Choosing the domain name for your website is one of the most important decisions you’ll make regarding your online presence. This one crucial decision will most likely last as long as your business does as changing domain names can be a difficult process that can damage your brand and your search rankings.

When setting out on your digital marketing journey to go from zero to hero in the SEO landscape, you need an all-encompassing strategy to ensure you don’t miss a trick. That’s why partnering with a proven digital marketing agency can be so beneficial. But, starting with the basics, a domain name is one of the earliest and basic marketing decisions you will make.

To assist you in choosing the right domain name for your company, we’re on hand to provide the best tips to getting it right.

Top tip #1 – Keep your domain name short and sweet

Less is more in this case. It’s more important to keep things snappy than fitting in every detail of your business. Brand name is more important than trying to explain what your company does in a succinct URL. Keeping your domain name under 15 characters is ideal. Remember users have to type it out, and long URLs can be a chore.

Top tip #4 – Avoid double letters

Where possible, avoid domain names with double letters and words ending/starting with the same letter. An example would be classshopping.com – a real recipe for disaster. URLs are a precise science, one typo and users won’t find your site. Double letters act to increase the chances of that which equals lost traffic for you.

Top tip #2 – Use keywords in your domain name

The importance of this is that using keywords in your domain tell search engines what your website is about. An example would be kiwigarage.co.nz. This will play a part in improving your Google ranking, but beware, it can be difficult to find a good domain with your target keyword.

Top tip #3 – .com vs .co.nz

If your business could one day be international, we recommend going with .com which is the most recognisable domain name extension. Many users will add this extension without even thinking. If your business is only ever going to be domestic here in New Zealand, co.nz could tell users you’re a homegrown, local company. But this will largely refrain you from reaching an international audience.

Top tip #5 – Research trademarks

Domain names are unique, but you wouldn’t want anything too similar to another business. A similar name would cause confusion and could result in legal implications down the line. Trademarking and copyrighting your website name and logo is worth exploring.

Most web hosting companies, such as GoDaddy, offer domain registration as part of their service. If you just want to purchase a domain name, you can go to Domain.com to do this. Alternatively, an expert digital agency can take care of this for you to save you the headache of doing it yourself. But with our top 5 tips, you should be a click away from choosing the right domain name for you.