Like all aspects of organic SEO, your domain name doesn’t provide instant success but is an essential part of the bigger picture. Having the wrong domain can cause a lot of damage to your online presence, making it almost impossible for your customers to find you.
Just like your branding and image, finding a domain name that represents your company and the products or services you offer is key. Whilst you could choose an innovative domain name or a direct match to the name of your business, if it doesn’t reflect what you offer to the market, how will anyone find you? Google looks at your URL when deciding if your site matches what a consumer has searched for: if your domain name doesn’t represent you or the terms people would use to search for you, you’ll find yourself struggling to better your search rankings.
By far, the best option for any business is to find a domain name that does what it says on the tin. If your most popular service is roof repair and your domain name contains the words ‘roofrepair’, potential customers are more likely to find your website. When a customer searches for roof repairs, it becomes a direct match with your domain name, compared with a domain name that only features a brand name, for example, ‘smithandson’.
Think Like Your Target Market
Unlike the big brands which are already widely known, smaller businesses can’t always rely on being everyone’s go-to. When you focus on what your customers will search for when choosing your domain, you’ll find something that will represent what you have to offer.
Already Have a Domain Name that Doesn’t Help You?
If you have a domain name that is just your brand name, it’s not the end of the world. Whilst customers will find you if they already know of your company, you could utilise other SEO techniques such as keyword content and social media to bring your website closer to the target audience.
Alternatively, you can buy other domains that do describe your services and have them forward to your main website instead.
Choosing the Best Domain Extension
A domain extension is the phrase after the ‘dot’; the extension you choose can help or hinder your chances of your site being found and visited. For UK businesses, choosing .co.uk is the more obvious choice; whilst .com domains are becoming more and more common, they are more frequent in the US. A .org would typically be used by charitable organisations. When purchasing your domain name, choosing the most appropriate extension can give customers an indication of where you are and that you are trustworthy. Speaking of trustworthiness, having an SSL certificate that makes your site secure is essential in assuring customers you are authentic.
Your Domain Competition
When buying your domain name, if there are similar variations of it, for example, .co.uk or .com, it may be worth securing those too, to avoid any of your competition buying a domain too similar to yours. It’s also worth mentioning that setting up auto-renewals is the best option to avoid missing your annual payment; missing this means someone else can buy the domain!
Top Tips for Choosing Your Domain Name
- Try to keep it as short as possible; less than 15 characters is ideal.
- Don’t use any hyphens or other symbols.
- Make it as easy to read and spell as possible.
- Avoid anything ambiguous: using numbers or words with many variations can lead to confusion.
- Keep it simple and unique.
The digital marketing experts at Essex Interactive have shared their tips for choosing the best domain for your business. Need some more help? Get in touch with our team by emailing info@essexinteractive.co.uk.