5 Tips for Creating the Best Domain Names for Online Business Entities

StrategyDriven Insights Audio

Whether you’re ecommerce, offer an online portal, or something else, you’re online. The best domain names for online business entities are the ones that are easy to spell, easy to say, and are truly memorable. Just as the domain name itself matters, so does the extension you use. These tips will make it easier for you to have a domain name that will help you succeed.

Look at What’s Successful

There are some companies that are killing it with the names of their businesses. They’re memorable, they’re easy to remember, and it shows they know how to be creative. By looking at some of the most successful names out there, you can be inspired.

Think about descriptive words that can be used to explain your online business. You may want to use SEO keywords. You may also want to combine two words to create a completely new meaning.

Keep it Simple

The last thing you want to do is make your business name so complicated that no one remembers it. Just because web browsers give you over 2,000 characters for a URL address doesn’t mean you should use them. Ideally, the character length should be less than 15. Anything over that and you risk people forgetting important details.

The best domain names for an online business are easy. They only contain one to three words, they’re easy to remember, and they can be spelled out phonetically.

Remember that while some people will reach your website organically, others will be typing it in after hearing about it on the radio, from a friend, or even seeing it on the side of your company vehicle. Make it easy for them to remember it long enough to type it into their web browser.

Tell a Story

Who are you? What makes you unique within the marketplace? The name you choose is all about the storytelling process. Particularly when you are exclusively online, your business name and your domain name should be one and the same. Otherwise, it’s going to lead to people being confused about who you are.

Be authentic about who you are. Consider what your goals are within your business. There are countless stories of how businesses came to be. The ones that pull at the heartstrings or that make people smile or laugh are going to be the most memorable.

There’s no way that you can come up with the best domain names for your online business until you know who you are and how you came to be. Write out your story. Highlight some of the words that stand out. Those could be used within your business name and domain name.

Maintain Your Identity

Once you set your domain name, you’ve set your brand. This means that you can’t let your identity falter.

If you choose a fun name, people are going to expect you to be fun. The same goes for a name that is serious. And guess what will happen if you choose a boring name?

Additionally, your keywords could lock you into something that’s too specific. You have to consider the potential for growth when you choose your domain name. For example, if you are a wedding photographer and you use ‘wedding photography’ in the domain name, it can limit you to the events that you may photograph in the future. People may never reach out to you for a quinceanera, a bar mitzvah, or any other special event.

It’s best to keep your name a bit broad so that you can expand in the future without scaring off future niches.

Explore Your Options

There are plenty of options for you to consider when choosing a domain name for your online business.

Consider:

Specific keywords
A geo tag (city, county, state)
A fun word
A word that combines two keywords

Use a name generator to help you come up with some variations of your domain name. Maybe one combination is taken but another three are worth considering. There’s also nothing wrong with breaking out the thesaurus to help you explore word variations. Just don’t get so carried away that you choose a word that no one recognizes.

Your business name is who you are. It’s how people will refer to you. It will be one of the most important marketing tools that you have. Think about the different business names that operate entirely online. You know them by their web address – Google, Amazon, Yahoo. The list goes on and on.

The most successful businesses, online and locally, have brand recognition. You can say the name out loud and everyone knows who you’re talking about. It takes hard work to get to that level, but it all starts with a name. Finding the best domain names for online business entities is easier when you’re not fighting for a .com extension like everyone else. Prove that you’re different by using .ONLINE. It can open up the domain opportunities significantly and give you a name that you can be excited about