Imagine the internet as one big thriving city.
Now, similar to how a great location can elevate a store, a perfect domain holds the key to your website’s success, acting as the foundation for your online presence.
Finding the best domain names is not an easy task, though. As I’ve mentioned, their value lies in the “location” – a combination of memorability, relevance, and simplicity.
The domain name acts as the gateway to your digital presence. It has a huge impact on your brand’s reputation, search rankings, and ability to gain recognition in the vast online world.
The question is, how do you secure your desired domain name?
Lucky for you, my good fellas, I am here to unravel the seven secrets to uncovering the perfect domain name for your business.
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to set the stage for a successful online journey.
What Is a Domain Name?
Before we dig deeper into the world of domain name generators, we need to make one thing perfectly clear.
What is a domain name?
I’m glad you asked.
A domain name is a strong website address representing a company name or brand.
The availability is checked using a domain name generator to find suitable options. For instance, can include country code TLDs like “.uk” for specific regions. When selecting a domain, factors like search volume and relevance are considered.
Additionally, domain names can be used to set up custom email addresses and create a professional online presence for businesses, individuals, and organizations.
They are truly valuable assets, so securing a meaningful and relevant domain name is crucial for establishing an online presence, attracting visitors, and building a successful website.
The 7 Characteristics of the Best Domain Names
As I already hinted, choosing the perfect domain name is a pivotal step in establishing a strong online presence.
And as promised, here are the seven essential characteristics that the best domain names possess.
These seven tips guarantee memorable, relevant, and effective domain names that will attract visitors.
Take notes!
1. They Are Short and Concise
Right off the bat, good domain names are short. It is not a coincidence that all the three-letter and four-letter .com domains are already gone and that the five-letter ones are going fast as well.
Although there is no set number of characters that you should aim for, just remember:
The shorter, the better.
Aim for fewer than 10 characters, and never surpass 20 – that’s a red flag right there!
By choosing a unique domain that aligns with your brand and optimizing for search ranking, you can significantly impact your web presence and attract more visitors.
Examples of short and concise domain names:
- Zoom.com
- Slack.com
- Apple.com
- Nike.com
- Hulu.com
2. They Are Easy to Spell and Memorable
When it comes to selecting a domain name for an existing business, there are no absolute rules, but certain principles can significantly enhance its impact. Memorable and easy-to-spell domains are key to attracting and retaining customers and your loyal visitors.
A domain that customers can effortlessly recall and type into their browsers improves the overall user experience.
Additionally, web hosts often recommend short, straightforward domains to enhance brand recognition and ease of access.
This makes it a valuable investment for any business seeking to strengthen its online presence. If you’re in that category, what are you waiting for?
Memorable domain name examples:
- ZenZone.com
- CatchyCafe.com
- BrightBloom.com
3. They Are Relevant To the Website’s Content
The importance of having a domain name that is relevant to a website’s content or purpose cannot be emphasized enough. When users come across a domain that aligns with what they are searching for, it creates an instant connection and trust.
Moreover, domain names that incorporate keywords related to the website’s niche can significantly impact search engine visibility, making it easier for potential visitors to find the site.
This relevance also contributes to a website’s overall brand identity and market positioning – which is crucial if you want to grow online.
Domain registrars and hosting providers offer tools to check domain name availability and generate domain name ideas, allowing businesses to find brandable domain names that perfectly represent their offerings.
Examples of good brandable domain names that are relevant to the website’s content:
- EcoLivingEssentials.com – an eco-friendly blog
- StyleHiveBoutique.com – for shopping
- CulinaryQuests.com – for cooking recipes
4. They have a .com extension
Having a brand name with the .com extension is vital due to its universal appeal and credibility. The choice of a domain name extension can significantly impact a brand’s visibility and discoverability.
It’s a known fact – when users search for a desired domain name, they often default to .com as it’s the most recognizable domain extension worldwide.
Owning the .com version enhances brand trust and memorability, and it prevents competitors from benefiting from potential customer confusion.
Most hosting providers and domain registrars actually prioritize .com domains, which ensures easy accessibility and seamless setup for businesses.
When users conduct a Google search, websites with the .com extension tend to rank higher, as search engines often perceive them as more authoritative and relevant.
Examples of famous .com extension websites:
- Facebook.com
- Amazon.com
- YouTube.com
- Instagram.com
- Twitter.com
- Hulu.com
5. They Are Unique and Brandable
The significance of brandable and unique domain names is my next point, and your next note.
