Mistakes You Should Avoid When Choosing a Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is as essential as selecting your business name because it defines your brand and can affect your search engine optimization. It's a good idea to choose a domain name that describes what your business does; however, it all depends on the first impression you want to make.
To choose the right domain name, ensure that it fits your business and maximize SEO to make it easy to find. Ensure that it's catchy and easy to promote. Your domain name should also be short and unique. Below are the mistakes you should avoid when choosing a domain name.
1. Choosing a Domain that Doesn’t Match your Business Name
Choosing a domain name without caring whether it matches your business name might not be beneficial for your business. A domain name that aligns with your business name can build credibility in your prospects’ minds and make it easy for them to find your website. Consider using a brand name generator as it provides names that come pre-packaged with a logo and a domain.
2. Failure to Check if the Domain Name is Available
Considering that many domain names may already be registered, confirm that the one you choose is unique. Registering a domain name similar to an existing one confuses your customers, and you may lose them if that other site belongs to a competitor. Consider looking for a name that’s descriptive of what your business does so it stands out.
3. Not Focusing on Spelling
Spelling mistakes can make your domain name difficult to spell, causing you to lose customers and potential customers. This is because incorrect spelling could lead them to a competitor’s website. The ideal domain name should be easy to mention and spell.
4. Failure to Research Domain Name Conflicts
Be sure to conduct proper research when choosing a domain name to determine if it’s associated with any trademark. This ensures that you don't face major legal issues that can cause severe damages to your business. Using the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), check if your domain name has potential trademark conflicts before purchasing it.
5. Choosing a Long Domain Name
Long domain names are hard to remember, spell, and type, affecting your business’s online visibility and success. Avoid using long names unless they are critical for branding.
A long domain name may seem too overstretched or be wrapped in two lines, making your website and marketing materials appear unprofessional. It also makes it difficult for users using mobile devices to access your website. The right domain name should engage and attract customers while ensuring a good user experience.
6. Choosing Inappropriate TLDs
A Top-Level Domain (TLD) forms the last segment of your domain name. While some TLDs could boost your search engine rankings, others could affect your brand due to spam associations. Some of them are restricted and not available to anyone to purchase, helping prevent forgery and fraud. The TLD you can buy are .com, .net, or .org. Choose a domain TLD depending on what your business does to boost your SEO strategy.
When choosing a domain name, conduct a lot of research to find the best domain name for your website. Finding a unique and appealing one will help you stand out from the competition and appeal to your customers and prospects. Avoid the above mistakes when choosing a domain name.