How to Choose a Domain Name

Hey, I’m Ben with name.com. Let’s find you a great domain name.

We’re pretty much living in a simulation at this point, so having an online identity is just as important as your real-life identity. How dystopian!

The first step to establishing that online uniqueness is your domain name.

The internet has been around for a while, and lots of good names have already been taken. You have a great business idea. That’s lovely. Go to register your domain name, oh, and it’s taken. It happens to the best of us. Why is it so hard to find a great domain? Let’s dive into some of the numbers to grasp the enormity of our domain situation.

There are over 362.3 million domains registered worldwide. 161.3 million of those are .coms. That sounds a little disparaging when you see the numbers; I get it. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just because your first option is taken, that doesn’t mean you can’t find an awesome domain that will showcase your business like the prize poodle it is.

What makes a great domain name? It’s about substance, not just what’s available.

Think of these three things when searching for a domain.

Memorable

This is huge for word-of-mouth. Can someone easily remember your domain? If it’s BillAndJanesAutomotiveRepairShop.com, probably not.

Concise

Shorter is always better. It’s easier to type, easier to remember, and looks cleaner.

Descriptive

Does it give people an idea of what your business does? This helps with instant recognition. Your domain should be a representation of you or your business. And just like first impressions, you wanna be firm, clear, and give a good impression.

SLD versus TLD.

Understanding the lingo. We love acronyms here. Let’s break down the two terms that you’ll be hearing in the domain world.

SLD

Which means second-level domain. It’s the unique part of your domain. It’s what comes before the dot. This is where you can get creative. In the yourbusiness.com, it’s the your business part.

TLD

Stands for top-level domain. That’s the extension at the end, like .com, .net, .org, or newer options, like .studio, .xyz, or .pro. There are a ton of options out there nowadays. While .com has historically been the beauty of the ball, we’ll explain how new players are entering the game that’s changing the landscape of domains.

Now, on the marketing side of things, a truly great domain name isn’t just a website address; it’s a marketing tool. Can you easily say your web address to a stranger or a friend without stringing out a bunch of characters? Imagine it on business cards and signage. If somebody is in traffic and sees it on the side of the road or a billboard, are they gonna be able to quickly remember it?

Now, geo modifiers for local businesses. For example, if you’re a baker in Denver, you would want it to be DenverBakes.com. Those domains can tell customers exactly where you are and who you are, which is great. For local SEO and AEO, especially when people ask their smart speakers for bakeries near me. Now, what to do when your first choice is taken?

You have options.

Tips for changing the SLD

You can add a word

So if you’re looking for coffeebeans.com, try to add freshcoffeebeans.com.

You can use a synonym

Instead of happypaws.com, you can use joyfulpaws.com.

And the prefix or the suffix

So instead of fitnessguru.com, you can do fitnessguruhq.com.

Keys to keep it memorable and descriptive. Name.com’s search tool is awesome for this. It’ll often suggest alternatives right from the start.

Tips for changing the TLD

Those SLDs had guru in it, pets, shop. There are TLDs out there now that have those descriptive names. So instead of happypaws.com, you could do happypaws.pet, happypaws.dog. For fitnessguru.com, you could do fitness.guru.

And for coffeebeans.com, you could do coffeebeans.shop or freshbeans.coffee. Now, a bad .com example is that you want securityforce.com, but it’s taken, so you have mysecurityforcedenvercolorado.com. That’s long, and that’s bad. So instead, try securityforce.tech, securityforce.io. That instantly tells your customer what you do without having to remember a super long URL.

So there you have it. The more you know, the better you’ll get at finding that domain. And name.com has a bunch of tools that can help you find a great domain name in our search. With the right strategy, like tweaking your SLD or finding the right TLD, you’ll be able to find the right online home for your business. So head over to name.com and start your search today.

Their intuitive search tool and vast selection of domains make it super easy to find a name that will resonate with your brand and connect with your customers. ‘Cause getting new customers is good, I heard. If you found this video helpful, go on and hit that like button and follow along because we’ll have more videos explaining all the intricacies of domains, domain products, and everything else that you may want in the digital landscape.

Comment if you need anything. I will be looking at it ’cause I am a real human. I’m not an avatar. Thanks for watching. See you in the next one.