How To Name Your Website

Don’t just pick a name out of a hat when it comes to your website. Follow a few rules for web address success.  

Once you’ve got your marketing strategy in order, and planned a design for your new website, the ever-important decision of choosing your domain name, or website address, is the next big step in online business.

This task was challenging enough when the internet was still young and full of plenty of .com’s for the picking. But it’s even harder now that a large proportion of all existing .coms have been bought.

So here are some tips for making the domain-buying process a little easier…

Short is best

Although it can be hard to keep the domain short and simple if so many of your choices are taken, try to pick a domain that’s on the short side. This makes it easier for others to remember. Consider words or phrases that reflect your company’s purpose or passion.

Language

Be aware of the country and region of your intended audience and use English for US-based businesses. Be careful, also, that the words you choose for your domain don’t have an offensive meaning in other languages or aren’t close to the domain names of potentially offensive sites that could damage your company reputation.

Synonyms

If you’re having trouble registering the exact word or phrase that you’re interested in, get creative with synonyms. If this means breaking out the thesaurus for some inspiration so be it! Consider using words with double meanings or adjectives as options as well.

Other extension options

If you’re still having trouble securing a decent domain name you may want to look into premium domains as an option. Premium domains are those that were once registered by someone else and have since expired and been placed back on the market for other buyers to purchase.

These premium domains are usually short and succinct, and desirable because they are typically very relevant to a site’s content and purpose. Some premium domains are registered, but the owner is willing to consider selling it for a slightly higher cost than a typical domain. This is great news to those who are upset to find that their ideal domain is otherwise out of their grasp. Premium domains offer an opportunity to skip the hassle of trying to force a second-rate domain name to work for them, when they’re serious about their business and how it’s perceived. Many people aren’t willing to settle when it comes to the online address at which their beloved business will be recognized, and premium domains are the perfect option in this case.

Beware of expirations

How tragic to finally secure the perfect domain and bring plenty of traffic to your site only to lose track of the expiration date when the time comes! If your domain registration expires before you can renew it, it becomes up-for-grabs for other anxious buyers to snatch it from under your nose.

Work with a website builder and domain service to help you keep track of upcoming expirations, particularly if you have a handful of registered domains. Appreciate scoring a premium domain name that someone else has let go of due to expiration or selling, but don’t let that premium domain get away from you when you can help it!

To find your perfect web address, visit the domain name finder on the Midphase website. The search function here is in a league of its own. It lets you search for premium domains at the same time as standard domains, taking the hassle out of bagging the best website address for you.