Find an effective domain name with these 4 tips

To publicize your business on the Internet, take the time to think about the perfect domain name for your site. On its own, it can take you very far!

Imagine yourself at the airport, ready to take off to a heavenly destination. When you board, you desperately search for your ID, to no avail. You are forced to stay ashore and see your plane fly, without you, to the Seychelles you have been dreaming of for months… Your domain name is your identity on the web and without it, there is very litle chance that you will be able to get your business off the ground. But how to choose it ? Whatever your domain, we give you some tips to find the relevant domain name.

Select the keywords that seem relevant to you

Start by making a small list of obvious words belonging to the field you are interested in. With keyword suggestion tools, you can find them even easier.

For example, it was while looking for my domain name that I discovered the site Google Trends, which offers the strongest trends in search engines. With it, you will know what are the most frequent queries made by Internet users around your domain. But there are other tools too, which are also free! UberSuggest, Spyfu or Answer The Public are among the references. This will help you better determine the most relevant words for your domain name. Very convenient!

If you already have a name for your business

*If you already have a name for your business, the easiest way is to keep it for your domain name too. This way, you avoid confusing your visitors who know your name and would like to visit the site linked to the company.

Another alternative, solicit other people. Involve others during a brainstorming that can be very useful.

Make sure it’s easy to remember

In general, it is advisable not to exceed 4 words to form your domain name, to ensure good readability. Users more easily memorize a simple, and therefore usually short, name. Keep that in mind.

Between “Michel the glazier craftsman” and “Michel the super craftsman specialized in glazing art in Paris”, which one do you think is the easiest to remember? The first of course! So resist the urge to stuff your domain name with too much information, it would be a big mistake.

As great as your business or business is, you won’t be able to talk about it to those around you if you don’t remember your name. And we know that word-of-mouth remains a very effective way to make yourself known! So tell yourself that simplicity often rhymes with efficiency.

The test to do : Involve your loved ones. Give them the name they are considering and ask them 2 or 3 days later. If they give it to your without any problem, you are in the right track !

Limit hyphens and numbers

Again, the key word is: simply. So avoid specific characters and numbers, which can mislead your audience. The hyphen first, is not prohibited, but must be placed judiciously. When we come to wonder where the “-” is, for example, it is already a bad sign. One habit is to place one if the last letter of a word and the first letter of the next word are identical. Example, we will rather put julie-et-timothee.com, instead of julieettimotee.com, for better readability.

Think of the visitor who does his research on the Internet. There is a good chance that he will launch a request of the type “artisan glazier Lyon”. In addition, it can also have a strong impact on your position in search engines, and make you more difficult to see on the web. Google tolerates hyphens but references them less well anyway. He can even penalize you if he thinks there are too many!

If you think this hyphen is necessary for your domain name (understanding), use it, but sparingly. As for numbers, I advise you not to use them at all unless it is in the name of your brand or company.

Choose the right extension

Now you have to decide on the extension of your domain name and it’s much simpler than it seems. Between org, .us, .com., .ly and many others, the choice is very vast. You do not know where to turn in front of this multitude of endings for your website? A few keys will allow you to see more clearly and choose the one that suits you best.

To put it simply, these extensions are essential for your domain name. Without them, your domain name cannot be validated to appear on the internet. There is the local type (.us if your activity is american or you are targeting an essentially Amerian audience). There is the reference, the .com that is aimed at an international audience. But in reality there are hundreds of extensions that are constantly evolving to adapt more and more to the targeted markets.

For example, a florist could now choose as an extension attheflowerpalace.florist. If you are a craftsman and you only target the customers of your city, you can choose it in extension (example kingdomofceramics.washington) Do you understand? Now, to be honest, .us or .com or .org are still safe bets, if you don’t want to take risks. Especially since visitors trust this type of extension more easily. When several similar addresses appear in their search results, many people still choose the address in .com. It’s up to you!

 

Useful links

To check if your domain name is available, you can use a service like Gandi

To register a trademark, these sites will help you:

For French brands, go to the website INPI

For French brands, go to the website EUIPO

For international brands, go to the website WIPO