Distinctive domain names are crucial as they provide a gateway for businesses and individuals to establish a lasting online presence – which is the Holy Grail, right?
Well, unlike generic or commonplace domain names, which are buried in a sea of existing brand names, a brandable domain name pops, leaving a lasting impression on potential visitors.
When embarking on a domain name search, though, businesses must focus on crafting a web address that aligns with their brand identity and resonates with their target audience.
It can’t be just something that they came up with out of the blue.
It has to be unique and relevant to the website’s content (which was my previous point).
Web hosting companies often offer domain registration services, guiding users to select suitable names for their websites. While some may be tempted by free domain name offers, investing in a brandable and unique domain name is always considered a wise(r) decision.
Sometimes they will not be descriptive, but they can be equally efficient.
Brandable domain names make your visitors associate the name with your website and its content. (Notice that brandable domains can be descriptive at the same time, but that is not always the case.)
Examples of unique brandable domain names:
- Google.com
- Yahoo.com
- eBay.com
6. They Don’t Contain Hyphens or Numbers
Having a domain name without hyphens or numbers is significant for several reasons.
Firstly, it enhances the domain’s professionalism and memorability.
Again, a well-known fact – users tend to find hyphens and numbers confusing and are more likely to forget or mistype them.
This can be a deal breaker as it can lead to lost website traffic and potential customers.
Secondly, a hyphenated domain can raise concerns about its authenticity, as it may look like a spammy or low-quality site. An uncluttered domain name, on the other hand, improves search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
An effective domain should be easy to remember and reflect the blog’s theme or business purpose!
Here’s a free tip:
Prioritize keyword research to include a few keywords that resonate with your target audience.
And last but not least, opting for a hyphen-free, number-free domain name can positively impact your chosen domain’s reputation, history, and success with your hosting provider.
Examples of domain names that don’t contain hyphens or numbers:
- Reddit.com
- LinkedIn.com
- Wikipedia.com
7. They Are Scalable and Adaptable
An adaptable and scalable domain name is essential for long-term success in the whirlwind online landscape.
When starting with a new domain, it’s crucial to consider its potential for growth and expansion.
An adaptable domain name allows businesses to diversify their offerings without the constraints of a narrow-focused name. Likewise, scalability ensures that the domain can handle increased traffic and content without hampering user experience or search engine rankings.
These two seem to go hand-in-hand.
Furthermore, being open to multiple domain extensions enables businesses to secure variations of their brand name, protecting their online identity and preventing confusion.
A clean domain history is valuable, avoiding potential penalties or associations with past unsavory activities.
A SEO friendly domain name, free of excessive hyphens or unrelated keywords, improves search engine rankings and boosts visibility.
Examples of adaptable domain names:
- Apple.com
- Netflix.com
- Microsoft.com
3 Most Common Errors With Domain Registrars
It’s not all rainbows and sunshine over here, either. Although the path to creating a top level domain seems smooth, there’s still a chance that something might go downhill in the process.
With that in mind, here are the top three issues with domain registrars:
Inaccurate Contact Information
Incorrect contact information during domain registration can spell trouble for website owners. When the provided details are inaccurate or outdated, it can lead to serious consequences on your end.
Domain registrars rely on accurate contact information to communicate with domain owners regarding renewal notices, important updates, or potential issues.
If this vital information is flawed in any way, domain owners might miss crucial notifications, risking domain expiration and potential loss of ownership.
Moreover, some domain registrars employ privacy protection, which replaces the domain owner’s contact information with generic details. While this ensures privacy, if not updated promptly, it may lead to communication lapses.
Therefore, it is essential to provide accurate and up-to-date contact information during domain registration.
This will help you a, avoid doubled letters, and ensure targeted keywords are associated with the website’s niche for better visibility and search engine rankings.
Failure To Renew Domains
Failure to renew a great domain before its expiration date can lead to unfortunate consequences, and frankly, it’s the last thing you want.
Once a domain expires, it becomes available for others to register, losing the name’s availability, and your right to ownership. To avoid this, utilizing a free tool or setting up reminders can help track domain expiration dates and ensure timely renewal.
In this case, immediate action is essential to maintain ownership and preserve the hard work invested in establishing the website.
