Meaningful, short and simple domain names work well. Avoid complicated and confusing wording for your users.
Registering domain can be a tricky process, trying to find something that has not been registered already, but still has some relevance and meaning to your audience can seem daunting.
These tips will help you make a good choice for your domain name and avoid some common mistakes.
- Keep it short
- The longer the length of your domain name, the easier it is to be mistyped or copied down incorrectly.
- Make sure it is easy to spell
- Words may be pronounced the same but spelt differently (hononyms). This can create confusion and lead to mistakes and lost visitors. E.g. -
- you’re/your
- there/ their
- whether/weather
- bow/bough
- Words may be pronounced the same but spelt differently (hononyms). This can create confusion and lead to mistakes and lost visitors. E.g. -
- Make sure it is easy to pronounce on the phone
- If you’ll be dicating your URL to people, make sure it’s easy to pronounce and interpret
- Use simple and plain English
- Long, multi-syllabic words are also difficult to spell so opt for basic words e.g. -
- therapeutic/healing
- Long, multi-syllabic words are also difficult to spell so opt for basic words e.g. -
- Use real words from the dictionary
- Don’t make up words and don’t substitute numbers and abbreviations for real words to avoid confusion
- bathologists/bathroom fitters
- baths4u/bathsforyou
- Don’t make up words and don’t substitute numbers and abbreviations for real words to avoid confusion
- Use search engine keywords
- If your visitors are going to find you by searching, having the keywords in your URL makes the visitor anticipate your information will be relevant.
- This can also help with better rankings in some search engines
- Keep it descriptive! Use words which describe exactly what you do
- Don’t pick random words, or something where the visitor has to do some mental processing to work out your domain name. Keep it short, sweet and accurate.
- Keep it simple and don’t confuse your audience
- Sometimes words can be combined and the break between the two words becomes blurred. Make sure your words are distinct when written without spaces
- What is this? www.shoeswearing.com Is it ‘Shoe Swearing’ or ‘Shoes Wearing’?
- Sometimes words can be combined and the break between the two words becomes blurred. Make sure your words are distinct when written without spaces
- Cover your options and buy more than one domain if you need to
- You don’t need to register all the permutations of your domain name by buying up all the extensions, the only person that benefits then is the domain registration companies, but you might want to consider some alternatives to your domain name if you want to keep your options open an make sure the name isn’t snapped up by someone else.
- Choose the right domain provider. They are not all the same and many have hidden charges
- Check how long the registration is valid for
- Check to see how much the optional extras are like privacy protection
- Use a popular and mainstream domain extension
- There’s not much point getting a .me.uk extension – users are unfamiliar with typing it in and feel more comfortable with a standard expression.
- Choose the right domain extension for your market or country
- For example .COM for International; .CO.UK for UK; .CA for Canada; .COM.AU for Australia.
- If your product or service can only be marketed nationally, make sure you register the right domain for your target country, so people outside that region are less likely to use your site in error.
- Check your spelling before you buy and register online
- Once you click “Add to Cart”, you have purchased that domain name – registration companies will not fix typos for free.
- Register a domain with someone else present so they can doublecheck the spelling too. It’s very easy to miss your own mistakes, not matter how much you concentrate.
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