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With so much of your success reliant on the online world, you need to install the foundations of success from day one. These days a great domain name is online real estate. The domain name market is worth approximately $2 billion, which tells you all you need to know about how valuable owning a top level domain name is.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s a highly competitive market. You might find your first choices are already taken. There are 123.78 million \u2018.com\u2019 domain names<\/a>, so you need to get creative, whilst at the same time making sure that you don\u2019t compromise your branding.<\/p>\n So how can you secure a winning domain name?<\/p>\n When registering a domain name<\/a> you should consider making it brandable. That means it needs to be natural and should easily roll off the tongue. Nobody should have to think about spelling or grammar when typing in your website\u2019s domain name. We can sum this up with a simple list:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t use hyphens<\/strong> : You don\u2019t say a hyphen in speech so you shouldn\u2019t add it to your domain name.<\/p>\n It should be natural<\/strong> : Your domain name should be just like your company\u2019s name.<\/p>\n Make it simple<\/strong> : The power of simplicity can be found everywhere. You\u2019ll find that 64% of customers are willing to pay more<\/a> for simpler brand experiences. Similar trends have been found when it comes to brand disruption and in the psychology of brands.<\/p>\n Finally, don\u2019t attempt to use anything other than the name of your business when it comes to your domain name. It should resemble your brand name to prevent confusion among new customers.<\/p>\n Pronunciation is another important point. You might think that it doesn\u2019t matter because you type a domain name you don\u2019t speak it. But this couldn\u2019t be further than the truth. Think about how people remember things. They say them in their heads.<\/p>\n So, when someone is thinking about your company, they\u2019re going to assume that your domain name is simply your brand name. And for all the big companies you know that\u2019s the case.<\/p>\n If it isn\u2019t these potential customers aren\u2019t going to keep trying until they find your domain name. They\u2019re going to give up, so make your domain name easily pronounceable.<\/p>\n You already have your work cut out for you. Remembering names of people and brands is notoriously difficult, and this is backed up by science. In the book Current Directions in Psychological Science<\/a>, Danielle K. David and Lise Abrams note that, \u201cThe ability to learn and remember proper names, particularly people\u2019s names, is notoriously more difficult relative to other types of words.\u201d<\/p>\n The key to making a name memorable is to keep it short. But if it\u2019s too short then the sounds and imagery that comes up can be easily confused with something else. Too long and people won\u2019t remember it because the average person finds it tough to remember long sequences.<\/p>\n So how long should a name be? Try to make it between 10-15 characters. That\u2019s memorable through sounding it out. Any longer and you risk confusion<\/p>\n On a side note, don\u2019t abbreviate your name for any reason. People don\u2019t remember abbreviations. Take for example Smith\u2019s Cleaning. Their domain name should be smithscleaning.com not sclean.com.<\/p>\n Which of those two is more memorable?<\/p>\n When we mentioned that there are 123.78 million \u2018.com\u2019 domain names we didn\u2019t mention how much you can expect to pay for these top-level domain names. The latest stats indicate that it\u2019s common to spend $100,000 on one of these domain names.<\/p>\n Despite the evolution of domain suffixes like \u2018.agency\u2019 and \u2018.biz\u2019, the \u2018.com\u2019 type of domain name continues to reign supreme. If you can\u2019t get this domain name you should choose a different name. You should also look to pick up some variations of your domain name, such as the \u2018.net\u2019 domain type to stop copycats from trying to steal your customers.<\/p>\n But what if it\u2019s too hard to find a \u2018.com\u2019 domain name that works for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that it\u2019s trickier than ever to find that winning domain name. However, without securing the \u2018.com\u2019 variation you\u2019re shooting yourself in the foot. Understand that \u2018.com\u2019 is synonymous with websites. Even if people remember your brand name they\u2019re going to assume that \u2018.com\u2019 comes after it.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t let a competitor get your business.<\/p>\n Intellectual property is important. Infringing upon someone else\u2019s trademark, even accidentally, can destroy your company before it ever gets off the ground. Statistics from the European Union reveal that the UK and Germany had the highest number of trademark applications in Europe. And domestically that trend has continued. Keep in mind that ignorance of trademark infringement is no defence.<\/p>\n Before you register a domain name, you need to check to make sure you\u2019re not infringing. And that includes coming too close to someone else\u2019s trademark. Thankfully, that doesn\u2019t have to be costly or difficult.<\/p>\n The website of the UK Government allows you to search for a trademark via their vast database. Keywords, phrases, and images can be used to browse the database.<\/p>\n Add in your proposed domain name and see if anything comes up. You\u2019ll soon know whether you need to go back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n But will anyone really notice?<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a common response when people initially hear about trademark infringement. As a small business, the chances are nobody is going to notice. However, think about what happens if you gain any success. In most cases, you\u2019ll be issued an order that forces you to change your business\u2019s name and anything else that infringed upon the trademark.<\/p>\n In a worst-case scenario, you may be taken to court and sued for any profits you gained as a direct result of that trademark infringement. That can cripple your company and destroy your branding. Many businesses find it impossible to recover from that.<\/p>\n Have you ever had to explain the name of your business? Do you need to inform people about what you do?<\/p>\n That\u2019s a sign that your domain name isn\u2019t doing its job. Your domain name should tell someone exactly what you do. And, to an extent, this goes all the way back to your company\u2019s name. People should know from the first second what you do.<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s say that you\u2019ve just opened a computer repair shop and you want to take it online. A good domain name would be abccomputerrepairs.com.<\/p>\n You may decide that you don\u2019t want so many double letters in there, but this is a domain name that just works.<\/p>\n Should you ever just use a single brand name without explanation?<\/strong><\/p>\n That depends on how you brand your company. Sometimes this can work and sometimes it doesn\u2019t. Sometimes combining your brand name with what your company does can make your domain name too long. You must make an informed decision based on your own company.<\/p>\nMake it Brandable<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Can You Pronounce It?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Make it Short (just not too short)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Always Use .com Domain Names<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Make Sure It Doesn\u2019t Violate UK Trademarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Make it Instantly Intuitive<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Use Keywords Sensibly<\/strong><\/h2>\n