Do you wonder how to choose a good domain name for your blog or business website? You’re in the right place!

You don’t need to worry about that. In this detailed article, I will tell you how to choose a good domain name for your blog or website?

The Big Question Is That: Does a good domain name impact your business?

The Answer Is: Yes!

A domain name is just as important as your business, and it is the online identity name of your brand or business.

That’s why your domain name should be yours. Always choose a domain name that is recognizable, easy to remember, and a great representation of you and your brand.

Examples of great domain names are Google.com, Amazon.com, Coursera.org, and Vox.com.

Choosing a domain name is not easy when you don’t know how to choose the best domain name for your first startup. Choosing the right domain name for your business idea is critical to success.

Often new business owners, bloggers, and website owners choose it in haste. After that, they realize that they have made the wrong choice.

If you choose the wrong domain name in haste, it can be troublesome to switch later without harming your brand and search rankings for your website.

Throughout this article, I will help you choose your first blog, website, or business domain name in simple steps, which are the most important ones to consider before choosing a domain name.

What is a Domain Name?

In simple words, a domain name is an address of your website that visitors type in the browser HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) bar to visit your website. It will be yours as long as you continue paying the annual fee ($10 – $15 for the .com domain).

Before creating a website, it is necessary to know what the domain name is? You must have seen on the Internet that every website has a Domain Name. It makes a distinct identity of the website on the Internet.

But what exactly is it?

We also know the domain name as the name of the website. By the way, each website technically runs on an IP address, but it is difficult to remember, so we use the domain name to make websites easily identifiable.

Computers use IP addresses to connect and open every website. It could be a series of numbers like this 192.168.1.1. It is used for various domain name extensions like .com, .net, .in, .org, .gov etc.

DNS (Domain Name System) or Domain Name is a system that creates the name of a website. Users who know your domain name can find the website by typing the domain name into their browser’s address bar.

Others will be able to find your blog or website through search engines such as Google and Bing.

Domain Name Structure

A domain name has a three-part structure. It begins with the machine or hostname (such as “www” to indicate the “World Wide Web”), followed by the website name, and finally the TLD (such as .com, .org, .in, or .gov).

Each part of the domain is separated by a dot, creating a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) such as www.wpsettingbox.com.

  • Prefix: An internet application protocol of your domain (HTTP: – standard, HTTPS: – secured).
  • Subdomain: The third level domain of your website name (some sites use “www” and some don’t).
  • Name: The second-level domain of the website, selected by the person registering the domain.
  • Extension: The top-level domain. Can be selected for the variety of available choices.

Why Your Domain Name Matters

Your domain name is a valuable part of your blog or website. Your domain name is the main element of your website. It’s not just your address on the World Wide Web. It does much more:

  • First Impression: Your domain name is the first thing your visitors will see first. A good domain name can make a good impression on your visitors, while a bad domain name can hurt rankings.
  • Branding: Your domain name strengthens your branding. A good domain name can enhance brand recognition.
  • It affects SEO: It can help your SEO ranking if you put keywords in your domain name.

How to Choose the Best Domain Name

You have decided to choose the best domain name for your blog or business website. So the next step is to choose a good domain name to launch your blog or business website online.

A lot of domain names are already taken or owned by someone. So the chances are few to get your desired domain name that you have in your mind.

In this case, you need to research more ideas to get the best domain name.

Choosing a domain name is one of the most valuable steps in starting a blog or business website. To simplify the process, I have a 14 step outline that you can use to choose the best domain for your blog or website.

  1. Choose the right domain name extension
  2. Make it brandable over generic
  3. Keep your domain name short
  4. Make it easy to type
  5. Make it easy to pronounce and spell
  6. Avoid hyphens, numbers, and double letters
  7. Consider using a keyword that reflects your website
  8. Target your geographic area
  9. Research your domain name
  10. Check on social networks
  11. Avoid Trademark Infringement
  12. Use domain generator tools to get more ideas
  13. Try getting a free domain name with web hosting
  14. Register first, before anyone else does

Let’s look at these tips one by one in more detail.

1. Choose the Right Domain Name Extensions (.com, .net, .org)

Why choose .com? When new domain name extensions like .com, .net, .org and niche extensions like .blog, .club, .news, .photography, and more are available today.

The .com domain extension is still popular and reliable. Most of the major brands use .com domain name extensions. Most users are accustomed to typing this at the end of every domain name.

According to research, 52% of all domain names have a .com extension. In my opinion, .com is the best option to start a business, blog, or website.

Before choosing your domain name extension make sure one thing that “.com” is still the best.

