What’s in a name? Well, there’s a lot, especially if it’s of a business! Here are a few things to consider if you are thinking of moving your business online or planning to buy a domain name.
1. Business connect
Your website name reflects what your business and website is all about. In other words, it has the power to draw visitors to or from a website. People are more compelled to visit a site whose name indicate the service provided. For instance, think about someone searching online for ‘home furniture’ and come across a website address ‘classyhomefurnitures.com’. The chances are high that the user will end up visiting the website as it matches well with the keywords searched for. Creating keyword based domain name helps a lot in SEO, as it makes easier for search engines find your website in online searches. This strategy works well for new comers on the online landscape, who are trying to make a mark online.
2. Brand Connect
For established brands who are planning to go online, the best strategy is to stick to the original brand name. It helps create a higher brand connect and recall value, among the online customers. For example, Nike need not to say nikeshoes.com or nikesportswear.com to educate online surfers on what products it sells. Being a well-established brand, selling products across the world, nike.com is enough for visitors to understand what the brand stands for. Apply this strategy if you are an established brand, planning to create an online presence.
3. Memorable
The third school of thought contradicts the first two. It says- a memorable, concise and unique name, sells well online. If this doesn’t sound all that appealing, the below names will surely give you a second thought. Ever wondered what a Myntra, Jabong, Goibibo, Etsy, Sivvi, Boohoo or Rediff means? It doesn’t really mean anything to the common man, unless its creators reveal the meaning and story behind those names. It’s all about creating a brand name that’s unique, which sounds good and is easily memorable. This strategy is largely adopted by ecommerce and online auction websites and is proving to be effective (of course, it depends on various other business factors). Try this out if you want to give a creative edge to your brand and your target audience is the new generation online surfers. Applying this strategy also helps leap over the difficult process of finding an ‘available domain name’, as most good and popular domain names have already been registered by users over the years. However, that doesn’t mean that there are no good domain names left, you just have to be a bit more creative and come up with unique memorable names or try out different combinations.
4. Matching TLD
A domain name is a combination of two components- a unique name + Top Level Domain. Choosing the right TLD is also important for every business as it help users understand the nature of business and the geographical location. There are two types of TLD: generic and country code. Below are a few examples on generic (gTLD) and country code TLDs.
The gTLD domains have generic organization descriptors. Here are some of the most widely used gTLDs.
.com – a commercial or business entity
.net – a network service
.org – organization
.edu – educational institution
.gov – U.S government
The country code top-level domain are country specific. Here are a few examples.
.uk – United Kingdom
.in – India
.ae – Dubai
.au – Australia
.cn – China
The domain name registration fee and the annual renewal fee varies according to the TLD. A business can choose between a generic or country specific TLD, based on the nature of business, area of operation and the target audience.
If these techniques doesn’t help you arrive at the right domain name, you can always try out various permutations and combinations or reach out to other languages to find words which conveys the right message about your brand. However, try to avoid a domain name that may be a copyright infringement of any other brand, company or individual.
In essence, keep your customer at the centre while choosing a domain name. It should be a name that customers can recall and relate your brand with. As much as possible avoid numbers and hyphens in a domain name, as it makes it difficult both to remember and type. After all, your domain name is what your customers will use to access your online services such as the company website or email.
