Marketing and expanding your brand online
is important. Because some businesses market their products and services on the
internet, they make more profit from online marketing than offline marketing.
That's why you have to pay attention to
your domain name.
The domain name for your corporate brand is
your company's name online. It is your brand's identity and will be used for
all interactions with your customers. Not only would you want to pick a good
domain name, you would want it to align to your business goals, appeal to
customers and be your brand name for as long as the business stands. Let's look
at 13 tips that will help you generate the right domain name for your business.
Pick
Your Domain Name and Business Name at the Same Time
Choosing domain
names at the beginning of business will help eliminate confusion.
When you pick a name for your domain and business together, you can make sure
they align. You'll be able to brand your business offline and online at once.
Right from the start, you get prospects to visit your website. All your
documents for marketing will have your website name written on it.
That way, you can avoid future rebranding.
Your
Business Name and Domain Name Should Be the Same or Similar
If your business name is Mailex, you should
use the same name or something similar as your domain name. The fact is your
offline and online identities are interconnected. When you use names that are
similar, people can easily identify your brand.
Use
a Domain Name Generator
Maybe the domain name you have in mind is
not available or you don't know what names to pick. You can use name generation
tools to get what will fit your brand and showcase your vision. Some of them
show you the popularity of the word you've inputted, similar names and
available top level domains (TLD).
Here are some name generation tools you can
use:
●
Lean domain
search
●
NameStall
●
Impossibility
●
Business
name generator by Shopify
●
Nameboy
●
Bust a Name
●
NameMesh
●
Domain
puzzler
●
DomainsBot
●
Panabee
Don't
Pick a Keyword-filled Name
Imagine if you picked a domain name
called pastaforeveryone.com. Anyone that sees it will know your company is
into pasta production, sales or delivery. However, the name is too generic. If
you want to expand your business by producing other kinds of foods, you'll have
to pick another domain name.
Also, the name won't stick as much on
people's minds because it does not distinguish your company's brand. So, what
should you do?
Either you pick a unique company name and
add a keyword to it or you pick a keyword-less domain. With the former choice
you get a brandable name and keywords
that can help in search engine optimization. With the latter choice, you get a
unique company name that once the website has a lot of content and gets a lot
of traffic, you'll be able to expand your brand, produce different products or
do whatever you want with that same name.
Be
Wary of Trademarks
Once a name has been trademarked or
copyrighted, it has been legally claimed for a particular individual or
corporation. If after you have built your website and marketed your product
with that domain name, you find out you have been using a trademarked name all
along you will have to drop it or face legal actions.
Trademark your domain name after you have registered
it. That's where you can apply all the legal protection it needs.
Your
Domain Name Should be Short and/or Catchy
Some say your domain name should be short
and contain only one word or two. Others think a catchy phrase will be better
for a domain name. Whether you pick a short or long name, you can make it work
for your business. If it's a short name, make it simple and catchy. For
example, exoticapes.com is better than orangutan.com
If it's a long name, let it be a catchy
phrase. Examples are:
●
shoutmeloud.com
●
fourhourworkweek.com
●
mywifequitherjob.com
Whatever you choose, remember you're going
to be stuck with that name for the duration of your business.
Let
It Suit Your Target Market
If your business is targeted towards a
particular locality, then use the domain extension of that location. If your
business is targeted towards young adults, you can add a word that will attract
them in your domain name.
Don't use legal terms for a medical website
or entertainment terms for a car manufacturing website. If your target market
is broad, use a name that will capture the vision of your organization. Linkedin is a social networking site that connects
businesses and professionals. Its name hints at its purpose of linking people
together.
Pick
the Best Top Level Domain for Your Business
Pick a domain name where the most popular
generic top level domain (TLD) is available. That is usually a .com. For a
not-for-profit organization, it's a .org. Despite the fact that the internet
has been there for more than 20 years, other domain extensions are still
struggling to gain popularity.
Why not make it easier for your brand by
picking a .com domain?
It doesn't matter if the .com version of
the name you want has been taken. Add something to it to make it unique. You
can add:
●
A prefix or
suffix
●
Another
word
For example, you can
use booertainment.com if book.com has been taken or use
maildelivery.com if mail.com has been taken. On the other hand, if the .com
version is being sold for a premium price, buy the .net version or .org
version. When your company has grown, buy off the .com version.
You can also choose a country TLD, if you
want Google to geo-target your site.
Protect
Your Brand by Buying Different Domain Extensions
Competitors and spammers might buy the
misspelled versions of your domain name. If your site visitors misspell the
domain name or type in the wrong extension, they'll be directed to their site
instead of yours.
That strategy is used by the competition to
steal customers and generate more sales while spammers do for malicious intent.
It's better to avoid being the victim in this situation.
Buy misspelled versions and other
extensions of your domain name and redirect them to your website. That way,
your domain name is all yours without any unwanted outside party
gaining from it.
Make
Sure It's Unique
The potential in branding a unique name is
limitless. A unique name can be expanded into different industries. Make your
domain name unique. That way, you can build an online presence that will not be
mistaken for any other.
Make
It Pronounceable
We live in a digital age. Attention span
has greatly reduced and people want something fast and easy. Don't make your
domain name difficult for people to pronounce. Pick what will stick to the
minds of your prospects. Llvcdshoutout.com is not a good name even if
LLVCD is the abbreviation of your company name. Shoutout.com is a better
choice.
While people will not likely call out your
domain name, there is something called processing fluency. The easier it is to
pronounce in the mind, the easier it is to remember.
It
Should Be Memorable
If your company name is generic, pick a
different, memorable and catchy name for your domain. Gobblegobble.com is the
domain name for Greenberg Smoked Turkey Inc. It is easier to remember.
Make sure you don't add numbers and
punctuation marks to your domain name. Also, don't pick names that can be
confused with other names. For example, the name itscrap.com was a domain name
for an IT firm that also sold scrap. However, people read it as 'it's crap',
not ‘IT scrap'. The name had to be changed to regencytechnologies.com
Your domain name should be easy to spell,
easy to type and pleasing to the eye. Ask yourself, "If a person sees the
domain name of my business only once, will she remember it afterwards?"
Act
Quickly
Once you have picked the right domain name,
register it immediately. If you don't act fast, somebody might buy it up and
list it at a premium price.
Picking the right domain name for your
business is a branding technique that cannot be overlooked. Once you get it
right, it becomes a foundation for great advertising, brand awareness and sales
generation.
##