In the world of business, the beginnings are always the hardest. No matter how big your budget is, there is so much to do with so little time left. In this article, we will try to help answer a very important question – how to choose domain name for my online store? This decision could affect your business greatly. When the customers search for your website, they are typing your URL, and this affects your branding, SEO, visibility, and more. There are millions of websites on the world wide web. You need to make sure your domain is memorable and it represents you in the right way.
There are a lot of things that could go wrong if you choose a bad domain name. Your site can disappear, it could be hard to find, and your brand wouldn’t be as memorable as it can be. Keep this information in mind when you are choosing your website’s domain.
You think that domain registration would be hassle-free, but it’s not always as easy as it seems. You can register a domain on many providers, but you can also face many problems along the way. Your domain is already bought, copyright, etc. You need to know more about domains in general before you try to buy the perfect one for your business.
Read on and find out more about domain names. We’ve gathered a couple of tips that can help you throughout this process.
What is a store domain URL?
Understanding Domain Extensions
When business owners are looking to find their perfect domain, their first try in most cases is with the .com domain extension. This extension is the default Top-Level Domain extension. There are other TLDs, too.
Today we can find more than 1,500 extensions that are alternatives to the .com extension. The popularity of other extensions seems to grow.
The .store domain is becoming the TLD for online store owners. This extension is used by many online businesses in 2020. The .store domains became more recognizable and memorable for online stores since they are relevant and eye-catching.
Subdomains
This is a completely optional part of your domain name. It replaces the server name (www), like dropship5.com. This could be used for a couple of things, for example, organizational purposes or search engine optimization. You could redirect visitors from other countries for information that is uploaded only for them, for example, usa.dropship5.com. Now, this subdomain doesn’t exist, we’ve just set an example.
You could use it to create different versions of your site, like English, German, or Arabic. Many popular sites offer this kind of option, as they find the subdomains as their solutions to display multilingual content.
It is easy to say that subdomains are used to create different versions of your website that could help you throughout the process. Subdomains are used by large websites to split their content and keep it under the same domain name.
You can also use them to split your website into a mobile or desktop version. This is rarely the case because Google recommends the responsive design, and that is what matters, right? For anyone who doesn’t know what “responsive design” means, it’s a single version of a certain website, for example, your store, that is optimized for all devices.
When is the right time to use subdomains?
There is no right time. If your business expanded to the point where it needs subdomains, then you use them. For example, many international businesses use them to display multilingual content to their users. If you have a single-page website and you like to start blogging, then you should add the blog.siteexample.com subdomain to your website.
The same works for store subdomains. You only need to add store.siteexample.com and start editing the content on that subdomain.
Similar to the subdomains are the subdirectories. For example, siteexample.com/store/. Those subdirectories are like folders on your website.
Subdomains or Subdirectories?
There are no rules for this one, too. You need to structure your website to your needs. Google doesn’t favor either subdomains or subdirectories.
What is the best domain name for my website?
There are a couple of tips to follow when you are choosing the right domain name for your website. There are two options available for businesses.
#1 – Your business isn’t working, and its name isn’t chosen, yet. You are looking for compatible ideas for your business and domain name. That means that you are flexible and you could change the name according to the domain availability.
#2 – You have a physical store and you are looking to grow your sales online. Your business is working for quite some time now. You should search for a name that is easily recognizable by your customers and it is compatible with your brand.
It doesn’t matter if you are the first or the second case, the same practices apply to almost every business.
Keep it memorable and simple
Think from your own perspective. If it is shorter and simpler, then you could probably remember it. Imagine that you are in a meeting with some influencer and you tell them to write your website domain name to see your website. If you don’t need to spell the name or repeat it a couple of times, then it’s probably good.
Share your ideas with your friends or co-workers and see which domain name is easier to spell and remember. For example, sportslatest.com is a good domain name, it is short and simple.
Brandable and eye-catching domain name
When you are thinking about new ideas for your domain name, think about its branding and pay attention to its eye-catching part.
If you saw that name, would you click on it? That is a great place to start. Keep in mind that many search engines recommend putting your brand name in the domain name, it gains recognition and relevancy. Your whole online presence should be similar to one another. Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to use the same social media name, so check about its availability there, too.
