Choosing a domain name can be one of the most important steps in establishing your business brand. A carefully chosen domain name may increase user interest and drive web traffic, while a carelessly chosen one might do the opposite.
Believe me, I have been there, buying domain names both for my businesses, and for my clients as well as students.
Should I tell you about the very first domain name I bought – domainng .com (Domain NG dot com) for my very first online business. Or maybe you want to learn about how I was conned out of a domain name I will always love till tomorrow, SuperBrandShop .com
Unfortunately, today is not for stories, but for lessons behind the stories. That is why I have gone into my archives to bring us these Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Domain Names.
Law 1: THE LAW OF DOT COM
Always go for the .com. Let me say this again: Wherever possible, always go for a .com domain.
Do this on your computer or laptop: type any word on your browser, press down the CTRL key, then press ENTER. You discover that the prefix (www.) and the suffix (.com) will be added automatically.
People are more familiar with .com domains than with anything else; they will default to typing ‘.com’ into the browser address bar. Everyone will always assume a website is a .com.
Except if your website is meant to cater to a local audience, consider going for a local TLD (Trans Level Domain).
For example: www.OnlineHub .Africa
Doing this will give your users that little bit of additional awareness and boost your trustworthiness by making it clear you’re in their country/area (via the local TLD).
Law 2: THE LAW OF LENGTH
Less is more. Shorter names are easier to remember and to type. Must not exceed 15 letters.
Longer names can introduce typographical errors
Law 3: THE LAW OF SIMPLICITY
You want people to remember your domain name and type it accurately. Complicated or uncommon words or names may be hard to remember and spell correctly.
Law 4: THE LAW OF BUSINESS NAME
Consider using your business name as your domain name. It helps your brand and eliminates confusion
Law 5: THE LAW OF NUMBERS
Avoid Numbers. Anyone should be able to get your domain name on phone without you having to spell it. E.g friends4life .com
Law 6: LAW OF COMPLETE OWNERSHIP
Having bought a .com, consider buying the other main extensions as well
Having your main domain name extension secured — be it a .com or .com.ng — is only step one. Step two is getting all of the other popular extensions, and then setting them to redirect to your main TLD.
For example, what we did in Online Course Africa is to register:
ExtraSmartAfrica.com, and
ExtraSmart .Africa
Also, if your desired address is BiggestBlogger .com, also consider getting the likes of:
BiggestBlogger .com.ng
BiggestBlogger .net
BiggestBlogger .org, etc
Law 7: THE LAW OF BRAND
Branding is crucial to long-term success. A brandable name has no specific meaning (eg ‘Google’ is not a word, ‘YouTube isn’t one either).
It’s unique — your competition doesn’t use anything similar.
It’s easy to memorize — not too wordy, no complex vowel combinations.
It’s easy to pronounce and dictate over the phone.
Law 8: THE SOCIAL MEDIA LAW
Register Your Corresponding Social Media Handles. Social media is key these days — whether we like it or not.
Law 9: THE LAW OF SPELLING
You should be able to easily share your domain name when speaking as well as writing. You never know when you’ll be asked to share your domain name in person.
Law 10: THE NEGATIVE LAW OF HYPHENS
Avoid Hyphens in Domain Name
Never create a domain name with hyphens.
Hyphenated domains are also prone to errors. If you choose a domain name with hyphens because the domain you want is already taken, then your users will likely end up at your competitor’s site if they forget to type in the hyphen.
Law 11: THE DOUBLE LAW
Avoid Double Letters
It’s a good idea to avoid domains with doubled letters, because it increases your chances of losing traffic to typographical errors.
For example, a domain like Domainng .com or Presssetup .com will be very difficult to get.
FINAL WORD
Never allow all these basic but fundamental laws to stop you. There is no perfect domain name. An average domain name is better than no domain name. Go ahead and register that domain name today.
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