Securing the right domain for your business is incredibly important, mistakes can be costly and impede your business growth. Securing the perfect domain name though can be a bit overwhelming. With hundreds of different hosting companies out there, knowing the best way to go about things can be difficult. So, we’ve put together a few do’s and don’ts to think about when getting our domain name which will help you avoid pitfalls which could potentially cripple your business.
Do’s:
Register the domain in your name
When you register your domain, make sure you register it in your own name. A domain is like any other piece of property. If it’s not in your name you don’t technically own it which could cause you problems down the line.
It’s an easy mistake to make and many people just don’t really think about it, allowing their web development team to sort everything out for them. However, having the domain name in someone else’s name means they own your website and if they wanted to they could make you pay a lot more money than you need to.
Remember to renew your domain
Most hosting websites have an auto-renew feature which will allow you to automatically renew your ownership of that domain every year. However, it’s worth checking that that feature is definitely selected and to check it again once a year.
Though it’s unlikely, there is a worst case scenario that does happen. Someone buys your domain during the period of renewal. This will mean you lose access to not only your website, but crucially your email until such a time as you sort it out.
If on the off chance this does happen, your first step will be to contact the new owner and see if you can buy it back from them.
If they refuse to sell it back to you, you need to buy a similar domain, link it to your website and let all you clients know of the change to your email address. This needs to be done quickly so as to minimise the damage to your business. You will also need to update your contact details across your online presence.
Keep it short and brandable
Keeping it short, easy to remember and spell, will help your business develop and grow. You want your domain name to stand out and stick in people’s minds. A memorable domain makes you easier to find online, and increases your website brandability.
For inspiration and thousands of great domain name ideas use the Domain Name Generator. Simply type in keywords or phrases and it automatically generates thousands of domain name ideas. On top of this you can quickly and easily check domain name availability right there and then with the domain checker on the results page.
Consider alternative TLDs
It’s not all about .com anymore. There are a plethora of alternative TLDs out there for lot’s of different industries. The benefit of .com is that it’s the most common, so people might assume you have a .com website when they look for you online. However, Google doesn’t treat alternative TLDs any differently to .com domains, meaning you have an equal chance of ranking highly on Google with a .MUSIC, .FOOD, or any of the other new gTLDs.
On top of this an industry relevant TLD can help you keep your domain name short, relevant and memorable. For example, you have a new cafe called Chat Noir. You could use the domain, CafeChatNoir.com, however, ChatNoir.Cafe does the same job, and it’s shorter, more original, and easier to remember.
Don’ts:
Don’t use Dashes, Symbols or Abbreviations
Dashes, symbols and abbreviations make the domain name hard to type, hard to say and hard to remember.
For example, you might be talking about your construction business called Angel Construction. You ask them to check out your website, ‘angel dash construction 94 .com, that’s ninety for the number’. It would be much easier for you to have your domain name be AngelConstruction.com, and much easier for them to remember and type into a search engine.
Don’t buy without first checking the domain history and for trademarks
When choosing your domain name you need to be a little bit careful and you should check out it’s history. There are two reasons for this, the first is so that you don’t infringe on anyone’s registered trademarks.
Trademark owners can legally attempt to sue domain name owners if they think the domain name could in some way be confused with their trademark.
It’s not enough to legitimately own the domain name, if you infringe on someone’s trademark it can cause brand confusion which could be detrimental to the trademarked business and to yours.
The second reason is because the domain might have one been attached to a less than salubrious business which you don’t want your new website to be associated with
So, before you settle on a name, do a quick check online.
Don’t waste money on extra domain extensions
For most small businesses buying up extra domains to prevent others from using them isn’t really necessary unless you think a competitor might really want the .co TLD for example. Every domain you own costs you money. Investing in other extensions only really becomes important when patenting something or protecting a trademark.
