How to Choose a Domain Name for a Professional Website

Before setting up a website, one of the key things to put in place is to choose a domain name that is suitable for your brand, relevant to your business and capable of delivering your expected outcomes.

For most beginners, choosing the right domain name can get really daunting and confusing when you do not know how to get started.

Apart from cases where one’s preferred domain can get taken up by another brand, there are also instances where a beginner will be struggling with how to figure out the right extensions that work.

To get the best out of your website, you need to choose and use only the domain name that is best suitable for your business. And in this guide, you’ll learn about the key things to consider while choosing your brand.

But, in this guide, I’ll be taking you through the meaning of a domain name, what it is all about, how to choose a domain name and the key steps you can take if your preferred domain name has already been taken.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the name of your website. It’s the name anyone can use to locate or access your website on their browsers.

Like your home address for example, a domain name helps people find your website on the internet.

Domain names are formed by the rules of the Domain Name System (DNS).

What is a Sub Domain?

Outside domain names, there’s what we call sub domains. A sub-domain is a prefix added to a domain name, to separate a section of a website.

For example if your domain name is www.wordpress.com, your sub domain would be something like www.vickwin.wordpress.com

A sub domain is an additional section to the main domain. It comes before the main domain name and domain extension.

Examples of Domain Names

There are different kinds of domain names. The first set are called Top Level Domain. There are also what we call, Second level domains names and furthermore, third level domains.

Each of these are classified based on their hierarchical rankings. And before you choose a domain name for your website, you want to focus on using the right domain name extension in order to get the best results.

What is a top Level Domain

A top level domain aka TLD is a domain name extension at the top hierarchy of the domain name system.

The generic top level domain (gTLD) and country code top level domain (ccTLD) are the two popular types of top level domains.

The third and not so popular one is the internationalized country code top-level domains.

Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD)

Generic top level domain name (gTLD) are the most popular set of domain name extensions. They usually end with the suffix, .com, .org, .net,  .info, .biz etc.

The generic top level domains are popular with businesses, organization and firms around the world. As someone getting set to choose a domain name, it is most likely that you’ll opt for the generic top level domain, before considering the others.

Mostly, domains with the gTLD extensions can be registered by anyone and at any location around the world, provided your preferred domain extension is available.

Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)

A country specific top level or country code domain name represents a country and usually ends with a two lettered word that represent the domain name extension for that country.

So, for example; if I i am planning to use a country code top level domain name (ccTLD) for the UK, my domain name will be something like www.mywebsite.uk.

If on the other hand i wanted a domain name with the Nigerian country code top level domain, I will have a domain name like www.mywebsite.ng.

If you plan to choose a domain name that ends with a country code top level domain extension for your business, do keep in mind that this domain extension is most popular with businesses targeted at specific regions, compared to a generic top level domain that is more global.

Second Level Domain

Second level domains are domains that are below the top level domain in the ranking hierarchy. They are mostly between the www. and the .com or .net top level domain, as the case may be.

The .com.ng for example is a second level domain under the Nigerian ccTLD.

Same goes for the .co.uk and the .uk ccTLDs.

Usually, second level domains are less popular, compared to the top level domains. Notwithstanding, there’s not much proof of any SEO advantage or disadvantage if you choose to use one over the other.

Domain Name Extensions

Like i mentioned earlier, the generic top level domains (gTLDs) are among the most popular domain name extensions preferred by businesses around the world.

But there no strict rules mandating you to use the gTLD extension as part of your domain name unless that’s what works best for you.

When you want to choose a domain name, instead of automatically opting for the popular extensions, consider your own need or the reason behind your website first while keeping in mind that you can always use a different domain name extension, be it ccTLD or others, depending on what serves your needs the most.

How to Choose a Domain Name

One of the toughest decisions you will have to make while building a website is going to be about how to choose a domain name for your website without making the first timer’s mistakes.

According to a survey, 51% of all existing websites are making use of the .com extension for their websites.

With such analysis, you would automatically think that using the .com extension should be your go-to option for a domain name but, that’s not the whole truth.

Now, the first key step to take before choosing a domain name is to consider your existing brand (if you have any) or the brand you plan to build, your target audience, product or services etc.

For example, if you’re building a platform that is targeted at an audience in South Africa, instead of using a .co.uk extension in your domain name, you’ll do better if you use the .co.za which is better optimized for people in South Africa.

Also, you need to consider the length of your domain name and it’s relevance to your business before you make final decisions.

For example, if you’re planning to build a business that will be sold off to a different entity after some time then it’s best you don’t use you personal name as the domain name.

These are some of the things you should consider before choosing a domain name and when you do, you will be able to choose a domain name that will be relevant for you and your business.

Popular Domain Name Extensions

The following are the popular domain name extensions and when you should use them, when you want to choose a domain name for a website or blog:

• .org: Best for organizations like Churches, NGOs, etc .
  .com: Best for commercial businesses. Although this is the most widely used domain name extension.
• .ru: Country code top level domain for Russia. Used for websites targeted at the Russian Federation.
• .info: For informational websites.
• .net: For network organizations.
• .edu. For educational purposes.
• .mil: For military purposes.
• .uk (United Kingdom): For websites targeted at the UK.
• .ng (Nigeria): For websites targeted at Nigerians.

Before getting a website or blog, one of the most important things you must fix is a domain name. So, you’ll have to settle for a domain name before proceeding with your web design.

Now you should note that it’s not just about your domain name, the domain name extension matters too.

So like i mentioned earlier, before going for a name, instead of going for the default domain name extension, (in this case, the .com), find out your target audience and then select a suitable domain name, based on that audience; putting into considerations, some of the factors I mentioned above.

Same goes for a website targeted at people in the UK. The .uk and .co.uk are your best extensions.

Using the country code domain name to target a particular country helps the search engine in showing your website to the right audiences.

Same goes with a blog. Though most blogs are left at the default dot com extension, If your blog is focused on a country specific audience, target the domain extension for the particular country.

Final Words

In a nutshell, a domain name is a very important part of your website. For best results while choosing a domain name, remember to make sure that your domain name is short, catchy, SEO friendly and right on brand.

Also, when you’re targeting a particular geographic area with your website or blog, keep in mind to go for country code top level domain as one of your first choices. This will be effective in getting you some decent local search visibility, in your preferred region, compared to a more general domain extension.

Of course, choosing a domain name can be quite daunting but our team can guide you through the whole journey of you reach out to us here. Also, you can hire our team to build your website, blog or company platform, here.

Now its your turn. What are your biggest challenges when it comes to choosing a domain name? Drop your comments below.