If you are thinking about starting a website for your business, then you need to make sure that potential customers are able to find your website easily. One of the most important factors that you need to consider is the domain name of your website. For a long time, many people have been trying to figure out what the perfect domain name for a website is. There are a few factors that you need to consider if you are looking for a domain name for your website, including domain extension SEO. What are a few of the most important factors that you should consider?
Does Your Domain Name Even Matter for SEO?
First, everyone has to know that their domain name absolutely impacts their abilities when it comes to search engine optimization. If you are simply looking at your domain name, then obviously you want customers to recognize your brand and what your business stands for. On the other hand, when you optimize your domain name for search engine optimization, you also make your website easier to find.
When you go through the effort to optimize your domain name for search engine optimization, you make sure that everyone understands what your website is all about. This includes the products and services that you provide. In this situation, your domain name will have an easier time standing out from the crowd, make it more likely that someone clicks on your link.
Branding and Domain Names
One important factor that you need to consider is branding. Your domain name purchase has to be based on your brand. After all, this is how users are going to remember, identify, and share your business.
You need to think about your domain name and the same way you thought about your business name. In other words, if you already have a name for your company, you should consider using that for your domain name as well, or some variation of it. A great way to ensure you get the domain you want is to get a .ONLINE domain. For instance, you want to open a Durham SEO company and you may choose any domain name related or explaining SEO-related terms. So that, visitors can understand that your company provides SEO-related services.
Even though you want to think about SEO keywords, you also need to focus on your brand. Search engines, such as Google, like brands. They like brands because their users like brands. Similar to the way your company prioritizes its customers, Google prioritizes its users. You should consider using your brand name as your domain name if:
- You have a unique brand
- Your brand name doubles as your own name
- You have already started a campaign for brand promotion
- You already have a recognized brand
Because these factors are going to include the vast majority of small businesses, you should always consider using your brand name as your domain name. Then, make sure you pick the right extension for your domain name as well. Many business owners are opting for a .ONLINE domain because there are not many good .com domains left and lots of other domain extensions tend to be too specific.
Keywords and Domain Names
If you do not want to go with your brand name as your domain name, an alternative would be using a keyword name. For example, if you are a chef who specializes in Fusion food, you may want to consider going with a domain name that is a mixture of the words “chef,” “fusion,” and “food.” Then, you may want to tack on a few adjectives to make your domain name a bit more attractive.
On the other hand, keep in mind that Google does not place as much emphasis and keywords and domain names as it does brands. While keywords are certainly important for images, videos, and the content that you have on your website, keywords are less important when it comes to domain names. Google likes brand domain names more than keyword domain names because this is what their users like. Remember that the extension of your domain name is also going to play a critical role when it comes to search engine optimization.
What About Blending Brand Names and Domain Names?
In the end, a lot of small businesses are going to decide to blend both keywords and brand names when they are coming up with their domain names. That way, small business owners will get the best of both worlds. It is important to weigh all of the factors above when deciding which domain name works well for the company website.
Remember that the domain extension is also going to play a role in your domain name. Even though the domain extension has very little significance when it comes to search engine optimization, it does have a psychological aspect on users. The .ONLINE domain extension is pretty straightforward so it should not lead to any confusion or misinterpretation. The key is to make sure that your domain name is available and that you have a solid domain extension that your users will like.