Secrets to Unlocking a Great Domain Name for Your Business

Selecting a domain name for your brand can be a challenging task. It may seem like an afterthought, but a great domain name is an important asset for every business.

Some great examples of companies with strong domains include Amazon (amazon.com), Google (google.com), and Apple (apple.com). These companies all have domains that are easy to remember and align with their brand identity.

A great domain name will help customers remember your brand, create a certain impression, and help you stand out from your competition. As one of the best naming contest sites that have helped thousands of brands find captivating business and domain names, we’ll show you how to select a domain name that’ll make your brand unforgettable.

Four Easy Steps to Finding a Great Domain Name

1. Consider Your Brand and its Name

Your domain name is a reflection of your brand and business ambitions. It’s the online representation of your business name, and as such, most companies use their business names as their domain names. This becomes an exact match domain.

Although this method of selecting domain names requires a strong business name to be successful, it should be something that matches your brand as well as something that plays to your strengths.
An advantage of using your business name as your domain name is that it reduces the number of details your target audience has to know about your business.

Using your business name as a domain name can lead to your domains being:

• Metaphor Domains: These are domains that use an analogy or metaphor to express an idea. For example, “thinkcake.com” is a metaphor for thinking outside the box. This appeals mostly to audiences who fancy innovation and are thrilled by new things.
• Domains Made From Visual imagery: These are domains that use visuals to evoke an emotion or image in the mind. For example, “snapshot.com” is a visual imagery domain.
• Word Meaning Domains: These are domains that use the literal meaning of a word to express an idea. For example, “glow.com” is a word meaning domain.
• Descriptive Domains: These are domains that use a phrase to represent an idea. For example, “onthego.co” is a phrase-based domain.
• Location-based Domains: These are domains that use a place to represent an idea. For example, “newyorkbaker.com” is a location-based domain.

2. Get a Great Domain Extension

When selecting a domain name, it’s also important to consider the extension. Your extension is one part of your domain name that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It can confuse your target market and make them have problems remembering or accessing your website, ruining the good effect it should have.

When it comes to domain name extensions, the more popular the extension is, the more suitable it becomes. You wouldn’t want your customers to end up someplace else because they mistook your domain extension as something else.

Popular extensions include .com, .net, and .org. It is also important to consider extensions that reflect the appropriate industry. For example, if you are in the tech industry, a .tech extension may be more appropriate than a .org. But it’s generally more advisable to use a “.com” extension for anything concerning business as it is the one that has been widely accepted by customers.

3. Ensure URL Availability and Registration

Once you have chosen a domain name, it’s important to check the URL availability and register the domain. This can be done through a domain registrar or a web hosting provider.

If you intend on using an exact match domain, don’t forget to check the USPTO database to confirm that your business or brand name isn’t already in use.

Failure to carry out this check could lead to the common mistake entrepreneurs make. The mistake of changing or misspelling words in their domain name in order to keep using it.

4. Avoid Common Errors

A great domain name can be easily ruined by bad practices some entrepreneurs are fond of doing. To not fall victim to common errors, you must be aware of them.

The most common ones are using names that are difficult to pronounce or spell and using numbers or symbols as part of your domain name.

These mistakes are often damaging and can ruin the prospects of your domain name’s greatness.

Always Use Great Domain Names

Finding a great domain is vital to the success of your brand. Your domain should match the brand or be similar to the brand name. It is also essential to avoid any trademark conflicts when choosing a domain.
And since this is an essential part of brand building, you should keep an eye out for domain names that are easy to remember. You should also consider the type of domain and extension that are appropriate for your industry. Following these tips will help you select a domain name that will make your brand unforgettable.

About Author:

Grant Polachek is the head of branding at Squadhelp, a 3X Inc. 5000 business that develops memorable, and effective brand names for both established companies and start-ups. As one of the top naming agencies, we meticulously combed through more than a million names to provide a vast, trustworthy list of memorable company and domain names that can be adapted in any sector.