Choosing the right domain name for your company is so important 鈥� ultimately, it鈥檚 how your audience will find and remember you.
The best domain is a custom domain that works for you. Sometimes, the best domain name for you might break some best practice rules. I鈥檝e got websites built on domains that follow best practices, including those with keyword-rich domains, and other domains break the best practice rules big time; they鈥檙e even hard to spell.
With over , it can be hard to find one that鈥檚 unique and functional. But, in this article, I鈥檒l help you find a custom domain that will help your website stand out from the crowd and possibly even boost your SEO. I鈥檒l help you choose and buy a domain while sharing the insights and tips I鈥檝e learned along the way.
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The best domain names balance memorability, longevity, and sometimes SEO. There鈥檚 a lot to think about when choosing the right domain name, but before I get into all those steps, let鈥檚 first identify what makes a good domain.
Ideally, you鈥檒l pick one domain name you鈥檒l stick with forever. This might seem scary, and it鈥檚 okay to change your domain later, but it鈥檚 better if you don鈥檛 鈥� so don鈥檛 take this decision lightly.
The reason why longevity matters is because you want a domain name that鈥檚 stable to avoid confusing your audience.
There鈥檚 another lesser-known reason, and it鈥檚 related to SEO: a domain name builds authority. Basically, an older domain with high-quality content becomes trusted by Google and is theoretically easier to rank. The longer you spend with a domain and the more you build it up, the bigger the potential loss if you change it.
Again, you can change your domain, and there are lots of things you can do to protect that built authority, but the absolute best practice is to choose a domain that you can stick with.
As well as authority, your domain name can help bolster your SEO efforts. Domains including a keyword can help websites rank.
You want to balance the benefits of using the keyword in the URL against using a brand keyword. I鈥檒l discuss the nuances of choosing keyword-rich domains later including when I think it鈥檚 appropriate and when to stay with the brand name.
Your domain name is how your audience will find and remember you. The best domain names are memorable to your audience so they can easily find you again.
If you are ready to establish a presence online for your business, you鈥檒l want to choose a domain name that matches your brand. This way, customers can easily find and trust your site. There are a few steps you can keep in mind when choosing your domain name.
You鈥檝e surely visited many websites, and it鈥檚 not hard to see that the most popular domain extension is .com, while other trusted or common options include .org and .net.
In most cases, I would say, if .com is available, go with it. You might also want to buy other extensions to protect your brand name.
One thing to be mindful of: If someone already has the .com domain extension, you can still buy .co, .net, or whatever works, but it is worth considering broader implications. For example, you might end up with a trademark issue. If a .com domain extension is taken, it might be an indicator that you need a new domain altogether.
I worked with a small business that had an incredible social media following and sold thousands through its ecommerce website. However, after years of trading, it found itself in the midst of a trademark dispute and ended up having to change its domain and brand name. It was a big deal for the business. It survived, and everything is fine now, but it was a painful process that could鈥檝e been avoided with a little foresight.
Pro tip: Most free website builders allow you to build a site for free but require a paid subscription to connect a custom domain. If you want a fully branded website, build yours on a CMS that allows you to connect a .
When I bought the domain for my website, I used to see if it was available. Here鈥檚 the process I followed.
I started by searching for my desired domain name on 123reg.co.uk. 123reg hosts most of my domains, but I also use . You can buy domains from loads of different places, but these two are my most trusted.
With GoDaddy and 123reg.com, the process is the same: Search your desired domain name in the search bar.
When I was choosing my domain name, I typed in www.forank.com, but to show you what happens when a domain name is available, I鈥檝e created a fake domain name in the screenshot above. You can see it鈥檚 available with the co.uk extension. Usefully, 123reg offers you a bundle with different available domain extensions.
I was really pleased when was available for sale. However, there was a catch: The domain name was owned by someone, and I had to pay a few hundred dollars to get it. This wasn鈥檛 ideal, but I liked my chosen brand name, so I bought it. If the price had been too high, I would鈥檝e had to think up a new brand name.
Since I鈥檓 from the U.K., I also bought www.forank.co.uk. The .co.uk domain redirects to the .com. I could鈥檝e bought more 鈥� forank.io, forank.co, etc. 鈥� but this didn鈥檛 feel necessary for my small business and unique circumstances.
When choosing your domain extension, you want to be sensible about how many you buy and the extension you put the site on. I don鈥檛 recommend buying the recommended bundle just because you can. Think about the future and what you wouldn鈥檛 want people to have.
If your domain name is long, it鈥檒l be harder for people to remember, which could spell out less traffic for you. a domain name that is 6-14 characters in length.
Beyond that, a short domain name isn鈥檛 helpful if it is hard to spell or pronounce, as users will likely lose their way when trying to type your website URL.
I鈥檝e got three domains that I use to host sites, and they鈥檙e all of varying lengths.
I鈥檝e already mentioned my boutique SEM agency, forank.com. The domain name is just six characters, but I鈥檇 argue it鈥檚 hard to spell.
I鈥檝e got another domain, a blog with 11 characters, and another new domain with 20 characters. The longer domain breaks the rules when it comes to 鈥渟hort and simple,鈥� but I believe it鈥檚 relevant and memorable, so I was happy to break that rule.
