Day 8 – Choosing A Domain Name

O.K! There are really no right or wrong domain names but there are certain best practice guide lines that I have learned.

The extension is the bit at the end of all domains and .com is most common but there are now hundreds of them.

When I started online there were only .com . net and .org so what is the best?
Well .com is what most people know and the extension that most people will go to if there are choices. For example if there is a weightloss.tv and a weightloss.com the .com will probably pick up traffic that intended to go the the .tv domain.

If people are clicking links to get to your website.blog then it’s not too important, but if they are following a video or searching for a domain it will make a big difference.

So the recommendation is to get a .com if at all possible.

Next you really should be looking at something easy to type.  Common words or simple spellings are good options.

Taking this a step further a short domain is better than a long one, it’s easier to type and its easier to remember.  You may want a domain that is in your name and if your name is John Smith then johnsmith.com would be great (if available). But if your name is Theodopolus Kranowsi-Goolingbough it mak be better to look for theo.com.

If you find that johnsmith.com is already taken then you can add a keyword that indicates why people may want to find your website. Maybe johnsmithsblog.com or earnwithjohnsmith.com or have funwithjohnsmith.com and so on.

Things to avoid are numbers and hyphens, if at all possible. Numbers can confuse as people may not know how to type them. Example fun4all.com or funforall,com? Hyphens can be used but it is probably better to go for a keyword addition.

Make the name easy to remember especially if it’s a site that you want people coming back to often, and that is most sites! If it’s your blog then your name is a good start because you will be wanting to build a relationship and get to know people and have them get to know you. Some people do not want their name online for personal reasons and so you can use a pseudonym, but don’t pretend to be someone you are not and if its not your name be upfront about it and let people know that you are using a name that is not your own for a reason that you offer.

To recap…

• Go for .com
• Easy to type for anyone
• Short and simple
• Add a keyword if your choice has been taken
• Avoid hyphens and numbers and the & sign
• Make it memorable

I also recomment that you use cloudflare.com once you have your domain bought. You can use the service free and it adds an extra level of security and probably many other things that in honesty I don’t fully understand. Later I may do a tutorial on how to set up cloudflare but its not too complicated for most people.

I hope this helps, and if you find it useful please comment and share.  If you have any comments or questions please add them below.

Thanks & God bless.