How To Choose A Domain Name You Will Be Proud Of In 2022
Want to learn how to choose a domain name but not sure where to start?
Choosing a domain name is not something you can take lightly. Nowadays, a domain name is as important as a business name, and ideally, theyre the same.
In this guide, you will learn how to choose a domain name that you wont regret.
In total, there are 20 tips to make sure you come out the other end with a domain name youre proud of: one thats catchy, memorable, and relevant to your business.
Lets get started!
The History Of Domains
Although the internet didnt become a household utility until the 1990s, domains have existed since 1983. Still, they werent available for the public to register through the Domain Name System until 1986. What started with only a handful of domain extensions has now grown to include hundreds of top-level domains , thanks to expanded rules that allow people and organizations to create their own domain extensions.
Domains began as a solution to a formerly complicated way of getting to a website, which involved typing a series of numbers that were virtually impossible to remember. Now, domains are a must-have for internet browsing, giving us a streamlined way to remember our favorite websites by simply plugging the domain name into a browsers address bar.
When People Remember The Top
This last factor is an interesting one:
When people remember the URL almost correctly when they remember the brand name but put the wrong domain extension at the end which domain extension do they say?
This helps us see how much of a bias people have in favor of each TLD.
For example, if the correct URL was mattressrankings dot net but they misremembered it as mattressrankings dot com instead, that would count as a point for the .com TLD.
The results of this test show an even bigger difference between .com vs other domains.
Heres the data:
First place again goes to .com, by far.
Out of all the wrong-but-almost-right answers, 57 of them said .com instead of the correct TLD. Thats 3.8 times more often than the next highest, .org.
When people arent sure which TLD a website uses, theyre much more likely to guess its .com than anything else.
In other words, .com domains are still thought of as the default.
The distant second place goes to .org, which people guessed only 15 times: 26% as often as they guessed .com.
Not shown on the chart above is the .co.uk domain suffix, which received two guesses. But it wasnt a subject of this study .
Key takeaway: People are 3.8 times more likely to assume a URL ends in .com than in anything else.
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Types Of Domain Extensions
There are three types of domain extensions you should know when looking for a suitable option for your site: generic, sponsored, and country code.
Generic Domain Extensions
This is the most widely-used category of extension, and what most online businesses use in their domain names. Generic domain extensions are available to any website willing to buy, and some youll even find for free. The popular extensions .com, .org, and .net are generic, as are many other niche TLDs.
Sponsored Domain Extensions
Sponsored domain extensions may only be used by organizations that fit certain requirements. For instance, only certified educational institutions are allowed to use the .edu domain extension for their websites, and the .gov extension is restricted to entities under the United States government.
Country Code Domain Extensions
Many countries have their own two-letter domain extension to signify the organizations location. Examples include .us , .uk , and .de .
Final Thoughts On How To Choose A Domain Name
Your domain name needs to make a good first impression aswell as lasting a long time. Its an integral part of your branding that cantbe taken lightly.
Take your time to work through all the tips above to help you choose a domain name that youre proud of. One thats catchy, memorable, and relevant.
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So Which Domain Extensions Can You Use For Your Website
That depends on what type of organization youre running and which domain name extension youre looking at.
Domain extensions are either considered:
- Restricted you need to meet certain criteria to purchase one of these domain name extensions. Many of them have been paid for by an organization or set aside for certain groups.
- Unrestricted anyone can purchase a domain name with one of these extensions.
If you search on a domain name registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap, you can pretty much guarantee that most of the results are unrestricted extensions:
One of the only types of restricted domains sold through sites like GoDaddy is a country domain extension. So, .us can be bought directly online, but you must prove that youre a permanent resident of the United States.
As for most restricted top-level domains, you typically need to be part of an organization, industry, region, or another type of group to get the domain extension. In addition, youre required to contact the top-level domain owner and walk through their unique vetting and purchasing process.
A great example is the .aero domain extension. This top-level domain was paid for, and is now sponsored by, an organization called Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautique . This sponsor has rules on its top-level domain, saying that in order to use it your company must be in the air transportation industry.
Does Domain Extension Affect Seo
Its always beneficial to think about SEO when creating or changing a website. Your sites generic top-level domain will not affect its performance in search engines. Your top-level domain influences brand perception and trust more than anything, but s it does not take TLD into account when listing search results. Youre better off implementing other SEO best practices to climb the rankings.
