Picking up the domain for your blog is one of the few initial steps of blogging.
First, you decide the niche to write on, and next, you determine the domain name for your blog. That’s is how crucial it is.
Pause for a moment and think, the domain is the first identification of your blog. It is much like your name. You cannot change it over time, and that is why; it is crucial to choose a name that stands relevant in the test of time.
Take all the time in the world to choose the Blog name wisely so that you never regret it or crave for better.
However, that does not mean you need to spend months procrastinating and thinking over the same thing again and again.
It just means to be smart enough to follow the rules and decide on a memorable name.
But, before everything, you need to know what a domain is?
Related:
- How to Start a Blog for Beginners – The Step by Step Guide
- How To Build a Profitable Blog While Working Full-Time Job
What is the domain?
A domain is basically a digital address of your blog. It is made up of two things: the name of the brand, followed by the extension.
For example, if the brand name is Apple and extension is .com, the domain name can be apple.com.
A website can’t exist without a domain. Just like your address helps people reach your home, the domain name directs customers towards your website.
Picking the domain name
Your domain name should say something about your name, the products or services you deal in or your company. Later, your domain name will be established as your brand.
It can be your name
It is a common practice to choose your name as the domain name. Plenty of bloggers do so. But I would recommend only if you want to brand yourself or it’s a lifestyle blog of yours.
It’s also important that your name is simple, easily pronounceable and catchy.
It can be related to your niche
The perfect domain name goes perfectly well with the ideal niche.
Let us understand this with an example:
If your blog is about oranges and you name it banana.com, it can be a bit awkward. Fruits.com can be a perfect choice.
It can be too good if you can stuff the domain name with some natural-appearing keywords if it’s is niche blog.
Warning – If you add keywords to your domain then it becomes very diificult for you to expand your blog in the future.
Top 8 tips to select a Perfect Domain for your Blog?
I have enlisted nine tips that will help you discover the perfect domain name for your blog.
Tip #1. Choose a dot.com TLD
I always prefer the dot.com extension and strongly suggest you to follow this. If not available, try to come up with a different domain name for your blog.
The new extensions should be avoided as they don’t look professional at all.
Tip #2. Avoid hyphens
Hyphens should never be used while creating a domain name. They only complex the name of your domain and make it difficult.
It can create significant confusion and makes it difficult for you to explain your domain name to other people.
Most people are not even sure what a hyphen is. It will lead to misspelling, and people will either be redirected to a wrong page or nowhere.
Tip #3. Avoid numbers
Silly abbreviations and numbers should be avoided. Numbers can also make it confusing.
In a nutshell, avoid unnecessary numbers, hyphens, or any other abbreviation because it only makes the structure more complex. Make it as simple as you can.
The main problem with a number is that when you pronounce top5.com. The listeners gets confused as they don’t know weather they should type it as top5.com or topfive.com. It is also not good for SEO.
Tip #4. Prefer a short name
Long domain names are more likely misspell or mistype and quite challenging to remember. Moreover, there are SERP benefits for short name URLs.
With short names, it becomes easier to share links on social media, on printed stationery and advertising platforms.
For example: Look at these two domain names.
www.thelongestdomainnameintheworld.com and www.rightdomain.com
Tip #5. It should look right
Once you decide on the name, write it down and have a look if it looks good or not. It will help you to check if you have spelled it wrong accidentally.
Moreover, there should be symmetry in the characters you choose. A first look at it can tell you all.
The most important is your satisfaction. It’s very important that you love your blog and everything about it. Otherwise you may loose will power or interest and get into procrastination.
Tip #6. Easy to pronounce & spell
The domain name should be easy to pronounce. Imagine if you are sharing it with a friend on the telephone, the person should be able to catch it instantly.
It should be easy to spell, as well. The person who heard it over the phone should be able to type it on the web browser without any error.
When Flickr bought its domain, they eventually had to shift their domain to Flicker because most of the people were typing it wrong, and they literally had to redirect this domain to the original website.
Make sure to choose the domain that it convenient to speak, listen, spell and remind of.
Tip #7. Availability of social media handles
Before deciding on your domain name, make sure the same name as social media handles is available or not.
You can check it easily with namechk.com by just entering your name in the search bar. It shows the availability on on social media sites.
It is very important to maintain a brand name across all channels if you are serious about blogging and want it as a main stream of income for you.
Tip #8. Avoid copyright issues
A few people play a smart trick of using popular brand names with lesser-known TLD, as their own domain name. But it’s not.
Using a trademarked name for your blog is illegal. The company will certainly come after you, and you will lose the game. There are websites that help you to check for registered trademarks.
Log in to uspto.gov/trademarks or http://www.copyright.gov.
Key Takeaway:
A domain name is all about your first impression. A single word or two-word name with dot.com TLD is the most impressive domain name you can choose.
There are around 294 million domain names registered across the world, and the number is ever increasing. Only a very few of them sync with our memory. The difference lies in their domain names.
The above-given tips will help you in choosing an eye-catchy and valuable domain name. Choose a memorable term that represents your niche as well.
Use all the creativity and wits of the world to create a unique domain name for you.
Enter in the comments below the difficulties you have faced while picking a domain name for your blog.
