9 Tips To Find The Perfect Domain Name For Your Website
Before I get to the tips let me say a few things.
First, domain names are very important to your success. Luckily, they’re still extremely cheap to buy so if you pick the wrong domain name early on it’s not going to become one of those budget-busting mistakes that can kill your business. Just pick another domain name and keep moving.
Secondly, the days of finding simple, short, and concise domain names are long gone but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find that perfect domain name that can help you make big bucks online as an internet marketer. So don’t get discouraged when you first jump in and find that all one-word domains and most two-word domains are already taken or for sale for thousands of dollars.
Nine Pro Tips To Choosing Winning Domain Names
1. Research which search terms and phrases people are using now in your market
Use Google Keyword Planner (which has replaced the Google Keyword Tool) or another service to determine what phrases and keywords people are searching for now to locate your niche products and services. Jot down 5-7 keywords and phrases that can help you determine your domain name.
2. Include niche keywords in your domain name
Search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) like keywords in the domain name to let searchers know at a glance what the site’s content is about. There is much debate about whether its better to have keywords at the beginning of the domain name instead of at the end (i.e dogtrainingexperts.com vs. bestdogtraining.com) but I have yet to see enough evidence to convince me either way. Just make sure they’re in there somewhere.
3. Choose a dot.com name
Dot.com is still the place to be. People automatically type in “whatever keyword they’re looking for”.com out of habit and only look elsewhere if they cannot find it there. It will take more work to find a good .com name but they’re still out there. More on this later.
4. Keep the name as short as possible
I know. That’s rich coming from a dude using the very, very short domain name highpayingaffiliateprograms.com right? There are exceptions. In my case, my domain name tells visitors exactly what they’ll find here. But as a general rule a shorter domain name is better. Which leads me to…
5. Narrow and specific is better than broad and general
Choose a name that narrows down your topic to your sub-niche if possible. For example, if you plan to sell affiliate products such as furniture targeting women buyers don’t choose a broad domain name such as bestfurnituredeals.com. Instead select something like furnitureforwomen.com. Lame example I know but I think you get the point.
6. Avoid hyphens or numbers in your domain
Not necessarily because they don’t rank well but because people have trouble including them when they’re looking for you. Make it as easy as possible for people to find you and your site.
7. Make it easy to spell
If your chosen niche is selling xylophones then I guess you’re shit out of luck. Other than that make sure people can spell it right the first time. When you tell someone what your domain name is they should be able to type it in right the very first time.
8. Be very careful not to violate copyrighted names or brands
Be very careful if you plan on using a brand name of an affiliate product or service. Most companies will not allow this and in fact can be illegal. When in doubt contact the company first and ask them if you can use it.
9. Buy expired domains: Buy expired domains where you can find amazing seasoned domain deals. Click here to learn how to find expired domains.
Additional Domain Name Tips
A. Try to secure yourname.com if you can. This is usually impossible for anyone with a common name like Smith or Jones but see what you can find. Yourname.com is a great place to tell people more about you or link out to your other domain names and social media sites.
If you own a business you’ll want to try to secure yourcompanyname.com as well. Like personal names this may not be possible but see what’s available. If you can’t get yourcompanyname.com at least try to find a domain that describes your area of business or niche.
B. Don’t be afraid to buy a domain name if one exists that is perfect for your website. You’re running a business so expect to have some expenses and you might have to drop a few bones on a great domain name if you can’t find one any other way.
C. Domain names do have an impact on SEO (search engine optimization). Keywords are still beneficial to SEO in your domain names since they have a positive effect on click-through-rates for searchers. Plus they help the search engines quickly identify what your site is about and they even help you by highlighting those keywords in the search results.
D. When you find the perfect .com domain name you might want to consider buying the other domain extensions related to it such as .net, .org, and .name, etc. This will keep others from buying them and creating confusion about which domain extension your site is located. Forward these other domain extensions to your primary .com site. So if someone types in yoursite.net it will forward to yoursite.com.
Many smart marketers even take it a step further and buy domains that others can use to spread negative information about their products or services. For example: yoursitesucks.com, yoursitescam.com, yournamesucks.com. In fact, I’ve even seen politicians do this to keep unscrupulous people from trolling them and spreading misinformation about them.
E. Lastly, don’t follow the latest domain name trends. Trends come and go and your goal should be to make your website relevant and timeless. One trendy example I can remember is when everyone was buying domains such as best insert-your-market-or-product-here.com sites. That trend worked well in the search engines for awhile until Google sniffed it out and put an end to it just like they will the next trend.
Follow the simple tips above and don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. In fact, one of the best strategies online is to do the exact opposite of what the herd is doing. This makes you stand out and you may find other people copying your strategy after a while. But that’s another topic for another day.
Are you ready to choose your first domain name and build your first website?
It’s free. Don’t be intimidated by getting started.
I’ll walk you through every step.
Your page just helped me buy two unique domain names! Thank you!
I’m so happy I found your website. The information you share here is incredibly helpful for a beginner like me. Thank you!
Thank you Erica. I really appreciate it! Bill
Can I create a domain name for free and in a free website maker. suppose i decided to create a name like “ndcclick.com” , should i buy it or simply go to a free website maker and make it using this name? Will I need a hosting after making the website free?
Free platforms are fine but eventually you’ll run into limitations on them. If you can, get your own hosting account and do it the right way from the start: https://www.highpayingaffiliateprograms.com/affiliate-website/
really nice article !!! these are very helpful tips while booking the domain names and domain extensions..,awesome information..
Thanks for these tips. I will buy new domain name today with your tips…Kudos
Thanks Joseph. Bill
I am spell bound to this markiting system. the Best product finally came in the approach of right needy people. I will promote this more as publisher. I have started click.cool.np to promote it.
Hi, must say i find your advice very much aligned to my own experiences of affiliate marketing, and there are lots of new things in here as well so well done and thanks for sharing your learnings. One question on this topic, you suggest elsewhere to go right into a niche at first, then expand back out, but here you suggest a domain name for your starting inner niche. If you follow this, when you expand out people will not realise from your domain name that you now offer more
Thanks Rob. Great point. You need to pick a domain name very carefully (which is getting more difficult these days) to make sure you don’t ‘pigeon-hole’ your business. Let me know if I can help. Sincerely – Bill
Why is your #1 recommended host, arvixe, getting all the negative feedback?
Rollie: I don’t know since I don’t recommend Arvixe. Sincerely – Bill
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Thank you. I haven’t had any probs yet because I use a very good premium blog theme from WooThemes. Try upgrading to a better quality theme and make sure it’s mobile-compatible since thats where everything is going. Sincerely – Bill
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Thank you for your kind words Cheryl. Please keep me posted on your progress and feel free to reach out to me any time you need help.
Sincerely – Bill
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thank you Stella.
sincerely – Bill