Choosing your domain name: 7 mistakes you should avoid
Choosing the right domain name for your website is very important, but it is not always easy. Your domain represents your brand and is long-term commitment, hence requiring your full attention. To help you choose a winning domain name, we have listed the top 7 traps to avoid.
Here are the seven mistakes you should avoid when choosing your domain name:
1. A random domain name
Your domain name is essential, it should not be chosen randomly. It must represent your company, be related to your industry and allow your visitors to recognize you easily. We advise you to choose a domain name that integrates the name of your company.
Example: for a place offering plant-based food🡪 wildfoodcafe.com
It is preferable to avoid a domain name composed only of generic keywords, otherwise, your referencing will be penalized by search engines.
2. A complicated domain name
You don’t want to choose a domain name that is difficult to remember, difficult to spell or too long to type for Internet users. This reduces the possibility of typos and the chances of losing traffic. In addition, a short domain will be easier to print on your business card. Bingo!
Numbers and hyphens are also to be avoided as they can easily lead to confusion. Ideally, you should be able to pronounce your domain name without raising questions about the spelling, which will make word of mouth easier.
If the name of your company itself is long, consider making it shorter. Example: National History Museum 🡪 nhm.ac.uk
3. A poor extension choice
The choice of what comes after the dot depends on your offer, your target and your brand identity. Don't limit yourself to the most popular TLDs such as .com, .fr, or .net. There are probably hundreds of TLDs that are more relevant and better suited to your brand. The right TLD will be the one that allows your brand to be easily identifiable.
Some ideas :
-You can choose a geographical extension to highlight your local presence (.BERLIN, .LONDON),
-or a generic extension to represent your sector of activity (.PHOTO, .YOGA, .EDUCATION, .ORGANIC)
4. Forgetting to buy similar domains
When you buy a domain, it is advisable to also reserve similar domains with similar spelling or with a different extension. There are two reasons for this.
-You want to redirect these additional domains to your main domain, in case a particularly clumsy Internet users make a mistake when typing your name or extension in their web browser.
-You should protect your brand by reserving domains that could lead your customers to be directed to other websites with similar names without being aware of it. For example, if you type google.net in your browser, you will be automatically redirected to google.com.
5. A domain name that is too specific
Just because your business is currently specialising in a niche field doesn’t mean that you won’t expand your business in the future. For this reason, be careful not to choose a domain name that is too restricted, but rather one that leaves room for new products or services.
6. Trademark infringement
Registering a domain name similar to that of a trademark may seem clever. You think you'll benefit from the traffic of the trademark in question, but you'll get into legal trouble before you know. Before buying a domain name, it is your responsibility to check that there are no conflicts of interest.
7. Entering incorrect registration information
When you register a domain name, you must provide contact information. They are then published in the WHOIS database, which is visible to everyone.
If your contact details are wrong and your domain name is about to expire, the alert email will not reach you. Oops, you’ve just lost your domain! It is not easy to recover a lost domain name. Add to this the fact that your website will no longer be accessible. And finally, someone else could register your domain name.
If you ask someone else in the company to register the domain, make sure they use the company name and not their own. If they change jobs, you could risk losing your domain name.
Get your domain now!
EuroDNS offers over 800 extensions so you will have no trouble finding available domain names that announce to the world what you do, who you are, or where you are. Even better, for every domain registration, get a free SSL, Classic DNS and email!
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