Creating a unique domain name is now more difficult than ever. Unfortunately, some of the best names and creative combinations of words that describe your company most accurately are already in use. Then there is the problem of similar names used by different companies – you definitely do not want to help your competition and confuse your customers by using a domain name similar to the one chosen by your biggest competitor! If you are looking for inspiration, check our list of most common mistakes your should avoid and follow our useful tips for creating memorable domain names.
Avoid:
Too long names
The more words your customers have to type in the browser window, the more likely they are to make a typo and in result never visit your store.
Too tricky names
slang terms in domain names sound very cool, however not all of your customers will remember the new creative spelling used in your hip domain name, so it is better to keep it simple.
Numbers
numbers used in domain names cause too much confusion: are these numbers spelled out or written as numerals? It is better to not use numbers in domain names at all, however if you absolutely have to you can avoid possible problems if you register both the domain name with numerals and with the letters only.
Punctuation Marks
hyphens and dashes are very easy to forget, so it is better to not use them as the elements of your domain name.
Consider:
Keywords
let’s say that your niche is handmade jewelry. Using the domain name: HandmadeJewelry.com gives your customer a brief description of what your online store is all about. Such domain names also look good on a search result page – customers are more eager to click on the most relevant search results and what is more relevant than a website with “handmade jewelry” in the domain name? Keywords in domain names have one more advantage – they can be used as a part of your search engine optimization strategy. Unfortunately, most of the best keywords are already in use, so it might take a while to come up with something new and catchy.
Localization of your Company
do you run a local business and service customers from your area only? Why not use the name of your city in the domain name? GuitarLessonsNY.com give your customers a clear idea of your services.
Creative Combinations of Words
the best domain names are short and creative. YouTube.com is one of the best examples here – short, smart and memorable. Look for words, which are relevant to your business and try different combinations.
Helpful tools
If you lack inspiration or you feel that all your good ideas are already used by somebody else, online tools such as Domaintyper and NameStation provide you with much needed help. Domaintyper allows you to check if a domain name of your choice is already registered or not, while NameStation provides you with ideas for domain names based on a chosen keyword.
Written by Marta Gromadzka, a blogger, a copywriter, a marketing specialist.