There is one caveat here. If two or more websites share the same name and implement the same SEO practice, but have different extensions, the website with the .com domain extension will rank highest in most results. This is because people tend to trust .com websites and will generally choose them over .net or .biz alternatives, and websites with more traffic perform better in search engines.
Unlike the TLD, the name component of your domain does affect SEO. Your sites name tells people and search engines what your organization is and/or does.
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Pricing Of A Com Vs Other Domain Extensions
Theres a good deal of variation in the price of different domain name extensions.
For unrestricted domains, the pricing is usually very inexpensive. Standard domains with extensions like .com usually cost around $10 per year.
Some lesser-known unrestricted extensions cost even less:
If youre planning on buying a restricted domain, you may have to pay a premium, though. However, this all depends on the owner of that top-level domain and each top-level domain extension has a different price.
Heres Why So Many Domain Extensions Exist
Some domain extensions have an obvious purpose like .blog, while others might seem a little strange at first like .gs. Generally, all the domain extensions you see are designed to complete one or more of these functions:
- Help with branding for an individual company or an entire industry Like .aarp or .realtor.
- Indicate that a website is located in a certain country. This is useful for companies that only serve those countries and to break up the Internet into languages and currencies Think .cz for the Czech Republic or .de for Germany.
- Serve a specific community, based on geographic location, ethnic, technical, or other categories. The .asia domain extension is a good example, since it focuses more on a regional community as opposed to one country.
- Restrict usage of the top-level domain for people or organizations in a certain group. Take .edu, for example. Youre only able to use that domain extension if you run an accredited educational institution. The same can be said for many country or regional domains, where you must be a citizen of, or have a business in, the country.
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Dont Buy The Domain If Its Not For A Unique Website
Heres a typical scenario youve got an existing website. You have new content or new products that you want to promotebut it does not quite fit under the domain that you have.
You consider buying a new domain name for that new content or new product instead of using your existing domain.
Dont buy that new domain just yet.
Why? Well, you will be starting from ground zero in terms of audience, search engine indexing, and content. If you use your existing domain, youll get to build off its existing equity.
However, other companies/bloggers/people obviously do this all the time , so whats the best practice? Here we go
- If the new site has a 100% different target audience, voice, or brandthen buy the domain name.
- If the new site is a one-off content feature if the content appeals to the same type of people who read your site now if its really just a categorization issue for youdo not buy the domain.
- Instead, look at ways that you can expand the description of the site to catch that one-off topic because you arent writing for a topic, you are writing for the types of people who are interested in that topic.
- If you dont have a whole new audience, dont buy the domain, especially because it is usually associated with Rule #2.
Should I Buy All Of The Domain Name Extensions
You can if you want.
But it’s not essential, having more than one domain extension will require you to to purchase multiples, it’ll cost more but could be worth it depending on what your website is, the business you operate or whether it’s a website just for fun.
You should purchase more than one domain extension if your website is an e-commerce website .
Why?
Because unless you’re selling products and/or services to just the country you’re living in, it will be beneficial for your website to be accessible from other parts of the world through various domain names.
Customers will still be able to access your website through your domain extension regardless of the country they’re in…
But it will give a more professional feel to your website if you’ve chosen and bought the perfect domain extension.
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Should I Buy All Extension Of My Domain Name
- Should I buy all extension of my domain name
There is a valid reason behind the invention of voice dictation, auto correct, and spell check because the majority of users are bad spellers. This is really a huge problem for people having websites because a single letter in a domain-name can be the variation among learning more regarding Styx tribute band and you.
To recompense for these misspellings and typos, a number of site owners will get as many editions of their domains as possible and after that redirect these domain-name to their major one. For instance, Google has also registered googl.com and gogle.com, which both promote visitors to the domain-name you meant to enter google.com.
Well, there are thousands of methods to misspell phrase or a word, thus is it really worth it to purchase every possible variant of your domain that you can imagine? Here are some important things that you will need to think about.
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How Long Does A New Domain Name Registration Last
Domains must be registered for at least one year. After finding a great domain, you can also register TLDs like .com, .in, .net, etc for three years with Hostinger.
You can set up automatic renewals to ensure that your website name will always be registered to you. The first renewal will occur after one or three years depending on the domain registration duration.
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How Do Domain Extensions Affect Website Seo
Domain names and extensions can indeed affect your websites SEO. However, its also important to note that there are almost 200 algorithms that Google looks at when ranking a website.