Hidden Fees
Hidden fees in domain registrars can catch domain owners off guard, leading to unexpected expenses. And if you’re not flexible with your budget, this might be a huge problem.
While some registrars advertise low initial prices, additional charges might emerge during the registration or renewal process. These fees can include anything from privacy protection, domain transfer fees, to premium domain charges.
To avoid financial surprises like this, domain owners should carefully review the registrar’s terms and conditions before registering. Utilizing a free tool for a trademark search can also prevent trademark infringement issues.
Transparency in pricing and understanding the full cost involved are crucial to making informed decisions and managing domain expenses effectively.
Summing Up: 7 Characteristics For a Good Domain Name
To sum everything up, selecting the perfect domain name is a critical step in establishing a strong online presence. By considering the following seven characteristics, businesses can rest assured knowing that they’ve done everything for their web address.
Before I sign off, let’s go over the key takeaways one more time.
A domain name that reflects the business name or blog domain creates a clear connection with the content or purpose of the website. That’s why choosing a catchy and unique domain name enhances its memorability. Moreover, a simple domain name is easy to type and avoids confusing elements like hyphens or numbers.
Likewise, a brandable domain name distinguishes a business from competitors and fosters brand recognition. Incorporating relevant keywords also improves the domain’s visibility in search engines.
Partnering with the best domain registrar ensures excellent customer support, and being cautious of existing words within the domain name helps prevent potential trademark conflicts.
Incorporating these characteristics ensures a good domain name that aligns with a business’s goals, strengthens its online presence, and, finally, paves the way for digital success.
Good luck with your top-level domain name!
I just found out that my domain misses all the characteristics of a good domain name. I hope it won’t turn readers off from reading my blog. Cheers to you!
Indeed, domain names must be short, understandable, brandable, and also typable!! Thanks for sharing. KCJ
Pam, the list was not created in order of priority.
Personally I think that having a .com extension is the first one. Then point 1,2,3 and 7.
Notice that points 5 and 6 are substitutes. You can have both in a single domain, but having just one should be enough.
Amazon is brandable, though not descriptive. And it also is in line with all the other 5 points.
Very nicely put.
I am wondering something though.
Are these in order of priority of some sort?
Is it more important to have the first one, first two or maybe the first three if any?
How many rules can you break and still pick well?
Heck, I think of amazon.com. Not exactly working for every ‘rule’ are they? They did manage to brand themselves since everyone thinks books when they hear amazon.com
Thanks for the thought-provoking post,
Pam Hoffman
@ i’mkidding, don’t want to be rude or anything, but where exactly did you see me claiming that my domain had all the 7 characteristics?
hey.. wait..
did i see “short”?
hahaha… is 13 characters short?? dailyblogtips??
I’m just kidding Sir..
peace!!
🙂
a .com extension??
man..!
i’ve my .net
is it too bad??
I think the main thing as far as the search engines are concerned is to make sure your keywords are in your domain name
Excellent write-up, Daniel.
I thought my domain name was superb, until it was stolen. 🙁
I wish I read this article before I selected my domain name. and I think I can make a lot of money by buying and selling domain name. There are all I want to say!!
I love my domain name….. 🙂
Thank you for this useful post!
Good post, especially the rule about hyphens. They do royally suck.
According to fasthosts, 43% of businesses take less than an hour to choose their domain name and 34% think they would do more business with a better domain name.
Nice post.
Jamie
What a great post. You are so right about everything and I can see now that the domain I have chosen http://www.antphilosophy.com doesn’t folloe all the rules.
On the other hand I’m getting visitors that are typing in “Ant Philosophy” when searching purely because of the domain name. So thats cool!
Well I screwed up on the first characteristic. Hopefully, though, I make up for it by fulfilling the second characteristic….
Great write-up. I especially like the graphic you included. Very creative. I have several domains registered and I’ll have to remember this information the next time I go to register a domain.
Thanks,
John Simpson
Call me crazy, but I think the flickr domain is a bad one. They managed to successfully brand it, but I have always had trouble remembering exactly how to misspell the word “flicker.” I never find it on the first try. I think they are wildly successful in spite of a bad domain name, not because of it.
I have chosen my new domain name two weeks ago which fulfills all the characteristics listed above except the keyword description on them because i want to brand my domain name by choosing a word not in the dictionary :D.
