There’s more to registering a good domain name than just getting your company name. In fact your company name might not be the best choice for your website address. There are several things that you should consider for your new domain name.
Memorable
Your domain name should be easy to remember. If it’s too long, an unusual word or even a made up word, it could also be easily forgotten!
K.I.D. – Keywords in Domain
A domain containing keywords can make life easier when it comes to improving your search engine rankings. Search engines like Google rank websites in part based on the domain name itself. Links back to your website will also contain the domain name keywords that will enhance your rankings for that search. Another nice touch is that keywords in the domain name also tend to make it more memorable, easier to spell and more relevant to a potential customer.
Spelling
This is a basic question that so many businesses don’t consider when registering a domain name. Ask yourself… will a potential client be able to spell it? Not everyone is a walking dictionary, so a clever, obscure word might sound really cool but not much use if no one can remember how to spell it! Would it be easy to spell if you heard it on the radio? If your company uses radio advertising, hyphens in a domain name would be a disaster. Keep it simple and consider spelling variations.
Register a top-level domain
Sometimes when the name you want isn’t available, it’s tempting to register a 2nd tier domain name such as .net.nz, .info or one of the many others now available. These domains are considered by some to rank lower than top level domains and can also work against you. A potential client can mistakenly go to your competition’s website if they hold the domain name you wanted!
Avoid using sub domains
Occasionally, you’ll see a website using a sub domain (eg; subdomain.domain.co.nz) but search engines treat sub-domains differently to the domain, so this can interfere with your search engine optimisation.
Registering a good domain name is mostly common sense. Think about it from your clients’ point of view. Keep it simple and remember that you may want to use your new domain name for years to come.
Energise Web can register domain names on your behalf, set up your email accounts and host your website. Contact us for a web design quote today!
