Have you decided to create a website for your business or personal purposes? You should choose and register a domain name to make your website visible online. But how do you choose a domain name and TLD? Here, we will consider some tips to help you make a decision.
Let’s consider why a proper domain name is essential for business and personal websites:
– branding of your business or personal name;
– make your website easily found online;
– have your email address with the registered domain name.
Before buying a domain name, consider some important things to help you choose the most suitable one.
1. Country-specific domain TLD:
For business purposes, choosing a country-specific extension has some benefits. It will help to optimize a search for local visitors and your website’s search engine.
Examples of country-specific domains: .lt for Lithuania, .us for the United States, and .es for Spain.
2. Consider the domain extension based on your field of activity:
Many extensions of TLDs (top-level domains) are available, starting from .agency to .blog and even .pro.
If you run an agency, choose “.agency” as a top-level domain.
If you provide a business solution, choose the “.solutions” extension.
3. Choose a domain name similar to your brand or company name:
It makes it easier to find a website online if the domain name matches the brand or company name.
4. Choose a short and simple domain name:
Come up with a short, recognizable domain that is easy to remember.
A long or complicated domain name increases the risk of mistyping or misspelling.
5. Consider the understanding of the extension:
Some domain extensions are associated with specific types of organizations. When choosing your domain name, consider potential customers’ understanding of that extension. Below, you can find some examples of particular TLDs:
.net (Network) is usually used for technical sites;
.org (Organization) is usually used for non-commercial organizations;
.biz (Bussiness) is usually used for business or commercial use;
.blog (Blog) is usually used for personal blogs.
6. Avoid numbers and double letters:
Numbers and double letters can confuse visitors, especially if you need to spell your domain name. It can also be challenging to pronounce a domain name. It is also recommended to avoid specific symbols like hyphens.
7. Avoid names that violate the trademark of another company:
Before purchasing a domain name, research the name you want to register. Ensure it is not trademarked, copyrighted, or used already by another entity.
8. SEO:
Google prioritizes websites whose top-level domain matches the country. For example, .lt in the Lithuania search results indicates that this website was created for a Lithuanian-speaking audience. The same rule works for other countries.
9. Think about future:
Think about different top-level domains from a long-term perspective. For example, if you plan to do business in other countries, consider registering these countries’ domain TLDs in advance. Do you plan to do business in Lithuania or Spain? It would be wise to register a .lt and .es domain names.
10. Price:
First of all, you should consider how much money you can spend on a domain since each domain TLD has its price.