How to Choose the Best Domain Name

What is a domain name?

A domain name is how your website will be known online, no matter what type of website you’ll have. It is the unique address of your site on the internet and it will be yours as long as you continue paying the annual fee ($10 – $15 for .com domain). Users who know your domain technically referred to as a URL (uniform resource locator) can simply type it in their browser’s address bar, and be taken there. Others will be able to discover your blog through search engines such as Google and Bing.

Domain name structure

• Prefix – It is an internet application protocol of your domain (HTTP: – standard, https: – secured).

• Subdomain – It is the third level domain of your website name (some sites use “www”, “hindi.domain.com” some not).

• Name – It is the second-level domain of the website, picked by the person registering the domain.

• Extension – The top-level domain can be picked for a variety of available choices.

Domain name extension

When you choose a domain name, one of your choices will be what domain extension or Top Level Domain (TLD) extension to use. There are hundreds of top-level domains from which to choose. Here is the breakdown of the most popular ones.

• The original top level domains (TLDs) include: .com, .net, .org, .info, .gov, .edu, and .tv. Only some of them are available for general use, and .com is far and away the most important.
• Many country code top level domains (ccTLDs) exist, including: .au (Australia), .cn (China), .in (India), .jp (Japan), .ph (Philippines), and .uk for (United Kingdom).
• There are also topic specific generic top-level domains (gTLDs), though their use has yet to catch on widely, including: .downloads, .agency, .business, .digital, .social, .photography, and .blog

How to Choose A Cool and Catchy Domain Name

When you create a free website on a free blogging platform, your site’s default address will look something like example.freebloghost.com. When you’re ready to build your professional presence, buying a custom domain — such as yourdomain.com — is a great next step to personalizing your site and carving out a space for your business online.

You can register a domain in a few clicks, but choosing the right name for your site can be a challenge.

Why is your domain name so important?

1. It’s your “first impression”. Your URL is the first thing your visitors will see. A good domain name can make a positive and lasting impression, while a bad domain name can send visitors running.
2. It affects SEO. While exact match domains (EMDs) are no longer a necessity, keywords in your domain name can still help your SEO ranking.
3. It defines your brand. We’ll talk about this in a minute – but your domain name is a branding opportunity. The right domain name can increase brand recognition.

Tips for Choosing a Catchy Domain Name
Here are some tips to help you pick the perfect domain name.

1. Make it easy to type

Finding a domain name that’s easy to type is critical to online success. Avoid words that are easy to misspell and words with multiple spellings. You can check this example: – TechBuzz and tekbuzz or techiepie or techie. So confusing na?

2. Keep it short

If your domain name is long and complex, you risk customers mistyping or misspelling it. Short and simple is the way to go. Shorter domain names are easier to spell and to remember.

3. Use keywords

Try using keywords that describe your business and the services you offer. For example, if you’re in a food business, you may want to register foodie.com or foodbood.com.
It helps improve your rank on search engines (which increases traffic) and just makes more sense to your customers. Let take this site as an example, Theftnology means I can rank easily on words like ‘blogging tips, blogging tips and tricks or tips and tricks blog’.

4. Target your area

If your business is local, consider including your city or state in your domain name to make it easy for local customers to find and remember. Example: foodbihar.com. foodlocal.com

5. Avoid numbers and hyphens

These are often misunderstood — people who hear your web site address don’t know if you’re using a numeral (5) or it’s spelled out (five) or they misplace or forget the dash. If you need these in your domain, register the different variations to be safe.

6. Be memorable

There are millions of registered domain names, so having a domain that’s catchy and memorable is essential. Once you’ve come up with a name, share it with close friends to make sure it sounds appealing and makes sense to others.

7. Research it

Make sure the name you’ve selected isn’t trademarked, copyrighted or being used by another company. It could result in a huge legal mess that could cost you a fortune, as well as your domain! To check within the US, visit uspto.gov/trademarks and do the search before you register the name.

8. Use the right domain name extension

Almost always use .com or .net .in(for Indians) or country-specific domain (e.g. how many popular brands do you know that use .biz?)

Here are some other top extensions used by professionals

• .co: an abbreviation for company, commerce, and community.
• .info : for informational sites.
• .net: technical, Internet infrastructure sites.
• .org: non-commercial organizations and nonprofits.
• .biz: business or commercial use, like e-commerce sites.
• .me: blogs, resumes or personal sites.

9. Protect and build your brand

To protect your brand, you should purchase various domain extensions, as well as misspelled versions of your domain name. This prevents competitors from registering other versions and ensures your customers are directed to your website, even if they mistype it.

10. Check social networks

Before you register your desired domain name, it’s always a good idea to check social networks for the same name. To keep your site name constant and to build your brand, you want a name that is readily available. For example: check facebook.com/yourdomain, twitter.com/yourdomain – and secure them as well. KnowEm is a great tool to use to see if certain names are already branded on social platforms.

11. Act fast

Domain names sell quickly. Thankfully, they’re also inexpensive, so register your favorite domain names as soon as possible. If you’re having trouble finding an available name, domain generators like Wordoid will suggest alternate names according to your domain search to help you find the perfect domain name.

For many people, their first impression of your business will be through your domain name. Getting your domain right is the first step to building a long-standing online business.

Utilizing the list of tools in this blog post and the newly available domain extensions should help you generate some ideas and assist you in registering your perfect domain name.