Each of these elements is another hurdle for users to attempt to jump just to access your website. It鈥檚 not exactly intuitive to keep these characters in mind, and double letters can make the domain name messy and hard to read.
Not to mention, all of these elements are susceptible to becoming typos as users try to search the internet for your business website. If you鈥檙e sharing your website via word-of-mouth to clients, it鈥檚 also much harder to convey the domain name clearly when it is jumbled with hyphens, numbers, and the same letters back-to-back.
My domain name, www.forank.com, is intended as a play on words: frank (like straight talking) and 鈥渇or rank鈥� (in that I鈥檒l rank your website on Google). The trouble with it, outside of being hard to spell, is that people might write it 鈥渇orrank.鈥� To help reduce this problem, I also bought the forrank.co.uk domain and redirected it. The .com version was too expensive.
Pro tip: It鈥檚 all about weighing the pros and cons of your decisions. The main takeaway here is that you avoid deliberately misspelling your domain to get something that is technically already taken. This is bad practice for memorability, but you might end up with a domain dispute or trademark issue later. As aforementioned, if a domain name is taken, and you鈥檙e finding yourself trying a little too hard to secure it (e.g., buying unprofessional extensions or making spelling mistakes), it鈥檚 an indicator you need to think about something else.
With all of these things to keep in mind, it can be hard to brainstorm a domain name that is clear and concise while also remaining unique and true to your business.
But it鈥檚 certainly doable. Keep your business name and what you sell at the forefront of your mind, and dig into your niche to ensure that your domain name attracts the online audience you want.
I always find it hard to come up with domains. I usually have to go through a few versions of ideas and get knocked back a lot by the time I鈥檝e searched its availability to find it鈥檚 taken.
Nowadays, I use ChatGPT to help me brainstorm domain name ideas. Using a fake scenario, here鈥檚 an example of what I鈥檇 ask ChatGPT.
I asked ChatGPT, 鈥淐an you help me come up with the best domain name for a new blog? I want to share my budget travel adventures.鈥�
ChatGPT came up with some great starting points.
Helpfully, ChatGPT recommends checking the availability, which I did. Like any good domain, shorter versions (like thriftytravel) were taken on the .com extension but available on .co.uk. The point of this exercise is idea generation and inspiration.
Pro tip: You could develop my prompt and ask the generative AI not to include hyphens or double letters or to explore different extensions.
I鈥檓 an SEO professional, so my opinion might surprise you here, but I don鈥檛 always recommend the keyword-rich domain.
From an SEO perspective, yes, a keyword-rich domain is the best domain, but SEO isn鈥檛 everything, and you don鈥檛 need a keyword-rich domain to rank well for your desired keywords.
You鈥檒l rank just fine, eventually, without a keyword in the domain. I explore this more in the local section below.
Keywords can help a domain rank, but don鈥檛 prioritize them over your brand name. You want to strike a balance here.
is a good example of a keyword-rich domain that doubles as a brand name.
The hotels.com scenario wouldn鈥檛 always work. For example, does Nike need to change its domain to 鈥渞unningshoes.com鈥�? I don鈥檛 think so.
I鈥檝e got one keyword-rich domain. It was created with keywords to help it rank, but what this domain name does well is double as a brand name, a bit like hotels.com. Basically, it was a lucky find, and the stars aligned, so I seized it.
My main website and business, forank.com, isn鈥檛 optimized, yet it is the website that makes me the most money. I could鈥檝e gone for 鈥渮oeseoconsultant.com鈥� if I wanted something heavy on SEO, but that鈥檚 not really catchy, is it? It also wouldn鈥檛 have the longevity I wanted because I鈥檓 not a solo consultant anymore.
My blog domain, roadtoframe.com, is all about cycling. It鈥檚 fun and memorable and a play on the 鈥渞oad to fame.鈥� If I wanted a keyword-rich domain, I might鈥檝e gone for cyclingstories.com, or cyclingtravel.com, but keywords aren鈥檛 everything.
Road to Frame makes a passive income every single month. It also ranks for thousands of keywords and earns over a million impressions every three months.
Keywords really aren鈥檛 everything, so don鈥檛 choose keywords over a common-sense brand name.
If you鈥檙e serving a local area or a country, you might want to choose a domain with the .
Expedia uses .com.[country-code], such as in . The Australian version of their site has the local country code level domain (CCLD).
In theory, this will help them rank the right site in the right country, but there鈥檚 a lot more that goes into this. If ranking in other countries is a priority, I鈥檇 speak to an SEO about the best way to manage this.
Another tact for serving local areas is to have the area in your domain name. Here鈥檚 an example:
and Heating serves New York only, so they鈥檝e added 鈥淣YC鈥� to their domain name. To be fair, a search for 鈥減lumber New York鈥� brings them to the top spot on Google. Within the same search, I also found , which also uses the location in the domain name.
Here鈥檚 the thing, though: Locations in the domain name aren鈥檛 everything. does not use the location in their domain. Instead, they use landing pages for the location, such as , so you can find a way to rank either way.