In my opinion, newer domain name extensions like .blog, .club, .life, and others can make your business appear less trustworthy. So always try to go with “.com” first if there is no availability, then you can choose .net or .org.

2. Make It Brandable Over Generic

Your domain name should be brandable and unique than generic.

Why choose a brandable domain name? A brandable domain name is unique and memorable and stands out from the competition. While a generic domain name usually comes up with some keywords.

Look how, do you know the differences between bluehost.com, dreamhost.com, or a2hosting.com? Probably not, right?

These are similar and common domain names with keywords. They will increase the competition and make it even more of a mix. Think like top brands and websites and make your domain name brand-worthy and unique.

Here’s a quick way to find more brandable domain names:

  • Think new words: Choose your domain names like top brands (Google, Bing, and Yahoo).
  • Use existing words: Try to add interesting words in your domain name that’s fit your brand.
  • Use domain name generator tools: Domain name generator tools help you to find more brandable domain names.

3. Keep Your Domain Name Short

It is always better to choose a shorter domain name. Before choosing your domain name, make sure it should be only 10 to 15 characters in length.

I suggest you aim for only 6 to 10 characters and remember that shorter is better. This site wpsettingbox.com is exactly 12 characters.

4. Make Sure It’s Easy to Type

Easy to type domain names are always memorable. Think like big brands like Google, Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook, and BBC.

They have one thing in common they are all easy to spell. People love and remember easy to type domain names.

5. Make Your Domain Name Easy to Pronounce and Spell

An easy-to-pronounce and well-spelled domain name can make your blog or website name memorable. It increases the chances of success.

That’s why you should choose a domain name that is easy to write and pronounce. Hard to pronounce domain names are not easy to remember and lose your visitors.

So keep that in mind before choosing any domain name.

6. Avoid Hyphens, Numbers, and Double Letters

Never choose a domain name with hyphens (-), double letters, and numbers. Hyphens and numbers make this more difficult.

Suppose Yahoo’s domain name had a hyphen like Ya-Hoo, it wouldn’t be easy for you to type and remember.

By the way, there is a hyphen between Ya and Hoo.

Hyphens, double letters, and numbers make your domain name difficult to type, remember, and pronounce. So choose wisely without hyphens, double letters, and numbers.

Keywords play a valuable role in the domain name. Keywords in the domain make your website more searchable in search engines like Google.

Using keywords in the domain name, you can target a specific area, category, or niche. It is hard to find a good domain with your target keywords not already taken.

8. Target Your Geographic Area

If you’re running a local business, consider including your city or state in your domain name to make it easier for local customers to find and remember.

Example: FloridaPetCare.com.

9. Research Your Domain Name

Before choosing a domain name, you need to research it.

Try that your domain name does not match with other domain names. Similar type names can confuse your visitors and cause traffic loss.

You can also do a Google search and check the availability of the name on top social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

10. Check on Social Networks

It is a good idea to check out the top social media sites before choosing a domain name for your blog or business website.

If the names already exist so try to find another one.

In this case, you can avoid infringement of copyrighted trademarked names of another brand or business.

11. Avoid Trademark Infringement

Before choosing a specific domain name, check its availability on social media sites.

If the domain name is already available in this case, stay away to take it to avoid infringement of copyright trademark names of another brand or business.

12. Use Domain Generator Tools to Get More Ideas

Domain name generator tools provide you with more help to find the best domain name for your blog or website. They are easy to use and less time-consuming.

13. Get Free Domain Name with Web Hosting

Many web hosting companies are offering domain registration as a service.

Some web hosting companies offer free domain name registration with a new hosting account.

If you are going to start a blog, then getting a domain name for free is a great idea. Typically, a domain name comes with a cost of $10 to $20 per year.

Let me suggest you two web hosting companies that are offering my users great discounts, free SSL, free CDN, and a free domain name:

GreenGeeks is a Faster, Secure, and Eco-friendly web hosting company. It is a well-known web hosting service provider that started its journey in 2008.

Bluehost is the oldest and largest web hosting service company. They are an official “WordPress” recommended hosting provider.

Most web hosts only offer free domain registration for one year. After the first year, your domain registration will renew, usually around $14 per year.

14. Register First, Before Anyone Else Does

A lot of domain names are registered every day. The chances of choosing a good domain name for your blog or website are less.

So act fast to register if you get a good available domain name.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article will help you to find the best domain name.

If you’re still not sure how to find a good domain name or facing any issues, you can comment below for help.

I would be more than happy to help you find a good domain name for your blog or business.

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3 thoughts on “How to Choose a Domain Name”

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this post! So many helpful tips!

    • I’m glad you found this helpful!

  2. I think this is very helpful for new bloggers!

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