Niche-related/Business-relevant domains
Try to stay relevant to your niche. Many users click on some domain expecting to get their desired products or services. So make clear what you are offering to those users. It is a good idea to include one word that refers to your services or products. Don’t try to put a description in the domain name, just one word to make it clear. If your business name is “John’s Software” for example, that means that “Software” is the keyword that you need in your name. You don’t need to add your location like “John’s Software Los Angeles, California”, it is too messy and unnecessary.
Useful tip: You can find excellent and niche-related domains at Expired Domains. You can register on their site, and use many of their browsing filters to find the perfect expired domain, which you can use for your store.
There are many domain extensions available today, but keep in mind that this might affect your search engine visibility. We recommend .com extension or any other relevant extension to your niche. For example, for your online store, you could buy a .store domain extension.
Don’t use numbers or uncertain words
The number can confuse your customers, and they are not memorable. There is a case when your business name has a number in it, you should use that number then. For example, dropship5.com. As we’ve said above, don’t try to use many words in your domain because it will look irrelevant and spammy. Users recognize those domains and they don’t visit them.
Try to avoid words that could be replaced with a similar-sounding word. Think from the customer’s perspective. It is easier when you put yourself in their place, you will understand things better.
You could use the Google Translate service to find out how your domain name translates to other languages, to avoid memes and jokes about your brand on social media.
Special characters are off the table
You can’t use any special character like &, *, @, etc. The internet doesn’t allow that because they are used for other purposes. If your idea contains a special character, then you should find a word to explain it.
Do your research
There are a lot of domain extensions available on the world wide web, so your domain name could be taken and trademarked. Your job is to research social media and search engines to find if that name is used and copyrighted. You could get lawsuits and Google restrictions if some reports you. Make sure everything is legal, to avoid problems in the future.
Choose a domain name to boost your SEO
Search engine optimization is one of the most important marketing methods for an online business. It is completely free, so you only need to follow the rules here. There isn’t a right domain name to simply comply with your SEO efforts. Google is unpredictable, so you just need to create a respectable brand behind that domain name, and try to offer the best user experience customers can get on your website.
Google has a couple of conditions you must do if you want to rank your website high in their search query. Read more about these conditions below.
How to register a domain name for my store?
As we’ve mentioned above, this is maybe the easiest part of this process. You need to find the right company that offers domain registration services. You need to write your specific domain and check for its availability and pricing. Before you choose the website that offers this kind of service, check for their competitors, and do your research.
There are a lot of websites that offer cheap domain and hosting packages, starting at $9.99 annually. Most of them require your credit card or PayPal information. You can find services that accept crypto and other forms of payment as well.
When you start the process, please use your real information. Why is this so important? Your domain and store could suffer if you put false information. If you want to hide your personal information, you can buy WhoIsGuard and protect your information from the public.
These companies offer multiple options. You can buy the domain for a month, you can register it for a year, or you can register it for a few years. Once your registration expires, you need to renew the domain name and claim your ownership, again. The longer your subscription is, the lower price you are going to pay.
You don’t need to design the website right away. The domain is registered in your name, so you can decide when you will start to use it.
You could switch your service provider if you have a better or cheaper offer available. Usually, those switches are hassle-free, but you should always be careful when you are agreeing to some provider’s terms and conditions, they might include some clause that forbids you from switching your registrars.
Registration Costs
Each of the service providers offers multiple prices and packages based on the extensions. You can find free domains, and you can find domains as expensive as $1.000. A couple of factors affect the price of one domain. So keep in mind that if you want an SEO-friendly domain name, you must pay a bigger fee.
Summary
You now have the knowledge on how to choose a domain name for your online store. There are a couple of guides online that can help you out, too. Don’t spend too much time thinking about some details that don’t even matter. Focus on building your brand, your story, build your reputation and your domain name will follow. Google takes those factors when they rank your website. Follow our tips if you want to create a recognizing and memorable domain name, and don’t forget to enjoy the process and get creative.
Bonus: You can also find out more about how much it costs to start a dropshipping business on our blog.