How to choose the best domain name for your website

Happy satisfied man choose the best domain name for his website on his laptop computer

Choosing a domain name can seem like a daunting task; it needs to be on-brand, reflect what your company does, and, well, sound good! Don’t worry though, if you follow some tips and tricks then choosing the right domain name can be easier than it seems!

Keep your domain name simple

First of all, think of some of the most famous domain names you know; Google, Facebook, YouTube. What have they got in common? They’re all short and simple. Even if you want to make sure your customers know you sell a wide variety of products, having a domain name of pineoakmahoganyandwalnutchairs.com is clunky and difficult to remember. The simpler the name, the easier it will be for people to remember. 

Be wary of awkward spellings and using punctuation as this could confuse users and lead to them misspelling your domain name. For example, h4ppych4irs.com, happychairz.com or happy-chairs.com are more likely to get misspelt than a simple happychairs.com.

Make sure your domain name represents your brand identity

Your domain name might be the first thing a potential customer sees of your company, so it’s important it reflects your brand identity. If you already have a company name – great, you can just use that, but if it has already been taken or you’re still deciding on the perfect name, here are some ideas to help you choose. 

A good brandable name has no specific meaning (Instagram/TikTok), it’s unique, easy to memorise and importantly, it can be easily pronounced and spelt correctly without having to see it written down. 

Brainstorm some ideas of what you want your brand identity to be, and then look up those words in a thesaurus to give you some more ideas. You can also use a domain name generator like Domain Wheel for inspiration.

Optimise your domain name for SEO

Having a simple, memorable domain name means you’re already optimising your domain name for SEO, as the easier your domain is to read, the better a search engine will rank you as your domain is accessible and usable. 

Using keywords in your domain name is great, as it makes it obvious to both search engines and users what your company is all about. However, you want to make sure that you don’t sacrifice the previous points in order to stuff keywords in; best-wooden-chairs-uk.com is obviously keyword targeted and Google now associates this type of domain name with spammy and low-quality websites.

Choose a domain extension that makes sense

In an ideal world, we’d all choose our domain name and then slap a .com on it. Having a .com domain extension (also called TLDs, or top-level domains) is the best option as it is good for SEO purposes, looks professional, and is more likely to get traffic. People are more familiar with .com, and assume that all websites will end with this extension. 

Although over half of all websites do use the .com extension, there are downsides to it. First, they’re the most popular, so it’s likely that your perfect domain name has already been taken. Secondly, .com is invariably the most expensive, so if you’re strapped for cash, a .com might not be available for you. 

Thankfully, more interesting domain extensions are being used more and more, with TLDs such as .store, .co and .ly becoming popular. We’ve written more about this in a previous blog on TLDs, but one thing to bear in mind is that if your company is location specific, using a regional domain extension could work for you. This is because Google will automatically geo-target your site and make it more visible for people in that country, bringing in relevant traffic. 

Buy domain names similar to the one you’ve chosen

If you’ve got the money to do so, it’s a good idea to buy common misspellings of your domain name. This prevents competitors registering versions similar to yours and can also be a useful tool to redirect visitors to your site if they didn’t get the domain name right the first time. This also holds true for different domain extensions – if you’ve got a .co.uk extension, consider buying common alternatives like .com, .net or .org.

Check the domain name’s history

First, make sure you google the domain name you’ve chosen to make sure it doesn’t already exist – otherwise it’s back to the drawing board! It’s also a good idea to make sure that the domain hasn’t previously been used for other things that would negatively impact your site. Tools like Wayback machine give you snapshots of what the site looked like in the past, and Who.is can show you who used to own the domain, and who the domain registrar (provider) was. 

If you’ve got a domain name ready to then why not choose Go Sitebuilder to help you build your website? You can get your domain name free through our package, and our ready to go themes and website builder will give you all the tools you need to get a website that represents your company and your brand. Try our free 14-day-trial today!

How much does it cost to launch a brand?

Young, female florist writing out the costs of launching her new brand in her flower shop alongside her laptop. She is wearing a black and white striped top.

