When starting a website, you may wonder how you are supposed to pick a your domain name. Choosing your domain name is one of the most important steps you will take for your blog. This is your internet identity and how people will find you on the internet.
Your domain name is also a very important part of your branding. You don’t want to rush into a domain name without taking a few important steps first.
4 Tips for Choosing your Domain Name
Make it Easy to Remember
If your name can’t be easily remembered, people will forget, or struggle to find you online later. Yes, you can print it on business cards or other memorabilia but at the end of the day, if people cannot remember your URL, fewer people will visit it.
Pick a Dot Com
Don’t be tempted to try something cutesy or go cheaper with a different extension. It might sound like a good idea but the truth is, most people will automatically type .com at the end of a domain. It’s just a habit. You could lose a lot of potential traffic or even send people to someone else’s site if you’re not using the dot com.
Keep it Short
Whenever possible, keep it as short as you can. Avoid using long phrases, numbers, special characters and other things that will make it harder for people to find and remember.
Avoid Hyphens
Hyphens might sound like a good idea if the domain you want is already taken but this can lead to confusion, or people finding the other site when you want them to find yours. Hyphens are also known for being in spam domains so it can hurt the reputation of your site. It’s best to just avoid it.
Just like you’d do your homework and put careful thought and consideration into naming a child or a business, you want to be cautious when naming your blog.
Your domain doesn’t have to be the exact name of your blog either, but it should tie in somehow. Many bloggers keep the domain simple but make their title more creative. Some people will use their name as a domain but give their blog a different name.
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