Therefore, dont expect a massive SEO improvement from a change in domain name or extension.
There are other ways a domain name and extension can affect your website.
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Which Domain Names Can Be Used For Commercial Enterprises That Operate Nationally
org and.net, are the most common used domain name extensions to date.com is basically used for commercial websites where as.net extension is generally used by internet service providers. Likewise, non-profit organizations, industry groups and others use.org domain name extensions,. gov is for US government agencies,.
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Dont Sweat It Too Much If Your Perfect Domain Name Is Taken And Cant Be Obtained
Okay, so as much as domain names do matter, and having the right one can mean the world to you, if you cant get your hands on what you want , dont sweat it too much.
First of all, something thats more important than anything else even than the domain name itself is to actually get the idea behind your website or business right. If you dedicate yourself to executing that idea and do it deliberately, the lack of that perfect domain name wont hold you back.
Secondly, domain names can be changed later on. Even if you dont have the right domain today, you can always get it later, and then just redirect your website to it.
For example, that is what Sumo a suite of online marketing tools did not that long ago. The domain name they started with was sumome.com, but then, after a while, when they got enough funding, they bought the domain they really wanted sumo.com. In their case, that domain switch was kind of expensive. Their new sumo.com domain actually cost $1.5 million. But dont worry, yours doesnt have to be this expensive. Sumo has actually turned out to be the 83rd most expensive domain name ever.
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Prevent Anybody Else From Making Use Of It
Most significantly, purchasing domains stops anybody else from employing them. If you do not grab all the other editions of your domains it could be extremely simple for somebody else to purchase them. If they do, then this could spell 2 horrible situations for you. First of all, you could employ the domains and begin passing-themselves off as your firm. Officially, they possibly do not have the permission to do this however do you actually with to undergo the troubles of taking legal-action against them? Secondly, they can only leave your domain-name indicating to nothing something lawfully they can do when they wish to and cost you an excessive sum of money to purchase it from them.
What Are The Five Most Common Domain Extensions
When it comes to choosing the right domain, you should start with familiarity. Look for what domain extensions are most prevalent in your space and choose one that aligns with your brand and consumer expectations.
This typically means selecting a TLD that is popular. Here are five of the most common domain extensions to consider.
The domain extension you select has a much more important role than you might think. Lets explore the five most common domain extensions and why you should consider that extension for your new domain.
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Net Vs Com And More: What’s The Best Domain Extension
Your domain name is the face of your website and your online brand its the first thing visitors learn about your website. Every domain name is unique, but the best ones are relevant, familiar, and easy to remember.
domain extension
So, whats the right domain extension for your site? In this guide, Ill review and compare some of the most well-known extensions you can use to cap off your domain name. And dont worry if youre unsure what a domain extension actually is. Well start there.
The Advantages Of Purchasing Multiple Domains For A Single Site
In the huge scheme of things domains are very less expensive. They vary from some pounds per year to some pounds per year. If you require a domain-name then do not be so monetarily restricted as to offer purchasing it for such a limited sum of money you may feel sorry for it down the line. In the majority of cases, it is suitable to have over a single domain-name and indicate them to similar website. There are some of the leading perks or advantages of purchasing multiple domain-names for a single site.
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Com Domain Extension Pros And Cons
Did you know that there are 144 million .com registrations as of September 30, 2019? .net is the second runner up with 13.4 million registrations- This information was collected by Verisign, a global domain registrar.
Its true that .com is the most preferred domain extension in the world. However, this doesnt mean its free from flaws.
1. Domain Pricing
Domain extensions are priced differently. Youll not see that much of a difference when youre registering a new .com domain. However, youll notice the difference in prices if you want to buy an existing .com domain. For example, jumbo.com will be priced at around $10,000, whereas, jumbo.xyz will be priced at around $10.
According to research done by GrowthBadger, the registration prices for popular URLs with .net, .org, .biz, .co, .blog, and .io domain extensions averaged from $12-$30 a year.
On the other hand, the same domain names, but with .com extensions required the businesses to pay $4,250 more.
High pricing is one of the main disadvantages of the .com extension. However, people have been able to go around this by using alternative, but popular domain extensions.
For example, instead of buying jumbo.com, you can go for jumbo.net. Its still a popular domain extension, but with a significantly cheaper price tag.
Wed also like to advise you to stay away from domain names that are closely related to other copyrighted domains.
2. Availability
3. Easy to remember and trustworthy