Choosing the right domain name for your website is crucial for your success. If you choose the wrong domain name, then it can be a hassle switch later on without hurting your brand and search rankings. That’s why it’s extremely important that you choose the best domain name from the start. In this article, we’ll share all the tools and tips you need to get domain name ideas, choose the best domain name, and register your new domain (for free*).
8 Tips for Choosing the Best Domain Name
When starting a blog, choosing a domain name can be stressful because you don’t want to make a mistake. To make the process easier, we have a 8 step framework that you can use to pick the best domain for your website.
1. Stick with .com
There are plenty of new domain name extensions available today, from the original .com, .net and .org to niche extensions like .pizza, .photography, and even .blog.
We always recommend choosing a .com domain. While it can be tempting to come up with clever blog names using new extensions, a .com domain is still the most established and credible domain extension. Newer domain extensions like .ninja or .photography can be untrustworthy.
Dot-com domains are also the most memorable. Many users, especially those who aren’t as tech-savvy, will automatically type “.com” on the end of every domain without thinking about it.
If your website is something like jane.photography, and your users accidentally type in jane.photography.com, they will end up on an error page on photography.com. It’s smart to avoid that risk by sticking with .com.
Not to mention, most smart phone keyboards automatically have a .com button.
2. Use keywords
Keywords play an important role in a domain. By using keywords in your domain name, you tell the search engines what your website is about. Together with quality content and good user experience, keywords in your domain can help you rank higher in Google.
It is very hard to find a good domain with your target keywords that’s not already taken. You will need to be creative and combine your keywords with other words to make your domain stand out.
3. Keep it short
While keywords are important, don’t go overboard with domain length. It’s better to have a domain name that’s short and memorable.
It’s a good idea to keep your domain name under 15 characters. Longer domains are harder for your users to remember.
Not to mention, users will also be more prone to entering typos with longer domain names, and you’ll lose out on that traffic.
That’s why it’s a good idea to keep your domain length short.
4. Make it easy to pronounce and spell
You should be able to easily share your domain when speaking as well as writing. You never know when you’ll be asked to share your domain name in person.
It should be easy to understand and spell for any listener.
5. Keep it unique and brandable
Your blog domain name must be unique, so you’ll stand out in your readers’ minds. It’s smart to research other blogs in your niche and find out what domain names they’re using.
You don’t want to accidentally use a trademarked name, or get accused of copying another blogger.
You can also choose to pick a domain name that’s more brandable. Brandable domain names are unique, catchy, and memorable. For example, “Amazon.com” is a much more brandable name than “BuyBooksOnline.com.”
6. Avoid hyphens
Never create a domain name with hyphens. Hyphens can be a sign of spam domains, which you do not want to be associated with. You don’t want to give the wrong impression to potential visitors.
Hyphenated domains are also prone to typos. If you choose a domain name with hyphens because the domain you want is already taken, your users will end up at your competitor’s site if they forget to type in the hyphens.
7. Avoid doubled letters
It’s a good idea to avoid domains with doubled letters, because it increases your chances of losing traffic to typos. For example, a domain like WordPresssetup.com will be more prone to typos, and result in lost traffic.
8. Leave room to expand
It’s smart to choose a domain name that’s related to your niche because it gives users some idea of what your site is about. But you don’t want to limit your options too much.
For example, a florist might choose a domain name like orchidblog.com, but then want to start blogging about other flowers besides orchids. In that case, the domain might prevent you from attracting readers interested in other flowers.
Properly moving your WordPress site to a new domain can be a frustrating process, and it can cause you to lose search rankings and traffic if you don’t do it right.
That’s why it’s so important to keep these tips in mind, so you can choose the best domain name for your website.
Best Place to Register a Domain Name
There are hundreds of domain registrars on the web. It’s important to choose carefully, because it can be difficult to move your domain later on.
Just like with web hosting, pricing for domain registrations can vary anywhere from $9 to $24.
