How to choose a domain name for your business

Imagine how many customers you would lose if your business had a strange address. For example, an address composed of words with complicated spelling, the format of which would be illogical and which would be dotted with numbers and random symbols in unexpected places.

Few would waste time finding your address. They would go to the next company on the list and forget you immediately. Missed opportunity.

This may be hard to believe, but it is a mistake many people make when creating a website. Understanding how to choose a domain name for your business can help you:

• Distinguish your brand from the competition- Attract new customers to your site- Prevent spammer poaching practices

If your domain is confusing or too generic, there is more risk that your customers will end up on the site of one of your competitors. Internet users do not want to spend hours searching for your business. It is therefore better to facilitate their task,

Follow these tips to choose a domain name that will energize your business.

1. Find the balance between branding and search engine optimization (SEO)Starting from an existing business name seems logical; however, it is difficult to get a perfect match nowadays. The number of domain registrations is growing by about 6.8 percent or 21 million annually, according to the VeriSign server and domain management company. It is important to create a strong brand name for two reasons.

Credibility: For years, domain names full of keywords were getting better positions in search results. Generic domain names such as BestPrinterLaser.fr or ImpressionTShirtsPasCher.fr had the highest number of visitors. However, many of these sites are unreliable and netizens have learned to turn away.Longevity: Thanks to Google's improved algorithms, SEO now goes after branding. SEO trends are changing steadily, which means that a keyword-based name that would be effective today could very well have come down significantly in the next year. Getting traffic to your website from quality sources is the best way to get good positions. In the long run, having a mark of trust is the greatest guarantee of your credibility online.

Keywords are not everything; however, try to include one when possible. Large companies have a huge budget to promote their brand choice and can therefore be more abstract. If you run a small business, you will attract more customers if your domain name describes your business. Beauty Bar is an excellent brand name. MakeupBeautyBar.com is however a better choice for your domain name. It tells your customers that you sell good makeup and not hair care products or fashion accessories.

2. Use a domain name search toolIf you are looking for both a company name and a domain name, narrow your list using a domain search. Enter the keywords or values??that describe your business for domain suggestions. Keep in mind that you do not have to restrict your choice of company name to the available urls. You can change one of the two names if necessary to define your brand optimally.

Imagine a company that sells pillows, and to a lesser extent, other bedding items. The names Dream Dreams and Beautiful Dreams Bedding are possibilities for the physical store. To make an impact online, the owner can use BedieBeauxReves.fr or PillowsBeauxReves.fr as a domain name. These two areas reflect both product and value: pillow making and customer satisfaction.

3. Add qualifiersAt present, a host of business owners are setting up their online store. That means that it is likely that 20 other people across the country will have a business of the same name as yours. In most cases, it is best not to change the name of your company when it is already experiencing great local success. It's a good idea to add simple words to increase your chances of getting your hands on an available url.

Another problem: the price, Too often, domain name accumulators buy attractive names and resell them at a high price. If you can not afford to shell out $ 2000 for the perfect name, using a slight variation of it will be cheaper. Consider the following commonly used modifiers:

Names: Include the type of product or solution you offer. "Savonnerie MillesParfums" can become "Soaps MilleParfums.fr" and "Cycling Pro Parts and Equipment" can become "ShopCyclismePro.com" or "BikesPro.fr"Verbs: Use a simple call to action. Tell the customer what you want them to do. The possibilities are endless, for example "VisitParis.fr or" MangezBio.fr ". However, use short words to prevent your domain name from being too long.Location: It can be embarrassing to indicate a specific place if you move. However, this can be useful if your business is part of a franchise or operates on multiple physical sites. RecreationPeachPACA and RecreationPeachBrittany tell customers which site is associated with each region.4. Opt for easy spellingIf you do your marketing well, your customers will hear about you in more than one place. Word of mouth is always the most effective type of promotion, so you need a domain name that is easy to share. Think about the domain name Del.icio.us. This company has a difficult to write url intuitively. It is probably best not to use this approach for your business because it would be difficult to find you on the web.

The other problem is competition. Have you ever searched for a specific website and found another company? If other companies have a name similar to yours but the spelling is more obvious, they may well collect visitors for you.

So, prefer existing words whenever you can, If you prefer names made up of invented words or spelling, choose a writing that is as phonetic as possible, in the tradition of Marketo, Microsoft or FedEx. Avoid numbers because we will not know whether to write them in full or not.

5. Avoid brand conflictsDo not assume that a domain can be used without risk just because it is available. Domain availability is not everything. You are responsible for ensuring that you do not infringe any trademark. Note that some trademark rights depend on the sector. For example, Apple has made its name a trademark for the computer industry, but nothing prevents to use this name in other sectors. The Office of the Union for Intellectual Property is a good starting point for your research.

To find usernames that are much suitable, you need to consider how you want to run your business. Invented names are perfect if you want to stand out. If you work solo, perhaps the easiest way is to use your own name. However, some names have a difficult spelling and will not make effective domain names. Before you buy a domain, look at the full name in lowercase letters. Glued one after the other, the words sometimes take on an unexpected meaning. Stay alert for these essential details.

Already have a well-established website? Do not be afraid to register a new domain. An effective name can boost your traffic and help your customers remember you the next time they need a specific product. To attract more customers, know how to choose a good domain name that works for you and not against you.