My Business Venture: Top Ten Tips to Pick a Domain Name for Your E-Commerce Website
By Thomas Stridiron for My Business Venture
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
The foundation of your new business starts with your domain name. Your domain name is the key element of your website.
Your domain name has the ability to communicate a lot of information all on its own, along with performing some key functions for your budding business. Keyword consideration and suitability are just two of the key factors to consider in the selection of any new domain name, no matter what extension is used. Because of its importance, choosing your domain name requires as much care as does selecting the name of your business itself. Often, you want your domain name to match your company name and location as much as possible.
Consider these Top Ten Tips for getting your domain name just right:
Top Tip #1: Brainstorm
One step that is often overlooked is to simply sit alone or in a group with the sole intention of brainstorming. Setting aside time to engage in this all too critical process allows you to come up with countless ideas, and it’s important to value each and every one. Even the seemingly most silly or unworkable idea at first may yield great results eventually, especially as your discussion evolves. You may want to use an online tool to assist you in generating ideas and facilitating creative thought.
Don’t be surprised if bits and pieces pulled from your session culminate in brilliance. It’s a fact that some of the best sites have evolved out of what were once seemingly meaningless and disparate ideas and tangents. That’s why it’s so important to recognize and stress that no idea is a bad one when performing this exercise.
Your website is the face of your business online, and its domain name is the foundation upon which you will build your online brand. Because of its importance, you need to put as much care into choosing your domain name as you did in selecting the name of your business. Domain names tend to stick with a website for a long time, so choosing poorly is out of the question.
Here are some further ideas that will help to guarantee your domain name resonates with your potential customers and that you get it right the first time:
Tip #2: Make It Unique
Look for your exact match domain name. If you already have a business name that people know and trust it’s in your best interest to find the matching domain name. Your business identity should be consistent, both online and off, so you don’t want to use two different names if you can avoid it.
As you strive to stand out, perhaps a little perspective from Domain.com is in order…
Did you know that there are over 1.9 billion websites on the World Wide Web today? Of these, less than 200 million are active. The milestone of 1 billion websites was first reached in September of 2014, as confirmed by NetCraft in its October 2014 Web Server Survey and first estimated and announced by Internet Live Stats. The number had subsequently declined, reverting back to a level below 1 billion (due to the monthly fluctuations in the count of inactive websites) before increasing again and stabilizing above the 1 billion mark starting in March of 2016. During 2016, the total number of sites grew significantly, from 900 million in January 2016 to 1.7 billion in December 2016. From 2016 to 2018, the level pretty much stabilized. From 2018 to 2022 numbers have stayed roughly the same, but the total number of sites has risen to 1.9 billion.
In such an overcrowded marketplace, a unique domain name will be a necessary tool to differentiate your business from every other. Try to put a creative spin on your domain name, regardless of how basic your website’s offerings may be. That said, be sure to keep it short and easy to type. Avoid numbers and hyphens, as these can be easy for your users to forget and miss altogether.
It can help to be very specific with your domain name, and the easiest way to make that happen is to include your type of business, as well as the vertical you plan to work in, the types of products you intend to sell and the community you represent.
Tip #3: Use Combinations
Should you use a combination of ideas? The simple answer is – Yes! It can help to be very specific with your domain name. Consider such factors as location in relation to brand type. The easiest way to do this is to include your type of business and the community you hail from right in the domain name. A good example of this is HamptonsHobbyShop.com.
Tip #4: Purchase a Premium Domain
When you did your initial searches for your best-matched and most-desired domain names, they may have been already taken. But hold on a minute. Are they really? Are they actually live and being used or are they taken and for sale? This is a critical distinction!
Often, you will find that the best matched website for your business will be one that you can buy. However, they don’t come cheap, so do try to blaze your own trail first. If you can’t figure out a domain name that best suits your needs, then it really is worth considering buying the one you really want and need in order to be maximally effective and successful.
Tip #5: Which Extension?
To expand your domain name list of possibilities, you need to broaden your domain extension search horizons. While the world does recognize .com as The King, there other extensions that can be every bit as effective and will serve as a critical component in maximizing your domain name impact.
It is true that the .com domain is one of the original six domain extensions (or TLDs) that was created in 1985, with the inception of the DNS, or Domain Name System. But much of .com’s notoriety has only to do with the fact that it’s familiar to people. Gratefully, familiarity isn’t what you’re after with a domain name — relevancy and memorability are what is truly King here.
In order to choose the most relevant and memorable domain name, Domain.com recommends that you consider thinking outside of the .com box. Instead, consider using a newer domain extension (or nTLD) to create the perfect domain name
Tip #6: Length & Pronunciation
With responsiveness practically becoming the standard, it’s harder than ever to define the best size for an e-commerce website. What I like to do is see if the website can pass the Radio Test?
