How To Choose a Quality Domain For Your Website?

The number of websites on the Internet is increasing day by day, and each future website owner who wants to create a profitable website has to choose the domain. A domain is not only part of the website’s web address (URL typically consists of protocol, domain name, and path); it is also a brand name and a digital fingerprint. 

The process of choosing a high-quality website domain is multi-staged and connected not only with its name, which is essential for quick search and promotion but also with its location and SEO characteristic – domain age. But a domain has an age only if somebody previously owned it. All search engines analyze the domain level and its name. A domain name is a marketing tool and a tool to communicate with your customers.

So, below you will be explained how to choose a quality website domain depending on your business type and customers’ preferences.

1. How to choose a domain name?

A domain is a unique name for the website, internet shop, or web platform used to identify the resource on the Internet. During domain registration, the domain receives a name with up to 63 characters; the minimum name is one character. The Domain Name System (DNS) converts the simple domain name into an IP address used by computers in the network. You need to register your domain with a hosting provider or a domain register to receive a proper Internet address. If you want to create a new domain name, you need to register it properly in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Name and Numbers (ICANN) to prevent somebody from taking it. All domains should be registered for free or for money.

The domain name has four levels – root, top, second, and third (or subdomain). For the creation domain name, you may use different levels. Mainly, the root level is not reflected. The top-level (TLD) is for indication of geolocation or type of business and is a mandatory part. The subdomain names (third level) typically are used for a specific portion of the website (“microsite”); they look like a prefix to the leading domain name (the second level domain).

Another typical part is the second-level domain (SLD); if you register a new domain, you put your business’s name here. Again, there are some tips on what to avoid in a high-quality domain name: numbers are dashes, funny spellings or words that can be spelled differently, misspellings, brand names, and trademarks already occupied. But if you include keywords in the domain’s name, it will boost your SEO ranking as it is easier to find you. Also, you can include abbreviations, your brand name, or some short names connected to your business.

2. How to choose a domain location?

There are several options for top-level domains. The most popular are national domain names (“.us” – for the USA, “.de” – for Germany), commercial names (“.com”), a name for digital and IT companies (“.net”), and a name for non-commercial organizations (“.org”). You can also meet on the Internet brand domains (“.google” or “.apple”) that belong to the Company or brand. The top-level domain extension helps visitors to understand the type of business this website belongs to; it is a mistake to confuse them and call the domain differently to the domain purpose. Also, the top-level domain names tell how much it costs – “.com” domains cost about $10/year. Most businesses register their domains as “.com,” and this extension occupies 158.6 million domain names already. While the total amount of domains by the end of 2021 was more than 360 million.

If you want to do business only inside one country, it is better to choose the national top-level name; for international companies – it should be the international domain. Not all domains are available, “.com” domains are difficult to find as most have already been registered. You can also use your own TLD, but check your targeted auditory to see if they can remember it. ICANN should approve all new TLDs. New TLDs are much more expensive than traditional ones.

3. How to check a domain age?

Before domain registration in particular companies, you need to check that this domain is available (not occupied by another company). Numerous Internet resources provide this service. If the domain name is free, you can register it. But if it is occupied, you can check if it is possible to buy it. If the domain was correctly registered, you could find its creation date and the contacts of the registrars. Many domain names are parked on cheap host servers until a better time, so it makes sense to contact the owner.

The domain age is an essential aspect of online business. The domain age is one of the factors of website rankings that many webmasters overlook. The age is not connected to how long somebody uses the website but how long search engines are indexing this website. 

In general, for six months or so, new websites are usually not ranked by Google (one of the search engines). So, if you buy a website that was previously ranked quite well by Google with a name connected to your type of business, you will receive some additional points for SEO. For example, the domain age can be easily checked with Domain Age Checker. Additionally, a registered domain for a couple of years adds credibility and legitimacy to the business; the Customers trust more for the business with history.

Conclusion

To summarize, a quality domain name should be catching and easy to remember and find by Clients. It should be simple, short (fewer characters is better than more), and includes targeted keywords and brand name. Do not try to create a perfect name; good is enough. You can also buy an existing or expired domain if the name fits your business concept. 

The existing domain helps start not from scratch and attract new Clients faster; it can also be used for blacklining or redirecting your new website. You also can change the extension (TLD), but it will cost some money.

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