.
Do your research
So, we’ve covered the dos and don’ts of choosing the right domain name for your business. Ultimately, it is important that you do some research into your preferred name before registering it.
You don’t want to end up with a domain name that is easily forgotten, too similar to another popular website, or not relevant to your business area.
Be sure to pick a future-proof domain. Don’t opt for something that doesn’t offer long term value. Picking the right domain name from the start will prevent costly changes down the line and make SEO ranking and marketing a much simpler task.
Of course, though picking the right domain name is an important decision, it is just the first step in the process of getting your business set up online.
If you are in need of a website and are looking for a professional, trustworthy web design company to work with, the team here at it’seeze Stevenage would be happy to discuss the best options with you.
We offer professional, affordable website design services for businesses of all industries and sizes - and we provide local support at every stage of the journey from the outset.
We are here to help you get ahead online. We take away the hassle of building a website by doing everything for you: hosting, emails, maintenance and, of course, domain registration.
We have you covered from the get go - and remember, we always register your domain name in your name. You own the domain right from the start.
Need Help?
At it'seeze Website Design, you're never alone. If you want help updating your website, let's arrange a website review. We can make content suggestions, provide training, and help make sure that your website never gets stagnant.
Just contact us to get the ball rolling.
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