How to buy a domain name – tips for the newbie

Selecting the right domain name for your website is of paramount importance. It is instrumental to the success of your website. Choosing the wrong domain name can be a big hassle and may cause you monetary losses. 

Given its importance, it is always imperative to consult professional platforms such as Scannet to make the right domain choice. Nevertheless, there are multiple factors that can be taken into account before choosing the right domain name or the right brand name generator.

Here are some of the tips to consider in order to make the right choice. 

• Choose “.com”

There are many extensions that can be chosen. From “.net” to “.blog”, there are multiple options that you can select. However, the most popular one is “.com”. It is always advisable to select this extension. It can be tempting to choose other extensions since they may be cheaper, however, they are not as effective. Given that it is popular, and it is memorable, users can easily type the same in the web browser. Thus, if you want more users visiting your website, then this is the extension to go for. 

• Use keywords

This is the most common, and perhaps most helpful tip when purchasing domain names. Keywords play a critically imperative role when it comes to selecting domains. Using keywords indicate the search engine what the website is about. If you have quality content on your website and the user experience is adequately good, then keywords can enable your website to have a higher ranking on Google. It can be difficult to find the right domain name with the keywords that you want. However, in order to make your domain stand out, you will have to be creative and find the keywords which are suitable. 

• Keep it short

Keywords are really important as mentioned above. However, do not make the mistake of keeping the domain name long. The best domain names are concise and short. It is best to have domain name which is not only short but memorable as well. Keep the domain name under 10 characters. At most, it should be 15 characters. It is difficult to remember longer domain names and thus, it can negatively affect the performance of your website. Users are not used to type longer names and this can result into loss in the website traffic. 

• Should be easy to spell

Domains names should not only be short but also easier to spell and pronounce. Otherwise, it can cause a great issue. The domain name should be such that any user can spell it easily and pronounce it as well. This is particularly for those individuals or entities who want a domain name for their businesses. Professional domains names need to sound and look professional. Thus, find domain names which any user finds it really easy to spell. 

• Should be unique

When purchasing a domain name, make sure it is unique and suits your brand. A lot of people tend to purchase domain names which are not unique. It should be such that it stands out in the minds of the readers. Research different blogs and websites and thereafter, find the domain names which are being used by the competitors. Further, you want to ensure that a name which is trademarked is not accidently being used. Also make sure that the domain name is brand-able. It should be as per what your business is doing. 

• Do not put hyphens

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they use hyphens in their domain names. This is something that should not be done at any cost. Domain names which have hyphens in it are prone to typographical errors. Users are more likely to commit mistakes in typing for domain names which have hyphens in its than those domains names which do not. Therefore, make sure you do not put hyphens in the domain name. Otherwise, it can result into lesser traffic. 

• Do not use double letters

Domain names with double letters should be avoided at all costs. This is another reason why any potential user may cause a typographical error. This will ultimately result into lesser traffic. Furthermore, double letters make it difficult for the users to type. Avoiding the same means that your domain name is more brand-able. 

• Room for expansion

The smartest thing any beginner can do is to choose a domain name which is related to your niche or industry. This is because it gives the users an indication about what the website stands for. However, this does not mean that you restrict the long term options. You should always have room for expansion. For instance, if you are running a flowers business, do not limit the domain name to one flower. It should be a general domain name which should be connected with all flowers. Thus, it is essential that a flexible domain name is being purchased. 

• Do research

Rather than purchasing a particular domain name right away, make sure that you do your research. Try to find out whether there are other businesses registered with the same name. Trademark search can be done as well. This is to secure your individual identity. If there is a similar domain name, it can cause confusion within the users and they make mistakenly visit website of the competitors. Do proper research before purchasing any domain. 

• Use domain name generators

This is one of the most undermined tips. Domain name generators are now becoming very common and shall be used. There are many domain names registered and it can be difficult to choose the right domain. Rather than going through the inconvenience, you can simply use tools like domain name generators. They will search the keywords and accordingly, provide you with the right domain names. 

The bottom line

Given that domain name is instrumental to a successful website, you must take into account the above tips to make the right selection.