Here are a few places we recommend for domain registrations.
Free Domain Registration with Web Hosting
Majority of web hosting companies also offer domain registration. Some of those companies offer free domain registration with new hosting accounts.
If you’re starting a new blog or website, then it’s a smart idea to take advantage of this offer and get your domain name for free.
Below are three WordPress hosting companies that are offering our users over 60% off web hosting and a free domain name:
Bluehost – one of the oldest and largest brand name when it comes to web hosting. They’re an official “WordPress” recommended hosting provider.
SiteGround – one of the most popular and highest rated hosting provider in the industry. They’re also an official “WordPress” recommended hosting provider.
iPage – powers over 1 million websites and is the most budget-friendly web hosting provider on the web. $1.99 / month for web hosting and you get a free domain name.
It’s important to keep in mind that most hosts offer free domain registrations for 1 year only. After the first year, your domain registration will renew at usually around $14 per year.
A lot of users take advantage of the free domain for the first year and then transfer it to a cheaper domain registrar to save a few bucks.
Most Popular Domain Registrars
GoDaddy is the largest domain registrar in the world. They manage over 63 million domain names for over 14 million customers.
They also offer web hosting plans as well. If you use our GoDaddy coupon code, then you can get a free domain name.
NameCheap – another popular domain registrar that offers great deals on domain registrars, transfers, and domain privacy.
Final Thoughts
If you are starting a blog for the first time, then you may find our ultimate guide on how to start a WordPress blog helpful because it walks you through everything step by step.
You may also want to check out our WordPress and Blogging Coupons page to find the best deal on your new domain and other web tools / services.
For more domain name ideas, you can see our post on the 14 best free domain name generators.
That’s all. We hope this article helped you understand how to choose a perfect domain name for your blog or business.
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Very informative site thank you.
Question: Does it matter if the main subject word is not at the beginning of the
domain name.
It’s really useful for beginners like me. Thank you very much for your support
Thanks a lot this article give me the best idea to select the Best Domain Name.
This article is very helpful. Thank You. Now I understand how to pick a domain name. But, unfortunately, every short two-word domain name in a .com I have thought of for my niche is already taken. And the ones I thought of that are available I don’t like. I will keep racking my brain until I figure it out!
if my name.com has gone is using .blog, .site or .online a good alternative? Like to know how and if they would rank well
Is a .net domain equally as detrimental to SEO? The .com sites are very limited. Some registrars will provide suggestions when the chosen name is already taken. What then? Hyphens, underscores, and symbols are suggested as options.
Very interesting for beginners.
So, wpbeginner.com was made based on its niche right, which is WordPress. SO if this website posts about Blogger then it will be untrusted by the readers. That’s what you mean?
What about using figures in the email addrerss , f.ex twoexample, or 2example?
Hey Lieven,
You will have to inform users whether it has digits or alphabate. Like whether its two or 2 in your domain name.
Thank you WPBeginner editorial staff for this nice little guide. After reading this, I can safely direct my blog readers to this page for further guidance on domain name selection.
Thanks to your recommendation for Siteground (I made sure I used your link), I just finished moving my blog to their cloud hosting. I’m so glad I’m now with them.
I also got my free domain name and I’m happy I followed most of your tips here. It was actually very difficult to find a short but brandable domain name with keywords.
By the way, for those thinking of getting a free domain with Siteground, you should specify a new domain during initial signup. My mistake was I specified my existing blog during signup and I could no longer find a way to get the free domain.
I then contacted support and they made an exception and registered a new domain for me anyway… nice!
By the way, is the domain name in Siteground free for life as long as you stay with them, or only for a year?
Hi Jay,
The domain is free as long as you host your site with SiteGround. However, if you decide to move your site to a different host in the future, then you can transfer your domain registration.
Hello Sir Very Helpful Post,
Does having a free domain with .tk extension matter inSEO Rankings ??
Most likely it will badly affect your SEO.