Domain Name
Think about what your customers search for
Get the right name
Whether you’re setting up a new business website or email address or starting a personal project, your domain name is a big part of your brand, and you’ll build your online identity around it. With a new .UK domain name being registered every five seconds, demand is high. The sooner you register your domain, the more chance you stand of getting your first choice.
Choose a name that describes your business
Choose a memorable name
Made up names
Use the correct extension (.co.uk / .com etc)
Choose a name that describes your business
Your website or email address is all about making a great first impression, and that starts with your domain name. Your domain name needs to ‘do what it says on the tin’, as the saying goes, and it needs to be unique to you.
For example, if your website is going to act as your personal CV or portfolio, your own name would make an appropriate domain name, because the website is all about you. If you’re starting a blog, your domain could be themed around what you’re blogging about – lifeinlondon.uk, for example.
If you’re choosing a domain for your business, it’s important to ensure that it closely matches your business name. This is because people will often guess a domain name based on the name of your business.
Not only that, but having different domain and business names could be confusing; in a list of search results and in emails, it may not be obvious which business is yours if your domain name doesn’t match your business name.
A notable example of a business that doesn’t match its brand name to its domain is B&Q, which uses DIY.com to reflect its position as the go-to place for DIY supplies. Importantly, however, they have also secured bandq.com and bandq.co.uk, which both redirect to DIY.com, so if anyone guesses the domain name they will still reach the right place.
marketing
dentist
gardener
accountant
pet shop
writer
blogger
trainer
gym
Choose a memorable name
When you’re choosing your new domain name, it’s worth bearing in mind that search engines like Google aren’t the only way for people to find your website.
You might mention your website to someone so that they can look it up later, for example, and it might be printed on your business cards or leaflets. Either way, they’ll have to type the website address into their browser for themselves, and they might also want to tell their friends about it.
That means your domain name needs to be easy to remember, easy to say and easy to type. In other words, the shorter and simpler, the better.
To keep your domain name simple, it’s best to avoid:
- Numbers – these cause confusion because, when spoken, it’s not clear whether a number should be spelled out or in numerical form
- Long words, or words that are difficult to spell
- More than two or three words
- Hyphens
The exception to the rule on hyphens is that if you have your heart set on a particular domain name but it isn’t available, you might find that a hyphenated version is available.
For example, onlineright.co.uk might be taken, but online-right.co.uk might be available. However, “online hyphen right dot co dot uk” is more cumbersome to say than the non-hyphen version, so try to avoid them if you can.
Non-Mobile Friendly
The other adverse effect of choosing a domain name with a hyphen in the name is for mobile users. Depending on the mobile device you are using, the hyphen key may not appear on the initial keyboard so you have to click the symbol button, then search for the hyphen button, then back to the alphabet button to continue typing in the name.
You start typing the URL on the alpha keyboard
As there is no hyphen, you have to hit the symbol key to show you special characters
You can now see the hyphen, so you can enter it into the url
To continue typing the url you need to get back to the alpha keyboard by hitting the ABC button
Quick memorability checklist
Easy to say?
Does your chosen domain name it trip off the tongue?
Easy to read?
Is it easy to pronounce your domain name?
If it’s several words joined together, is it clear where one word ends and the other begins?
Easy to spell?
Would you need to spell out the letters if someone was noting down your domain name, or is it obvious?
Are there any commonly
misspelled or mistyped words, or words that are otherwise difficult for people to spell?
Does it make sense?
Would you need to explain the name, or is it clear why you’ve chosen it?
Made up names
With shorter domains in short supply, some companies are choosing to invent new words that serve as their business name as well as giving them a succinct and memorable domain name.
In fact, domain name availability has become a key consideration in naming a new business. Shpock.com is a recent example, as is Moonpig.
As Dragons’ Den star Nick Jenkins, founder of Moonpig, explains in this extract,
What I was looking for was a name that had to be as few syllables as possible, it had to be unique on Google, it had to be phonetic, easily represented by a graphic logo and it had to be available as a domain name. I spent four days searching for a word that was unique on Google and that was available as a domain name] that I could use for this and I couldn’t find anything. I was throwing all sorts of things into it.
As Moonpig shows, as well as giving you a better chance of your first choice domain name being available, making up words helps you stand out from the crowd and build your own unique identity.
The only potential issue with it is that, as we mentioned above, it’s important to ensure it’s intuitive to spell and pronounce. Moonpig has the advantage of being a joining of two simple words, but Shpock is a bit harder to spell.
Famous made up names
moonpig
shpock
eBay
amazon
Choose the right domain extension
The domain name itself isn’t your only consideration when you’re choosing a domain; you’ll also need to decide what extension to use.
The bit that comes after the full stop in your domain name is called a ‘Top-Level Domain’, and there’s a seemingly bewildering array to choose from. The domain you choose may have an impact on how your website is perceived; for example, .org.uk looks trustworthy because it’s used by official charities and non-profit organisations, while .biz or .net come across as less professional and have been associated with low-quality spam sites.
If you’re a UK-based business with UK customers, it’s best to choose a domain ending in .uk, as this is a trustworthy domain that shows visitors where you’re from. Google UK also gives more prominence to UK domains, so your website could potentially rank higher than a similar one with a .com domain, resulting in more traffic to your website and therefore more business.
If you’re in Wales, another option is a .wales or .cymru domain, which shows you’re Welsh and proud.
You have four options for .uk domains. The traditional one is .co.uk, which has the authority of being a firmly established Top-Level Domain. For charities and non-profits, .org.uk fits the bill perfectly.
More recently, the shorter .uk has provided a snappier, more up-to-date alternative to .co.uk, while .me.uk is ideal for building your own personal brand online, such as through a blog or portfolio site.
.co.uk
.com
.org
.net
.biz
.info
.co
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