Any online project needs a good name. And sure, your company might already have an established online presence, but what if you decide to revamp your current site, start a separate company blog or what if a friend asks for domain advice and you have no good ideas to give?
Domain names are the most immediate representation of a brand online, and having a great Domain name can go a long way.
Here are three important principles for choosing the perfect domain name.
1. Start with your top 3 keywords
Before you even start checking on Domain availability, you need to have three to five keywords or phrases that describe and relate to the Domain you're seeking. After you have a short list, start brainstorming ideas by adding suffixes and prefixes to spark creativity. For example, if you're starting a new video creation service, then you'd immediately start with words like "video, marketing, animate, press, sales, etc." and then start playing around and mixing words until you find a unique match.
2. Be Unique
You never want your Domain name to be too similar to a website that's already established and has a following. Not only could you inadvertently run into minor legal issues, returning customers might land on someone else's website because of a spelling mishap.
A good example of this is when popular photo-sharing site Flickr was consistently confused with Flicker - a totally different brand. Because Flickr users and new visitors were ending up at the wrong website, the company were desperate to acquire that similar-sounding Domain, which they eventually did. Save yourself the confusion and do your best to avoid misspelled or hyphenated names of site's that are already established.
3. Be your own brand
Not every Domain needs to contain a keyword and you definitely do not have to adhere to any formulated combination of words to find an effective Domain. If you're looking for a Domain to represent your brand, then you need to stay far away from Domain names like top10software2016.com or supervideocreation.info, which aren't nearly as compelling and unique as branded domains like Moz.com, Shopify or Squarespace.com. Branded Domain names are far likely to outperform their uncreative competitors in the search engine listings. Uniquely branded Domain names just seem more fun, lighthearted and easier to trust.
The importance of coming up with a great Domain name cannot be overlooked. Avoid hyphens, don't infringe on anyone's trademark, make your Domain easy to remember.
Running a business in a complex industry is tough, and it can be even harder to find the right Domain name that makes your company stand out from the herd. Need Domain advice? Feel free to contact our friendly staff at Delmarva Group today for more information.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
