Finding a perfect domain name for your website may look easy at first, for there is no dearth of names, and you can choose anything. With about two billion websites on the Internet, it is not easy to find a domain that is available. Moreover, domain name ideas don’t easily come up, you need to do some research and good thinking to find a name that is suitable for your business. With an appropriate domain search, you can get a name right for your website. To make it easy, here are some ways to get a smart domain.
1. Brainstorm ideas to find a short, pronounceable and memorable name
If you can spend some time, put some efforts to think deeply to have some domain name ideas. If possible, go for a short one that is simple and memorable. When going for a short name, choose the names with seven letters as they are found to be the most popular ones according to a study. Similarly, the names with three letters are found to make the most revenue. This make it important to have a short name that is easily pronounceable and memorable.
2. Choose brand-specific domain names
Your domain name represents your business and products. There are new domain names registered every day. For instance, new ‘.com.sg’ and ‘.sg’ domains are registered every minute today. If you want to stand out from others, you need to find a strong name that reflect your products, services and company. How do you do that? You can with novelty and simplicity. Think whether a brand-specific name can be:
- Emotive – that makes customers create emotional connotations to the brand
- Descriptive – that describes the products or services
- Compound – that is made out of two existing words
- acronym – that consists initials
- invented – that is original and not in dictionary
When having a brandable domain, avoid using numbers or hyphens that make it confusing or complicated.
3. Make use of keywords
Having keywords in your domain name can help search engine optimization or SEO. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t try to have the exact matching words, which can hurt your brand. Most users are of the impression that such websites are spams. Google, which has understood this, does not take it as a ranking factor anymore. It is also advisable to avoid generic phrases or keywords completely, for they are difficult to remember and do not carry the same SEO benefit they did before.
4. Avoid trademark infringement
Try to propose a name that is not a trademark, or else you may have to face legal actions. Your domain should not look similar to another brand or website, and if it is, then it is trademark infringement. You can check whether the name you want to use violates Singapore trademarks before you proceed with the domain registration process. A name that is similar to another one can confuse the audience, as well as the search engine, and it is possible that the search engine results of your name will be littered with unrelated links.
5. Choose the right domain extension
Having a right domain extension is essential if you want to attract local customers to your website. A ‘.com’ extension is popularly used across the Internet and therefore, easy to remember. If it is not available, you can go for other viable options such as .net, .org and .co. You can also try the country specific ones like .sg, .com.sg, etc., if you are doing business solely in Singapore.
The points explained can help you with domain search in the most effective way, and find a perfect name for your site.