What's in a domain name?

Well probably a bit more than you think…..
 
Obviously you have great ideas of how you want your website to look, what you want from your website and what you want it to achieve. Just as important is to get your domain name right. Search engine Optimization is made up of numerous factors and your choice of domain name is an important element of this. Get the domain name right and it will help generate more traffic to your website.
 
Here are a few things to consider when choosing your domain name:
 

Does the domain name tell users what your business is about?
 
It may sound obvious but if, for example, you are marketing company then it is a good idea to include marketing in the domain name. Remember the domain name does not have to be the same as your company name. The choice of domain name is an excellent opportunity to use some of your targeted keywords. Users are highly likely to use marketing as a search term so having it in the domain name tells the search engines straight away your website is relevant and this will helps your ranking in the organic searches. People also tend to search by location as well so if you also add the name of your town or county then this will potentially help refine the search and improve your ranking further. In addition this may help people remember you more easily.
 

Make it easy to remember.

It is always a good idea to make the domain name easy to remember. People are then more likely to type it straight in. If it’s difficult to remember then they may use a search engine instead and they could end up on a competitor’s website.

Make the domain name easy to read.

If the domain name is difficult to read, for example, if it includes lots of small words, then it can make it harder to read and more difficult for users to remember you. The competitor with the punchier domain name just may have the edge on you when vying for users attention.

Is it too long, too short or difficult to type?

Short domain names are easier to remember and less prone to typing errors. Also try to avoid words that are commonly misspelt. If someone mistypes the domain name and end up in a search engine then again it may lead them to your competitors.

Be aware of any hidden words!

The eyes can play funny tricks on us and what may read logically to you may not for someone else. New words can be created when you have 2 or more words side by side and this may deflect attention away from the correct domain name. The last thing you want are any rude or embarrassing words that make people snigger or at the extreme, words that are offensive. A good way around this is to insert hyphens in between the words and again this may help users remember your domain name better.  It is always a good idea to get someone else to look at the domain name before you make the final decision.