There are around 4.4 billion active internet users worldwide, and that number continues to grow every day. If you’re looking to start a business or grow your current reach, building your own website is the way to do it.
One of the most important parts of your online presence is your domain name, which is something you purchase in order to maintain your unique online address.
If you’re wondering how to buy a website URL, here are our top 13 tips to keep in mind.
A website domain, or website URL, is the address your website visitors will be using to find you online. Although it may seem like a small portion of your overall content, it holds a lot of power towards the success of your website.
When it comes to having a website, it’s about much more than what you have on the page. You could have top-quality content, but if no one finds it, then it really isn’t doing much for your business. This is where buying a domain with high impact comes into play.
Choosing your domain names is one of the most important moves you can make for launching your online business. Here are just a few reasons why they make such an impact:
If you’re considering how to buy a website URL, the process isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It simply involves choosing a registrar or hosting service, using the search feature to check availability, and securing your registration.
If you are buying a domain, most services will charge a small annual or monthly fee in order to stay registered. Although it may be tempting to seek out free options, these typically offer website URLs that are bulky and difficult to remember. It’s a worthwhile investment in your business to pick a domain name that sticks.
If you have a domain already, you can also transfer it over to a new registrar, as long as that registrar still has the name available.
When buying a domain, you should choose something that brands your business perfectly. It takes an average of 50 milliseconds in order for a customer to form an impression of your brand, so pick something that will instantly make an impact.
Ideally, it will match the name of your blog or online business so it’s easy for people to find. Your domain is essentially your brand, so be sure you’re picking something that matches your identity.
If you’re wondering how to buy a website URL that will help drive traffic to your blog or business, make sure you’re getting creative with it. That way, you’ll be standing out amongst your competition and portraying the unique qualities of your brand.
Avoid using generic terms that don’t identify your business or brand. Your domain should be snappy, memorable, and shareable. Picking something too basic might lead your potential visitors to the wrong place. It could also make your website too forgettable.
If you’re wondering how to buy a website URL that sticks in the memory of your visitors, go easy on the length. Again, you want your domain name to be impactful, memorable, and shareable. If it’s too long, it might just end up being forgettable.
Again, this one ties into how to buy a website URL that people will remember easily. If you think about it, most of the top websites in the world (Google, Facebook, etc.) all have one thing in common: simplicity.
When buying a domain name, you should go for something that will be easy for people to spell. This will help make it easier for people to find, share, and return to your page.
The name of your domain, as well as your brand, should be relatively easy to pronounce. This is another factor of the memorability of your website URL.
If customers and visitors are constantly mispronouncing your name, this could greatly affect the shareability of your page. You want to avoid confusing your audience when they’re talking about your content, so be sure you’re giving them something that’s easy to say.
If you’re wondering how to buy a website URL, an important thing to consider is the extension you will be using for your domain name. Not all extensions are created equal, and choosing the wrong one can have a serious impact on how well people remember your website.
The best extensions to used are .ie, .com, .org, .net, or .co.uk. These extensions are popular and well known, which helps you create a memorable website URL.
Once you’ve decided on the extension you will use, keep this in mind as you’re verifying the availability of your online domain. Different extensions go to different addresses, so you want to be sure you’re selecting a website URL that’s open.
There are well over 330 million registered domain names on the Internet, and hundreds of thousands of new ones are being registered every day. Once you’ve landed on a good domain, you have to act fast before someone else snatches it up.
As soon as you’ve verified the availability of your chosen website URL, you should immediately consider buying a domain that will secure that URL for your page. If you sleep on it, you might have to go back to the drawing board!
Although it may be tempting if your chosen domain name has been taken, you should avoid including hyphens and numbers when buying a website. Again, these are easily forgettable and confusable, so they might lead your potential visitors astray.
In addition to that, hyphens and numbers are difficult to type, especially from a smartphone or mobile device. If you’re wondering how to buy a website URL that promotes traffic to your website, things such as hyphens and special characters should be avoided.
An important thing to remember when you’re thinking about how to buy a website URL is how well your domain name will stand the test of time. In other words, you don’t want to feature slang terms that may be obsolete in the future. Just like certain fashion trends, a lot of these terms won’t age well.
For example, you may want to avoid such words as “LOL,” “flex,” or similar internet slang. Although they’re amusing and speak well to our current online culture, people may not know what you’re talking about after some years have passed. What’s worse, your brand may sound dated or cheesy to your future audience.
Even if your chosen registrar or host has the website domain available for purchase, you could still be choosing a name that another brand has already used or copyrighted. To avoid confusion (and possible copyright infringement), you should do your homework and make sure someone else isn’t already using your domain.
Check all social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for profiles or accounts that are using your desired name. Even if they don’t have it copyrighted, it could still lead your followers to the wrong page. As a last measure, quickly search for the name as well, just to be sure someone else isn’t already using it.
If you are buying a domain that’s very similar to an existing one, this could also lead to trouble. Not only can it lead your visitors to the wrong place, but it can also muddy the branding of your website in general. As a safe measure, be sure you’re selecting something that’s totally unique.
We all go through phases, and so does society as a whole. That why it’s important to select a domain name that’s timeless, profession, and true to who you are as a business. That way, you’ll be proud of your domain for years to come.
If you’re wondering how to buy a website URL, the main factors are choosing a proper domain name and finding a registrar to host your website online. Now that you have some ideas on how to make an impact, pick a name and get building!
For more information on securing your website domain, contact us today.
