How to choose a powerful domain name for your new venture

You have that great business idea pinned down. Congrats. But now you’re stuck trying to get a unique, yet powerful domain name to suit your business. In your quest for quality branding, choosing the right domain name is very essential. It can make or break your business in the nearest future.

Here, we would look at step-by-step ways to choose the best domain name for your venture;

1. For best rankings and SEO, stick to .com. Moreover having a .com domain makes your name easier to remember. While it's tempting to come up with interesting blog names using new extensions, the.com domain name extension remains the most known and trustworthy. If that's not available, try.net or.org. If these are also taken, you should come up with a new domain name.

2. Keep it short. The best domain names are the ones that are short and easy to remember. Your customers/website users will most likely remember it, and the chances of them spelling it wrong while entering the name in the search bar is very low. According to Domainregisteration.com the recommended number of characters for a domain name is 15.

3. Choose a “brandable” name, not a generic one. Keep in mind that your domain name is one people will remember you by, so choosing a name that is unique should be at the very top of your list. For easier name ideas, you can try using a brand name generator , or do things old school (jot different ideas down and narrow it).

Avoid using a generic name as this does not usually end well for most brands. Imagine a beverage company using the domain name; beveragecompany.com, or nigerianbeverages.com . Customers remember brands more than generic businesses, and this also racks up their loyalty points.

4. Refrain from using double letters. Avoid domains with duplicated letters because they increase the likelihood of traffic loss due to mistakes. A domain like dresssurety.com, for example, will be more prone to mistakes, resulting in lost traffic.

Avoiding multiple letters will make your domain more brandable and easier to type.

5. Add keywords to your domain name. Finding a solid domain with your target keywords that isn't already taken is quite difficult. To make your domain stand out, you'll need to be creative and blend your keywords with other words. If you want to include keywords, place them at the start of your domain name. That's where they'll have the greatest impact on your rating.

By including keywords in your domain name, you inform search engines about the topic of your website. Keywords in your domain, in conjunction with quality content and a positive user experience, can help you rank higher in Google.

6. It should be easy to pronounce and spell. If your domain name is difficult to remember, users are more likely to make mistakes and become disoriented when trying to discover your website. If you intend to use your domain name to generate a professional business email address, it must be simple to grasp and spell for any listener.

The last thing you want is for potential visitors to input your domain incorrectly and end up on another website.

7. Research your domain name to be sure. To avoid legal issues and the time-consuming process of selecting another unique, SEO-friendly domain name, make sure your chosen domain is actually unique to you. You can do a trademark search to determine if a similar or exact name has previously been trademarked. You may also use Google to look up the name's availability on popular social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

8. Always consider the future. If you think you'll be expanding to more general services in the future, you should rethink your domain name. If you think you'll be able to expand outside of that niche, don't lock yourself into one. As a result, when choosing a domain name, keep your long-term vision in mind.