One of the main starting points of any new business or new product or service launch is to create a ‘brand’. This will form the foundation of the website you use to attract and retain customers, and any other sales and marketing tools you use. You’ll use your branding as a fun way to stand out from the crowd. But, how much does it cost to launch and promote your brand? This can depend on how much you’re willing to take the ‘Do It Yourself’ approach!

Firstly, let’s explore what is meant by brand.

Creating a brand identity

Some people think that “brand” and “logo” are interchangeable words. This is not the case! Your brand is the complete identity of your company, product or service. For example, what are your Unique Selling Points (USPs) and where does your business stand in the marketplace? This will end up revolving around the benefits you offer your customers. Is it the cheapest? easiest to use? most reliable? or perhaps the most innovative? The answers to these questions will help you start developing your brand.

When you have worked up a detailed brand profile, you then translate that into a brand identity. This includes the fonts and colours you can use to best illustrate and express yourself. For example, deep blues are often associated with reliable financial and professional firms, whereas yellows and oranges often portray tech and futuristic companies. All of that being said, you can use whatever colour resonates with who your company truly is.

So now you’ve covered the nitty-gritty, the “who am I” stage. The next step is to find a logo that sums up your brand identity. Many include a tag line to reinforce USPs (for example, ‘Just Do It’ – Nike or ‘Because You’re Worth it’ – L’Oréal).

Using your brand in your website design

Now that you’ve worked up a brand identity and clear statements about your company or product, you’re ready to create your own website. You can use your chosen colour palette as the basis of page design, varying shades and intensities to draw attention to calls to action and other important features.

It’s highly recommended that you keep your brand consistent across your website. This includes avoiding reversed logos as web design features or introducing colours that aren’t in your chosen palette. This will help solidify the look and feel and stop your site from confusing or distracting its users.

What budget is needed?

Creating and launching a brand can cost a massive amount of money – IF you’re a big company with deep pockets and global ambitions from day one. However, it can also be done on a shoestring if your goals are more manageable!

You could create your brand identity and statements yourself, perhaps using a local graphic artist to build a high impact logo for you. Though there are free online tools for DIY logo creation. Once you have your logo and all its support information, you can use Go Sitebuilder to create a professional website that dovetails brilliantly with your fabulous new brand!

If you haven’t started building your website yet or you’re still looking for the right tool for you, check out our free trial of Go Sitebuilder. You won’t need any previous technical knowledge as Go Sitebuilder has been created with busy small business owners in mind – you can even build it right from your mobile phone!

How do you launch a new brand?

Person sat at a desk using a laptop and wearing a mustard coloured jumper

When you’re launching a new brand into the market you will want to make a big splash! Ideally, you’ll be putting out something that is going to make people stop and take notice – ensuring you are the brand or business they remember. Here are our top tips on how to launch your brand with maximum effect.

Give yourself time

You can do things quickly and launch your brand immediately but it is extremely unlikely that that method will have the impact you desire. Give yourself plenty of time. Make sure you are happy with your logo or business name, your website is created and you’re ready to go live across social media. Plan your launch in full, giving yourself a date down the line to aim for, which will allow you the time to get the awareness out there. Ensure that when you join the market, your presence can make an immediate impression.

Make the splash everywhere

Once you have decided on and set up your digital platforms, make sure that all of them have your brandmark on them. Put your logo, business name and message on everything, ready to have the standout impression when you launch. In order for customers to know and remember your brand, it needs to be made recognisable right from the start.

Enhance anticipation

When you have everything good to go and your big launch is planned, you now hold the opportunity to build excitement around your big day. Use social media to tease your followers and potential customers with hints, mystery videos and cryptic clues that get the momentum building, and make your website launch one that cannot be missed.

Don’t forget to enjoy every moment! You’ve just taken an exciting step in growing your very own business and you should be proud to share it with the world.

If you still haven’t created your website, or you’re hoping to set up something new, Go Sitebuilder could be the solution. With hundreds of design possibilities, Go Sitebuilder uses beautifully pre-designed sections and templates so you can build the website you’ve dreamed of, without any technical skills needed. Sign up for a free trial and see just how easy it is!