A domain is your real estate on the internet. It can be considered as one of the most valuable assets of your online business. The most valuable factor to consider when registering a domain is the name that you will choose.
A domain name is the identification string of administrative autonomy on the internet. Generally, it represents the IP resource or a network domain. It is also what many users use to visit your website.
Getting an effective domain name is essential when registering for a domain. Here are a few tips that you should know about so that you get it right on your first try:
The final segment of the domain name is called Top-Level-Domain. These are what comes after “dot.” There are plenty of options for TLD, which can either be generic top-level domains or country-specific domains.
It is crucial to pick the right TLD because it will help quickly identify the type of business of your website or your country of origin. It also helps in identifying academic institutions and government websites, among others.
Ideally, it is best to use “.com” since it is what’s commonly used by businesses and trusted by users. Most of the time, if users encounter a TLD they are not familiar with, they might think twice before clicking your domain, which you do not want to happen because that can significantly affect your click-through rate.
Another tip when registering your domain is to make sure that you use easy to remember the spelling. Avoid using additional letters or slang words.
It is also a good practice not to use commonly misspelled words like “necessary,” “amateur”, “arctic,” etc. Your domain name should be memorable but easy to spell.
Again do not make it difficult for your visitors to remember your domain name, so avoid using hyphens and other elements when registering it. The domain name must be retained in your visitor’s mind, and it shouldn’t be like a telephone number that they have to write down.
Furthermore, when you use special characters on your domain name, visitors might be lost to another site with the same name as your domain minus the special characters.
Visitors and users tend to forget long domain phrases, so pick a short but concise name. Gone are the days where using long-tail keyword phrases in your domain name will help you in rankings because it will only hinder your SEO efforts today.
Do not just wake up one day and decide on registering a domain because that will cost you money and time. Instead, always think about your strategy over and over. Getting the right domain name on your first registration can help you establish your business.
Furthermore, transferring to a new domain after you have already introduced one that represents your site can be confusing to the visitors, which may cost you valuable traffic.
If you need help brainstorming on what your domain name will be, you can consider using some online tools to make things easier for you. Here are examples of the tools that you might find helpful:
Using keywords on your name is not exactly a new tip, but it does not mean that it is less effective. It will help visitors know what your website is all about. It can also help in your SEO rankings.
Trendy phrases will only last for a hot minute while your domain will be with you for years, so why pick a name that will withstand the test of time to avoid your business sounding dated.
Pick a domain well-established domain name registrar, not just a small-scale business, since they might eventually close down and put your domain name at risk. Here are some of the well-established domain name registrar as of 2020 that you might want to consider:
Congratulations! You have now successfully registered a domain. What’s next? Well, the next step is to do domain name security. Here are some of the best practices for doing that:
Data breach attempts are rampant on the internet and one of the biggest reasons people experience that is weak password strength. Avoid using your birthdays and birthdays of your immediate family because they are easy to guess.
It is a good practice to use a VPN when accessing your domain name account. This will prevent hackers from compromising your valuable data, which they will do when the connection is unsecure.
Some people who forget to renew their domain usually end up losing it completely hence having a significant effect on their online business, which is why if possible, register it for a decade so that you will not lose it to someone else.
There is a possibility that scammers or copycats will imitate your domain name and register something a lot similar. This modus is also known as typosquatting or phishing. This is why it is better to take a step ahead and register multiple variations of your domain name to prevent this from happening.
Registering a domain will require significant planning and preparations. There are certain things that you need to consider carefully, so it is best to take your time. Remember, it is an integral part of your online business and migrating to a different domain because choosing the wrong one can cause a lot of unnecessary work and hassle on your part.
