How a Domain Name Affects SEO
Knowing how to choose a domain name for maximum SEO can be very helpful because if you want to gain a lot of website traffic and be known in your industry, your domain name should be optimized for search engines and be memorable, respectively.
However, because websites aren’t really a new concept, finding good domain names now can be a bit difficult. You see, almost all the best ones are taken, so you will most likely have to adjust and change yours because, well, there’s no other option than that.
How does a domain name affect SEO? you may ask. The thing is, search engines also look at the domain name of a website to determine whether or not it’s relevant to what is being searched. Meaning, if someone searched for printing companies, domain names with “printing” in it would have high chances of appearing on the search results.
Moreover, if you are looking to establish your brand, it will be a smart decision to make your brand name your domain name so people can find your website more easily. This can be beneficial to brands with unique names because this will give them the opportunity to be on the first page of the search results.
How to Choose a Domain Name for Maximum SEO
If you want to have a strong online presence and excellent website traffic, then you have to spend time on optimizing your website for search engines. One important step to that is by making sure that your domain name is SEO-friendly.
Choosing a domain name for maximum SEO is simply choosing a domain name strategically, which include several factors like the inclusion of the right keywords and paying attention to the length of the domain name, among others.
Domain names may seem like a small part of a website, but they can help your website increase its chance of being seen by many people, leading to an increase in the number of potential customers if you are a business or believers if you are a brand.
Is it your goal to rank on search engines? Choosing the right domain name can help a great deal as well, especially if you also work on making the website itself as well as the content optimized for search engines!
Here’s how to choose a domain name for maximum SEO:
1. Determine What Your Website Is About
Determining what your website is about is the first thing that you should do before you pick a domain name because your domain name should be relevant to your niche. Don’t add the word “seo” to your domain name if your website is a fitness website!
This is also an important step to take before you look for the right keywords to include in your domain name. Keyword research is a part of SEO. That said, if you add keywords that have a high search volume to your domain name, then your website will be exposed to a lot of people!
2. Consider Your Brand
Considering the niche and finding the right keywords only apply to those websites that aren’t brands. If you are a brand or want to turn your business into a brand, you should use your brand name as your domain name because you will be able to strengthen your online presence in that way.
In addition, if your domain name is your brand name, people will be able to remember it much quicker. You will also be found much easier because your website will most likely be at the top of the search results when they look for you on the internet!
3. Keep It Short and Simple
No one will be able or will want to remember domain names that are too long. Domain names like “www.howtochooseadomainname.com” may be easy to remember and may have a high chance of ranking on search engines, but it doesn’t seem professional.
Keep your domain name short and simple. One-word domain names are definitely a great choice, but make sure the word you are going to use is connected to your brand or niche. If you can’t think of a word that best represents your website, you can think of up to three or four words.
4. Avoid Numbers and Symbols
There’s nothing wrong with numbers and symbols, but they make domain names unprofessional. Having said that, avoid adding them to your domain name, especially if they aren’t really necessary.
In other words, there are brand names that have numbers or symbols in them. If yours aren’t one of them, then stick to letters.
5. Choose the Right Domain Extension
It’s not news that the best domain extension in general is the “.com” extension. Therefore, if the domain name you are thinking is available in that extension, don’t hesitate and register it. You could also add country domain extensions at the end.
However, if you are in a particular sector of the society, like education, then the “.edu” extension will be the best extension to use. Are you an organization? Choose “.org” then!
6. Make Sure It Isn’t Trademarked
It would be stressful if you got involved in a lawsuit, so when choosing a domain name, make sure that it isn’t trademarked. One way to do this is by searching that specific domain name or some different variations of that on the internet.
You could also reach out to the office or agency in charge of the trademarks in your country or state if you want to be so sure. In the United States, it’s the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Once you have found your domain, our recommended hosting company is Site Ground.
