Choosing a domain name that is easy to spell and remember is one of the most important steps in creating a website.
After all, typing the domain name into the browser’s search bar is one of the main ways to access a website.
Therefore, having a good name is fundamental for anyone who wants to succeed in any field, as a good name will help your page be more accessible and easier to find.
With this in mind, we have prepared an article with all the necessary tips for choosing a good domain for your website.
What is a domain?
A domain is a website’s address on the internet. It’s essential for any website, functioning as its identity.
To explain it in a slightly more technical way, this is necessary because computers communicate with each other on the internet via a unique IP address.
This IP address is made up of a unique combination of numbers that individually identifies each connected computer.
Domains were created to facilitate access to these addresses, without people needing to memorize these combinations.
In other words, when users type a domain name to access a website, that domain will direct them to the correct IP address.
What do you need to know before choosing a domain name?
Do you know what a TLD, or top-level domain, is? This is the name given to the extension used after the dot in websites.
This text after the dot at the end of the address is also known as a domain suffix.
The purpose of a TLD is to identify certain elements of a website, such as its location, owner, or even purpose.
An example is websites ending in .edu, which are websites linked to or belonging to educational institutions.
Among TLDs, it’s important to know the main types and understand which one your website falls into.
gTLD – Generic Top-Level Domain
This is the most popular and common type of inexpensive domain extension and is open for registration by anyone.
Among the most common in this category are:
- .com – geared towards commercial websites
- .org – geared towards organizational websites
- .net – geared towards networks
- .info – geared towards information platforms
sTLD – Sponsored Top Level Domain
These are types of domains proposed and overseen by private institutions.
These organizations have the power to decide on a website’s eligibility to use a specific top-level domain based on themes.
The main sTLDs are:
- .edu – geared towards educational institutions
- .gob – geared towards government agencies
- .travel – geared towards tourism businesses
ccTLD – Country code top level domain
These are top-level domains that use the location or ISO code of a territory (the two-letter abbreviation representing the region).
The main examples are:
- .com.br – Brazil
- .us – United States
- .ru – Russia
- .es – Spain
- .jp – Japan
7 tips on how to choose a good domain name
Choose an easy name
The most important tip you need to understand is that the simpler your website name, the better.
Choosing a very complicated or long domain will only make it harder for your audience to remember your website.
Furthermore, complex names can also be difficult to spell, which can make your website harder to find.
Therefore, focus on simplicity. Avoid complicated words, very difficult surnames, and words in other languages.
That said, it’s important to remember that simple and common are different things.
So, think of an easy word that isn’t linked to another website or company.
Check availability
According to Forbes, there were 1.13 billion active websites on the internet in 2023.
With so many websites created, the chance that one of the chosen names is already in use is high.
Therefore, before continuing with your project, choosing a good domain name for your brand and other materials based on your website, remember to check the domain’s availability.
Use a platform like Registro.br to check if your main options are available.
If they are in use, the solution is to think of a new domain name.
Do not use special characters
Remember the tip about keeping things simple? Special characters like symbols and numbers can make your website difficult to access.
This is because it’s hard to remember which periods, dashes, and underscores were used. Often people even remember, but forget where to place these special characters.
Therefore, don’t complicate things. Always try to create domain names that use only letters.
If you need to do something different, try using periods, which are easier to understand.
In the specific case of periods, try using them between words instead of spaces. This will still keep your website readable and simple.
Avoid using words from other languages
While some words from other languages are also used in Portuguese, it’s not recommended to use them as domain names.
This is important because many people have difficulty understanding and writing words from other languages.
In some cases, the word may even be easy to understand and remember, but it will likely remain difficult to write.
Therefore, to choose a good domain name, always aim to create a Portuguese name that aligns with your brand’s objectives.
However, be aware that this isn’t an absolute rule. There are certain audience segments where foreign words might be more appealing.
Choose the correct extension
We’ve already explained what a domain extension is; now it’s time to highlight the importance of choosing the right extension for your website.
If your project doesn’t have specific objectives linked to private domain types, try using the common extensions available to make your website easier to remember and access.
Generally, the public is already accustomed to using websites ending in .com and .com.br, so try creating this type of domain.
Use keywords
Keywords are terms frequently used in specific subjects.
A great alternative for those who have chosen a name that is not available for registration is to associate it with a keyword.
It is important that this keyword is directly related to your area of expertise, service, or products.
It is worth noting that it is not good to exaggerate the number of keywords in your domain; remember that the simpler, the better.
Use multiple domains
One strategy used by some large websites is to register multiple domains.
Since websites can have more than one domain, large brands choose to register domains with different extensions to ensure that customers can always access their pages.
There are even cases of companies with more complex names that register incorrect names to prevent customers from mistakenly searching for their website.
In simple terms, the strategy is a way to ensure that users can access your website even after incorrect searches.
Do you already know how to choose a good domain for your website?
We hope the tips in our article will be helpful in choosing a good domain for your website.