Let me think… all of my sites follow most of these rules… except for my person site which includes the word “chimeric” which isn’t something used in normal conversation… and thusly is hard to remember. The only other problem that my domain names tend to suffer from is the fact that the names are long.
Great advice though, I’ll certainly keep this in mind for future domain name purchases.
.com is still a huge must – I still type .com for domains I know are .net or another extension. For example – I still type problogger.com a lot – thank god Darren finally picked up the .com version.
Would disagree with your point of .com, before .com was a must but these days people know of sites rather than just .com. .com should always be the first option but if that is not possible then go the others…
I think a good URL must be rememberable and it can help to be unique and different. flickr and digg is different, unique and also rememberable..
This article makes me pretty happy about the domain I have. I hit 6 out of 7 on the list. The only thing I don’t have is keywords in my domain. (the name is Net Hustlin’). I still get some organic traffic from the word “hustlin” though lol
Excellent points Daniel. It’s getting very hard to accomplish all of these without spending a fortune. I guess you just have to decide what is most important to you and maybe be willing to give a little bit in some other areas.
I wish that I had read this post in October before launching my blogs. I will definitely bookmark this post for future reference!
Brian, both seem too long for me.
Rarely I get free domains for new projects these days. I prefer to invest some money (from $100 up to $2000) to get a good one and dont regret later.
$100 is not that a big investment, and sometimes it can have a huge impact on the quality of the domain you’ll get.
Nice timing on this article! I’m actually trying to decide between two domain names for my new upcoming photoblog. I’m still stuck though.
fineartphotoblog.com vs fineartphotographyblog.com
Obviously the first is shorter and easier to spell, plus the site will be a photoblog rather than a photography blog. Then again, the second has that key phrase “fine art photography”, which is much more popular with the search engines. I would have preferred to go with something shorter than either of these, but I don’t have the money to acquire an existing domain.
I’ve asked my readers which way to go, but they seem pretty split on the subject too. I’d be happy to hear any insights from others.
@Ravi
That’s a very cunning observation. I always wonder too, if today dot com’s are scarce, what’s left for the future generations ? People will inherit the great domains from their forefathers, who were quick enough to grab the gold. Or the money from it’s sale.
@Daniel
I think your blog has a nice mix of brand and description.
On the blog I’m setting up, I’m aiming for that balance too, albeit I picked a two word. “Apps” gives me the keyword. Though it’s not a focused keyphrase, I can work on keyphrases on the content, while having it on the domain might provide me some extra google juice.
With the two together I have some nice plans for the brandability (coupleapps would go for “few good apps”), and with it I hope to also achieve a descriptive name, once people easily make the association.
I kinda worry that “couple” might not be the best word pronunciation-wise, and that it might be mistaken for the highly commercial keyword for married people. But anything can be overcome when good branding settles in.
However, you can’t argue with Google 🙂
I actually have three domain names that currently all go to the same place: pcunix, unixish and aplawrence (all dot com).
The last is the least descriptive, the least memorable, and the hardest for anyone to type.. BUT it was the one Google gave all the love to, so after fighting it tooth and nail, I gave up and stopped even trying to use the others.. other than as 301 redirects to aplawrence.
This came about because I started with pcunix but soon added aplawrence because I wanted that in my email signature. Most inward links started using that, even though at that time the 301 was the other way around. Because so many links were that way, Google gave that name the love.. so here we are, years later and I’m probably stuck with it 🙂
I’m going to disagree with you on questioning your own domain, Daniel.
Despite being 13 characters, it sure doesn’t feel like it, because 2 of those words are 4 letters and one syllablle. It rolls off my tongue and I instantly remembered it the first time I visisted. And you can’t forget about the fact that you’ve got a brandable aspect to it (daily) and Google juice in the domain itself (blog tips).
I have to say, I rather envy this domain choice.
Kelly, that is a very solid domain.
INcontantIN, I am all for short ones, even if less descriptive.
Strangely as it may seem, but it is namely the search for a good domain that I am busy with these last two days. I made up my mind for a domain mainly due to the fact that some of the most important sites offering blogging oportunities require a domain and not a subdomain. So, I spent quite a while on searching tips and tricks for how to choose a domain. What you have here is, actually, a nice summary of the posts and articles I came across during my research. One thing that bothers me is that there is no general opinion about whihc one is better, a short name or a long but descriptive name, just like yours….
