1. Make your domain name memorable
Strive for domain names that are short, easy to remember, easy to type, and easy to say. This is valuable for word-of-mouth advertising because those visitors will need to visit your domain directly, but it also matters for processing fluency. An implicit cognitive bias, processing fluency is the concept that we remember and have more positive associations with things that we can easily say and easily think about, and that includes pronounceability in our own minds. So, stay away from domain names that include numbers or other non-standard characters, use unusual spelling, or are longer than about 15 characters or so.
2. The Best TLD Is .Com
Despite hundreds of new Top Level Domain extensions hitting the market in recent years, .com still reigns supreme for overall brand recognition and search traffic. In fact, only six of the top 50 domains use a non-dot-com — like .org and .net — and only Twitch.tv uses a new TLD! That’s not to say your business is doomed to fail if you go with a less-traditional domain extension. Just plan on increasing your marketing spend if you go with something like .hiphop, .kitchen, or .studio.
3. Think About Keywords and Localization
If you’re a local business, trying to get your services seen by the community using regional or descriptive keywords is a solid plan. While many local business owners may have already taken advantage of this method in your area, you can look into variations of the keyword groupings to find a suitable match that still works in your favor — MumbaiLaptopRepair.com versus LaptoprepairMumbai.com, for example.
4. Keep It Short and Sweet
With our attention spans shrinking, people these days can’t be bothered to think — or type — too long. Keep your domain name simple. Even though your idea may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, if it has more than three syllables, you should tighten it down.
5. Avoid trademark infringement
You have to be careful because it’s not whether you think your domain name could be confused. It’s whether you think a judge in a jurisdiction, where a company might take legal action against you, would consider your domain name confusable. This can also create brand confusion, which is hard for your brandability.
You should talk to a legal professional if you have real concerns. Trademark owners can attempt to sue a domain name owner, who’s owning the domain legitimately and using it for business purposes, and that sucks.
6. Avoid Anything That’s Not a Letter
Adding numbers or hyphens to your domain name is like having to tell someone your email address. Mistakes will inevitably be made, and it usually ends with you having to write it down. But even when you’re able to get your domain without the hyphens, savvy domainers often buy the hyphenated variations of their primary domain as well — in case competition comes knocking.
7. Make it intuitive
A good domain name gives people a strong idea of what a website will be about. Being able to look at a domain name and say, “Oh, they probably do this. This is probably what that company is up to” is a big win.
PastaPerfected.com, for example, is pretty obvious, intuitively about pasta, and anyone could figure that out.
