What to look for in a domain?

Before we recommend four specific domain extensions we feel strongly about, it’s worth asking: what’s in a domain name?

Well, the short answer is everything.

Your domain is the address (aka URL) that people type into their browser so they can find your website. A well-chosen domain makes it easier to remember your address, conveys some idea of how your blog is different, and what value you will deliver to your readers.

There are no fast and hard rules concerning which domains work best but, generally, whatever domain name you choose should adhere to the following:

1. Be something you’re happy with for a long time.

You’ll likely want to use the same domain name throughout the lifespan of your blog. You can always change your domain hosting provider but changing your domain name will likely result in the loss of whatever brand awareness and traffic you’ve managed to build up since launching your blog.

2. Make use of keywords related to the unique content or character of your site.

Provide visitors a “sneak peek” of what they’ll find if they click on your site. Use Google Adword’s keyword finder to learn which keywords and key phrases your target market is using the most. Incorporating these keywords into your domain name will give your SEO strategy a much-needed boost.

3. Provide high recall value.

Your visitors have to be able to remember where to find you. You risk losing repeat traffic if you choose a domain name that can be easily forgotten. And keep in mind that word-of-mouth traffic will be much easier to generate if customers aren’t scratching their heads, trying to remember what your address is.

4. Be short and succinct.

Concise, relevant .COM domains are notoriously scarce these days. Consequently, bloggers are often forced to use hyphens or numbers which only makes their domain name more difficult to remember, type, and share, none of which is good for branding. Our advice: look beyond .COM. There’s a whole world of new generic top-level domains out there which will likely provide you with better options.

Five of the best domains for your blog

With so many top level domains available for use with your domain name, it can be a real challenge to figure out which one is best for you. But we've narrowed down our list of 800+ domain extensions to present you with five we think are perfect for all kinds of blogs.

.BLOG calls it like it is

Short and and relevant, .BLOG is an ideal choice for bloggers blogging about, well, anything. Whether it's your personal blog devoted to recipes, travel tips, or film reviews or a way for your business to create valuable content for customers, .BLOG creates an online space that makes it easier for readers to remember and connect with you.

No matter what your blog is about or who your target audience is, .BLOG is an all purpose extension that can be used by anyone. And because this TLD is so recent, there's a very good chance that you'll be able to come up with and register the perfect .BLOG domain name!

.FUN, a light-hearted domain with serious potential

Is your area of expertise travel or leisure? Entertainment or celebrity gossip? Then you’re in luck because there’s a domain extension just for you! It’s .FUN , designed specifically for blogs and websites offering “fun” content.

.FUN is a memorable (and rare) 3-character domain extension which makes it easier to establish your presence in the always-crowded online world of entertainment and travel sites. Moreover, .FUN evokes a youthful, energetic, and relatable brand image, an image perfectly at home within the vibrant entertainment, travel, and leisure-related blogosphere.

.LOL, the domain that's no joke

We’re not kidding when we say .LOL (ubiquitous texting short hand for “laugh out loud”) has huge potential to put you on the map. Another rare 3-character extension, .LOL is a great example of how to use a keyword in your domain.

LOL is already a popular search term for those seeking humorous online content. If your blogging content is centred on anything related to comedy – a broad category to be sure –registering a .LOL domain will help attract more visitors to your site.

.FAIL won’t let you down

Talk about high recall value! The .FAIL extension, another domain intended for humor-related blogs, stands out if only because it so hard to forget. Registering a domain name with .FAIL can only improve your chances of getting noticed, providing users with an easy-to-find and memorable name space for blogs devoted to all things ridiculous: goofy videos, weird photos, questionable advertisements. Whatever.

Another benefit to registering a .FAIL domain name is that from the get-go it makes clear to visitors a blogger’s point of view. The .FAIL domain is generally reserved for blogs and sites which tend to be critical, expressing strong points of view about whatever content they share. This one is especially good for opinionated bloggers.

.COOL is where it’s at

.COOL is for arbiters of new fashion, music, opinions, or anything cutting edge. A .COOL domain alerts visitors to the fact that your blog is THE place to go for news and information related to current trends, up-and-coming events, or the next big thing. And, as with .FAIL, .COOL enables bloggers to express a very clear opinion. Visitors will have no trouble identifying what kind of information they will find on your blog.

As with the other domain extensions listed here, .COOL is clean, simple, and intuitive, and it provides bloggers an opportunity to create a domain name without compromising. Moreover, the broad use and meaning of “cool” makes this a domain extension for pretty much any type of blog.

EuroDNS is here to help

If you are a first-time blogger, you might find our Seriously Awesome Blog Name checklist helpful as it walks you through the steps of selecting just the right domain for your site.

And keep in mind that if you need more assistance selecting a domain extension and registering your domain, you can always get in touch with us. We’ll be more than happy to assist. We’ll even throw in some helpful free add-ons like our Classic DNS package , an Alpha SSL Certificate , and a free personalised email address to help get you get up and running.

Of course, it takes more than just choosing the right domain name for a blog to be successful. But we also know that registering a domain which conveys a clear, memorable message and intent will make it a lot easier to attract visitors and keep them coming back for more.

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