Remember when I said I bought the .co.uk version of my brand name because I am based in the U.K.? This is what I mean. I could鈥檝e hosted my site on the .co.uk version, but I chose not to because .com felt a bit more 鈥渨orldwide鈥� to me, and I serve clients all over the globe.
If you鈥檙e a business based in the U.K. and serving people in the U.K., you might prefer the co.uk version.
Aside from keyword research, there鈥檚 nothing worse than dreaming up what seems like the perfect domain name only to find yourself in hot water for unknowingly infringing on a trademarked domain.
Ensure your chosen domain is truly original to you to avoid dealing with legal troubles and the painstaking process of finding yet another unique, SEO-friendly domain name.
Like finding a domain name for a business, choosing a domain name for your blog has many similar steps. But because businesses can start offline, you might not even have a name chosen for your blog yet!
Luckily, this means you have a better chance of finding a blog name and domain name that are a perfect match, but you鈥檒l need to put in some elbow grease to find something unique. According to Master Blogging, there are on the internet. But don鈥檛 be discouraged! Here are some steps to help you find the right domain name for you.
As stated above, .com is the top domain extension for you to consider. For a blog, you might want to get creative with some of the newer, creative options, but your content will be easiest to find if you stick with a classic, common domain extension. Go for .com if you can, then move on to other popular options like .net or .co.
While you want a clear, easy-to-remember domain name, you also don鈥檛 want it to be so basic that it is lost in the shuffle. Opt for something catchy, memorable, and brandable.
Outside of just being punchy and memorable, your blog domain should be unique. Make sure it represents your brand and content while also standing out from competitors.
For example, 探花精选 is certainly unique and comes to mind quickly. It鈥檚 easy to type, spell, and pronounce. It might not have succeeded with a more generic name like marketinghub.com, marketingonline.com, or marketinginformation.com. In fact, if you search 鈥渕arketing,鈥� 探花精选 is one of the top options 鈥� but more generic domain names are nowhere to be found.
If you鈥檇 like an SEO boost right from the start, you can incorporate keywords into your domain name.
Of course, make sure this doesn鈥檛 sacrifice the length, originality, or brand integrity of your blog, but if there are keywords that would play well with another short, unique word or two, consider adding them to your domain name.
Sure, your blog name is unique, but if no one knows how to pronounce it or type it as a URL, your traffic numbers might suffer as a result.
If a domain name is confusing, it鈥檚 more likely that users will have typos and get lost as they try to find your blog. Make it easy for them, and avoid hurting your traffic numbers, by choosing a simple, clear domain name.
With millions of domain names online today 鈥� and additional names getting registered every minute 鈥� once you鈥檝e decided on the best domain name, don鈥檛 hesitate to register it.
You can learn more about setting up a domain name with the free 探花精选 course, "," which can help you get your website established and your domain set up quickly and simply.
Domain names are hot commodities, but they are also pretty affordable. As long as your idea isn鈥檛 trademarked or already in use, grab it before it鈥檚 gone! You can always change it later if you decide it just isn鈥檛 working.
I understand that this is a lot to digest. But just as there are generators to help you find excellent hashtags and keywords, there are also tools to help you find domain names (in addition to using ChatGPT).
You can take some of the keywords and brand-related words you鈥檝e brainstormed through the above tips and add them to a domain name generator, which will use those words and related words to create lists of available domain names.
Even if you don鈥檛 pick a domain name exactly from the generator, it can help inspire your team to find a domain name that is perfect for your business or blog. Here are some of the top domain name generators to try.
If you have one word that you just keep coming back to, try typing it into Wordoid, which will give you ideas that contain that word. Wordoid also focuses on domains that are around 10 characters, although you can set a character limit from 5 to 15 if you have a length in mind.
Looka鈥檚 Business Name Generator can generate dozens of business names by abstract idea (like creativity) and industry. It will automatically check if domain names and social names are available 鈥� and if they鈥檙e not, offer alternatives. It will also include a few logo ideas so you can get your website up and running as quickly as possible.
The oldest domain generator on the internet, Nameboy is a trusted, popular source for finding an original domain name. Enter one or two keywords, and Nameboy brings up a list of unique options to choose from. Nameboy also has specific generators for , , and , among others, all of which could work hand-in-hand with your search for a domain name.
The IsItWP domain name generator is a simple, straightforward, and fast tool to help you turn a brand name and keywords into a unique and effective domain name. It鈥檚 also integrated with BlueHost, so if you find a domain name you love, you can register it right away for free if you use BlueHost to host your website.
Instant Domain Search is another easy-to-use option that generates ideas as you type. This domain generator will show available domains as well as taken options that are available for sale.
Your domain name might seem like a minor detail in the grand scheme of creating a website, but it reflects your business to potential customers or audiences right away.
If it鈥檚 long or confusing, many people will never be able to find your business or blog site. If your domain name doesn鈥檛 match or at least complement your brand name, it can come across as unprofessional or even spammy.
On the flip side, a well-researched and thought-out domain name can boost your rankings in search engine results and provide audiences with a clear idea of what to expect when they visit your site. As such, it鈥檚 important to take the time to find a domain name that is just right for you.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in December 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.