How to Choose the Best Website Domain Name
October 12, 2022
Domain names are the addresses that websites use to identify themselves on the Internet. They're also used for email addresses, so it's important to pick a good one.
Did you know that Elon Musk purchased the domain name Tesla.com for $11 million in 2016? Crazy right?
If you have a website, you might have wondered what domain name to use… should you use .com, .org, .com.au, .net, or something else? Here you will learn how to choose the best website domain name.
What domain names you need to protect your brand online:
Choosing your Domain Name
Your main domain should include your business name. This will serve as the “home” of your business online.
If you sell a course, membership, tickets to an event or specific product, you could also consider getting a separate domain that includes that name. Consider keywords people may use to search for those offerings and include them in your domain if possible. There are many businesses, including us, that own different domains for different things they offer.
It’s important to choose a domain that’s easy to remember. Make it unique and easy to spell - it acts as a label for your brand online. Whenever possible try not to get a name with a hyphen in the middle. The fewer characters your domain has the easier it will be to type, say, and share.
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Use The Right Domain Extension
According to research from Domain Name Statistics, 40% of all domains have the “.com” extension. This is mainly because .com is the most familiar and easiest to remember.
There are always new extensions coming out, like the recent .au in Australia. And when this happens you might see ads all over the place promoting the need to buy it.
Here’s when you may be asking yourself what do you need? Well first of all, you need to choose where your brand will “live” online.
If you only ever plan on trading in a specific country then get the local extension, like .com.au or .au in Australia. Please note, if you already use .com.au you do NOT need to change to .au. But you should go ahead and buy it if you want to protect your name.
And what you choose can also depend on your business structure. For example, you might use .org if you are a non-profit or social enterprise.
If you want to go global try and use the .com or .net and also buy the country-specific extensions for the countries you plan to expand to.
It can get expensive buying domains. So I recommend just owning the main ones to protect your brand, even if you don’t plan to use all of them. And get this! Did you know domain names were free until 1995?
There are many sites you can use to check if your desired domain name is available, like godaddy.com or namecheap.com (our favourite).
Once you’ve decided on the right name and made sure it’s available, it takes just a few minutes to buy and register it.
You don’t have to register a domain name to start or grow your business. But you should register for one if you plan to create a website for your business. If your business website isn’t ready yet, you can still register for a domain name. This can ensure the domain you want is available when you're ready to use it, protect copyrights and trademarks, increase brand awareness and SEO.