I agree with lots of these. I’m a tax attorney and my blog URL is short (taxgirl.com) but I am used to working with lots of attorneys who feel the need to use ALL of their names or initials in their URL. It’s confusing. And it screws up email deliveries! 😉
KimC, the deal is, to get a good domain these days you need to spend a couple thousand dollars, that is why the decision must be planned.
Ah, but doesn’t everyone hope (at least secretly) to go “big” one day? And if you’re going to shell out the bucks for one domain and a hosting package, why not shell out another $9/year for another domain while you’re still a nobody before the squatters get it and try to charge $900? I know more than one person who started small, got big by accident, and found that they waited too long.
I’ll bet Darren was wishing he had acted a little sooner. 🙂
Should have got a better one, instead of techdune 🙂
Ravi, interesting point indeed. I also suspect that the prices of .com domains will only go up.
The Internet grows by 20% every year, more and more people is jumping headfirst into it, and the number of domains is limited.
KimC, my first rule is to always name the site after the domain name, that why there is no confusion.
If you have a big site or a company one then yeah securing the other top level extensions is a good idea. For small websites it is not a big of a problem though.
This reminds me of a point I made on a Lifehacker post — we’re living in the era of (or shortly after) the domain name gold rush. Just think, if we think our choices are slim pickings, just what’s going to be left for future generations?
I must’ve spent almost 6 months trying to come up with a brandable name for my new company. A corresponding domain name was a must, and every time I thought I had something amazing, something no one else had ever thought of, I found that it was taken (90% of the time by domain squatters).
Ultimately, I settled on the Rodamus Group (rodamus.com, but its under construction atm). It’s relatively short (without sounding as bad as things like profilactic and jango and renkoo), sounds respectable, and ultimately brandable as long as I put the effort into it.
Looks like I violated a few of these rules this time, but they’ll definitely come in handy next time around…thanks, Daniel!
Hyphens will be a great weakness for a domain. It is so unnatural when I wanted to type the hyphen key on my keyboard.
Domain names is an important factor of a blog or a site. The decision of wanting to make is descriptive or brandable must be decided when a site is to be started.
Also, it is a must to include domain selection in a blog startup planning to avoid any regrets after a while of blogging. This is the time when such guides serve as a rule of thumb.
Nice article. Stumbled!
Good list. it stinks that domaineers have gobbled up a ton of the best names. but i have found with a little bit of work and a lot of creativity, you can still get good names. i would also add to your list non sensical names – or new words – as long as they are easy to spell and remember.
A suggestion: domains are cheap. Buy similar domains and redirect to your website. My blog is called Life in a Shoe. It’s at InAShoe.com, but I also own LifeInAShoe.com. Longer, but I suspect some people make that mistake. I would rather catch them than have them get lost or end up somewhere…ahem…less friendly.
It’s often a good idea to snag the .org version of your .com site as well, just to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
TheInverstorsJournal.com is long but not a bad one. You meet the other requirements as Sharon said.
Depends on the plans you have for the site and how established it is.
If it is not that developed yet and you have big plans for it getting a better domain could be an option, otherwise just stick with it.
I unfortunately didn’t know things like you listed and I made my domain with an extremely long name. It’s actually bothering me now and I’m not sure if I should create a new domain and move all my content. But then I’d lose all of those sites linking to me..
My blog breaks rule no. 1, but meets the others – and anyone searching online can also find it easily. Of course, then you have the issue of living up to the brand that you’ve created.
Yeah, if its Daily, it’s here! 🙂
Daniel,
Yes but your name is very descriptive and that scores more points for your domain name. You have actually started a ‘Daily’ blog series and this is a good thing which has helped you to build(almost you have built it successfully) a network like Crunch network.
Two words is very good Ram. In fact that is a point where I am not happy with DBT domain itself. If I was to start over I would definitely look up for something shorter.
Nice write up. My blog has satisfies almost all the characteristics. But my blog is a two word domain. Other than that, my blog satisfies all the other things.
I agree with the point where you mentioned Easy To Spell. I have many times Googled for few blogs name when I wanted to visit them. Few of the good blogs indeed have a name that is very tough to remember or type correct.
One of my sites breaks 5 of the 7 – it’s short and somewhat descriptive. But I’m in process of redesigning it and one of the goals is to start using one of the other domain names that I have that only breaks one of the above – it’s not short. It’s 3 words but it’s the same 3 words as my company name.