How To Choose Good Domain Names

byJoshHarris

240 followers

12 years ago

How To Choose Good Domain Names

Choosing a domain name is the start of your online adventure.

Through this, and your content + services, you will build a presence, and, ultimately, a brand / name.

But it's not always easy to come up with the right domain name!

So how do we do it?

Choosing a good domain name is going to depend on 5 factors, more or less:

1. How much potential does your domain name leave for adding related, lateral content?

For example, if you have a website named "TheRawVegEmporium.com", you could primarily highlight the benefits of a raw food diet, or nutritional integrations Vegans need, as well as laterally expand into the Amazon Affiliate end of things, by selling juicers, and affiliate Detox Guides...

This combination of "specific, yet broad" approach in a domain name allows you to do just that.

2. If you operate in a very tight niche, and that's ALL you aim to present, then by all means... make it a specific keyword-rich domain name (as long as it makes sense and is readable).

Try to avoid hyphens! while they don't appear to have any implication from an SEO standpoint, most people will NOT search you with hyphens... nor will they remember (most times) that you have a hyphen in your domain name. The risk? They end up on your competitor's page!

3. Depending on how local you are trying to go, you will generally want a .com domain name - most people default search .com's.

But, if you are doing something local, or on a national level... then all SEO being equal, Google appears to favour a .co.uk if you are UK-based, or .ie if you're based in Ireland, etc.

4. Because .com's are the first domain names to be scooped up, you may be better off with another Top Level Domain (TLD) extension, if it gives you the keyword-intuitive domain name you are vying for.

Although slightly more expensive, they are a valid alternative; particularly the .net TLD. At one time, there were limitation on .org, which have since been lifted. You CANNOT use a .edu, by the way.

5. I would also stay away from .info or .biz - these have been overused by spammers, floggers, and black-hatters over the years, giving these TLD's a bad first impression by perception, before visitors even click on your site.

Hope this helps!

-Josh