[Tweet “If you’re a small business trying to make your mark on the Internet, it’s important that you choose your domain name well.”]After all, it is one of the factors that Google considers to determine if your site is relevant to what a particular user is searching for. If you want to create brand awareness and at the same time, ensure that your site complies with Google’s search requirements, you should use a domain name that will best represent your brand online.
Rand Fishkin of Moz.com shares some tips on how to create domain names that are not only Google-friendly, but customer-friendly as well. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1. Make it “brandable”
With tough online competition these days, you’d certainly want to stand out so it will be much easier for your prospects to notice you. You can do this by making your domain name brandable and memorable. As such, you should avoid using generic keyword strings. According to Fishkin, generic keyword strings are hard to remember because they don’t stand out in the human brain. Also, they tend not to do so well. In fact, studies have shown that for the past 10 years, domain names composed of generic keywords often have low rankings and poor ability to show in search results.
2. Ensure that it is easy to pronounce
While people would just type your domain name into their Internet browsers or just click on a link, Fishkin said it is still important that your domain name is pronounceable. It is because of the concept called “processing fluency.” According to this concept, humans better remember and have more positive associations with things that they can easily say and think about. This means that if you’re going to choose a domain name that is unique, but hard to pronounce, you might end up losing potential customers.
3. Keep it short
When it comes to domain names, length matters. The fewer characters your domain name has, the easier it is to type, say, and share. However, never make the mistake of making it too short. Fishkin explained that if you make the domain name too short, it might lose its pronounceability and a bit of its brandability.
4. Use .com
Although there are many TLD extension options available today, it is still wise to stick to .com. For starters, it is the most recognised TLD extension in the world. Even if a potential customer is not tech-savvy, he or she can still easily recognise and remember it. Second, .com is the most easily accessible brand outside the tech world, said Fishkin.
https://moz.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-domain-name-whiteboard-friday