Tip #7: Keywords & Suitability
“The key to effectively using keywords in your domain name is not to go for the lengthy, keyword-stuffed phrases, but to consider how you can use those terms to approach your target audience and create a memorable brand. When you can establish yourself as a recognizable and trustworthy brand, your audience will have no problem clicking through to your site and doing business with you,” says DomainApe.
Tip #8: Which Extension?
Other great domain extensions to consider for e-commerce businesses are:
- .store
- .biz
- .shop
- .boutique
…and thousands more can be found here.
Tip #9: Is It Taken?
Choose words unique to your idea, name, niche or location. Stay simple, get creative and let Instant Domain Search help you find your perfect match.
Try an instant domain checker website that can help you check domains instantly as you type. Find a great name that helps people find your business online. Use our instant search and suggestion tools to find the best domain names for your needs.
Instant Domain Search’s domain name generator adds thousands of popular beginnings and endings to your search. Find a website name for your new business or e-commerce online store quickly and easily using this very helpful tool.
Tip #10: Registered Trademark?
Before you get too excited or attached to any domain name, we recommend that you search the national USPTO’s trademark database for any potential conflicts at Trademark Electronic Search System, or TESS. This is an important part of the process and will enable you to see if any of your preferred or desired trademark options have been previously registered or applied for and if any one of them is:
- Similar to your trademark
- Used on related products or for related services, and/or
- Currently live
A trademark that meets all three criteria will prevent your trademark from being registered because it creates a likelihood of confusion.
Over All Do’s & Don’ts
Do’s
Your domain name should be strong and branded.
Make it relevant: You want it to be relevant to your business so that your customers will know what it is you offer. A domain name that doesn’t have any connection to your products or services is a definite no-no. This tip also relates to the need to be specific because the more specific you are with your domain name, the more relevant it will be as well.
Make it memorable: Try to come up with a handful of names that you personally find to be catchy. Once you’ve compiled a list, share it with others and ask their opinions about it. Ask them if they find it appealing and what they think would improve it.
Look it up: Make sure the name you’ve chosen isn’t owned by any other online entity. If it is, look for another. Using a domain name that’s already been trademarked or copyrighted could land you in a legal bind where you could end up not only losing your domain name, but a fortune in fines as well.
Don’ts
Avoid hyphens and extra characters in your domain name.
Stop with the unique spelling.
About My Business Venture
My Business Venture can help you realize your e-commerce business goals! My Business Venture started over 27 years ago out of an apartment with a $100 investment and has grown to help 1000s realize the same dream over the last 27 years. We can be your partner in a successful and profitable online marketing campaign, from domain names to websites and beyond. Talk to us today to learn more!
About The Author
Thomas Stridiron–President and CEO of My Business Venture, Smithtown, NY
Tom is an accomplished entrepreneur. His company, My Business Venture, has been around for close to 30 years. Over the course of over two decades, what started with a $100 initial investment working out of a 2 bedroom apartment, has grown into a business with revenues in the millions of dollars. Their clientele is comprised mostly of new and small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Tom’s positive attitude and story is an inspirational one and has been shared in dozens of interviews for print, radio, TV, podcasts, and local colleges. He has spoken at Suffolk Community College and appeared on TV as a guest on The Donna Drake show. Tom has also been a guest on the Franchise Radio Show on LI News Radio where he spoke about his journey from his tough childhood to the entrepreneur he is today.
Tom is involved in many charitable ventures, including MBV Gives Back, the philanthropic division of MBV. Tom is also a board member of the Lightning Warriors Youth Triathlon Team. When he is not working, Tom loves to challenge himself, playing hockey, lifting weights, and completing 20 triathlons to date.
My Business Venture (MBV) was formed to help new and small business owners get started in successful businesses and they help entrepreneurs avoid many of the mistakes commonly made as new business owners. MBV specializes in the following areas: Web Design, Credit Card Processing, Logo Design, Hosting, Training, Social Media, Live Chat, Youtube Videos, and Business Consulting.
If anyone is in need of any of these services, or even just needs some guidance on starting a business, please feel free to visit www.MyBusinessVenture.com , email Tom at ceo@mbvmail.com
If Tom or MBV can help steer you in the right direction, they most certainly will.
Sources: DomainApe.com, Domain.com, Instant Domain Search, Twitter, Netcraft.com, United States Patent & Trademark Office, Unsplash,
Keywords: Website, E-commerce, Domain, Domain Name, Search Terms, Keywords, Business
Tags: Top ten tips to pick a domain name, Choosing the right domain name, domain name tips, domain names, e-commerce, new domain extensions, understanding domain names
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