Menu Close

How to optimize your domain name

When you are starting a website, you need to think about the domain name that you will use. SEO strategists believe that the right domain name will help your site rank highly on search engines. You need to optimize your domain name for your users.  Choosing the correct domain name can be quite frustrating, you may have the feeling g that all the good names has already been taken.  However, a little creativity will go a long way in choosing your domain name. Search engine optimization is necessary for any business. SEO will help the website rank highly in search engines.  It is essential to have your website please not only the audience but search engines as well.  Using SEO will help you to be profitable.  The domain name and the URL are the two main parts in any website.  It is necessary to optimize them.

When you have a new website one of the crucial factors to consider is having a domain name. The domain name will make your website known to the whole online audience.  There are a few things that you need to do when it comes to optimizing your site. Most people do not put in much though in domain names. However, they are very important when it comes to search engine optimization search engines use the domain name when ranking websites.

Simply put the domain name is crucial for any business.  It also has an impact on how people view your site.  Therefore, you not only need to make the right choice but also look for one that is SEO friendly. The domain name is the URL to your company website.  There will never be two similar domain names.  Therefore, it is vital to get the one that is appropriate for your company.  The part that is tricky is when you have to choose a domain name that is appropriate for both search engines and human beings.

Optimizing domain name for people

There certain things that you need to do when it comes to optimizing your domain name for people. You should look for something that they can type with a lot of ease.

Make it memorable

Any domain name that is easy to remember will have a lasting impact on the audience.  An easy domain name will make your site readable thus increasing the traffic.  People will also visit a domain name that they can remember.   A memorable domain name will also improve your search engine ranking.  Make sure that the domain name is not more than fifteen words.  In doing so, it will be easier for people to remember your domain name.  It also reduces the chances of users typing the wrong name when trying to go to your site.  You need to avoid hyphen if you need your domain name to be memorable.  You can be creative and look for catchy words that can relate to your website. You may be tempted to add “your, or my” at the beginning of your domain name. By doing so, you will look unprofessional. Only go for a domain that will not give users a hard time when they want to visit your site.

Branding

The domain name should be based on your brand. Such a domain name will make it easy for users to find your site. The best time to choose your domain name is when you are choosing the business name. Having a strong online brand will allow users to read, click, share and even link to your website. The number of people who will remember your brand will increase. Thus they will keep coming back to your website. In the en d, your site will be ranking highly in the search engines. You will get the best result when you use your brand name as your domain when the brand is recognized; it is a unique brand, it is your own name and when there is brand awareness and brand promotion. You can use your brand name as your domain name to increase traffic to your site.

Keep it short

People have a lot of things to do thus you need to make sure that your domain name is short. It should not be something long.  No one will remember a long domain name when your competitor has a short one. Thus, you have to tailor make it to suit your audience. They should not spend hours trying to remember your domain name. The domain name should not be too short. If it is too short, it can be hard for users to remember.  For instance, a domain name of pastasci.com rather than pastascience.com will not be easy to pronounce. You need to have a balance.  Look for something short but avoid removing all the words.  There are also people who use abbreviations just to keep their domain name short. It will only work in case the company name is a brand that is known by those initial or abbreviations. It should be a description of what your company offers. For instance, you can tell us “usedcars.com.” It is not only short, but it tells users of what they will get once they come to your site. Avoid the temptation of using lengthy domain names since it will affect your business in the long run.

Optimizing domain name for search engines

Do not use hyphens

You must, by all means, try and avoid the hyphen. Google can consider the hyphen to be spam. Also, many users will not remember to put the hyphens, and thus the number of traffic to your site will reduce.  It will not be easy to tell people about your domain name if it contains a hyphen or numbers. Do not give both you and your users a hard time when searching for the URL.

Keywords

When you start the domain name search, you need to have at least five phrases at the back of your mind.  The names should best describe what you are looking for in a domain name.  You can then pair this phrase to come up with a suitable one for your site. The keywords will guide you in choosing the right domain name.  Make sure that you avoid keyword stuffing because Google will penalize you for it. When you use relevant keywords on your domain name, it will increase your chances of being ranked highly in the search engines.   Having some of the keywords on your domain name will be of great help.  Make sure that you do not have the exact phrases.  By doing so, you will be hurting your brand. Only use keywords that represent your business activities.

Use top-level domains

The extension may be ignored as being insignificant, but it matters a lot when choosing a domain name.  When it comes to choosing the domain extension, you do not want to go with something that is unique because it will only make it hard for your site to be found with search engines.   Top level domains are the ones that end in .org or .com. you should not use domain names that end in .game or .movie. and .biz. You should avoid that at all cost.  The .com extension is the best choice when it comes to the top level domain name.  It is not only the standard, but most users assume that a reputable company should have a domain name ending in .com.

The .com extension is also easier to remember. Imagine someone trying to type your domain name, and they forget the extension. They will end up on another site altogether. You will lose a lot of potential customers in the long run.  There are three-quarters of the websites that use the .com extension. So, you do not have any reason not to use it for your domain name. In case you are not in a position to get the .com extension, you can opt for something close enough like .net or.org.  You can hold onto these for a short while as you plan to get the .com extension in future.  If you do not plan to do your business outside your country, then you can use the country extensions.  If the company will be solely based in your country, then it is allowed to use the country specific extensions.

Most users believe that companies that use .com are genuine and credible. Using the wrong domain could lead to low ranking for your website.  People will have second thoughts about clicking on any website with extensions like.biz. Therefore, make sure that you choose the top level domain names to increase traffic to your site.

Make it Unique

You do not want your site to be confused with another one. Such confusion will lead all your target audience to the other website.  The traffic will be going to the wrong domain name. The domain name you use should be distinctive. It must not be confused with that of another brand.   In case your domain name infringes on another domain name’s trademark, then you may be sued. You will have to give up the domain name in the end. Make sure that you check whether the domain name violates the trademarks or not. Make sure your domain name stands out and not to be used by another company for using their domain name.  If people can consider your domain name to be for another company, then search engines will also get confused, and you will not increase the rankings as you want. You just have to be creative and create a unique domain name.

It should be intuitive

Choose a domain name that will give users an idea of what your business is all about.

The only way you can get a lot of traffic on your site is by optimizing the domain name. Powerhoster has all that you need to host your site.  You will get affordable domain hosting no matter the extension. Once you have chosen your domain name, you need to know which company you will use to host it choosing the right company is crucial since it will increase your chances of being ranked highly. A reputable company like powerhoster will not disappoint you, and your visitors will get the best experience when loading to your site.  You will only need to pay $8.99 per year, and your website will be visible to the online world. Make the right choice for the web hosting company and increase your chances of your website being side by the millions of people who are online.

Choosing a domain name that is SEO friendly does not have to be difficult. You just have to make sure that you use a simple domain name that users can remember. You have to think if you would click on the domain. Also, make sure that you optimize your domain so that it suits your users and not only the search engines.