Choosing a good domain name for your online store is not only the first step to selling online, it’s also one of the most important for success. Find out how with a few simple tips.
Choosing a domain is the first headache you’ll face when creating your online store. There are no magic formulas, but there are some useful recommendations to follow depending on the nature of your business and its target audience.
Getting it right the first time matters, because if you choose the wrong name for your store and have to change it, all your promotional efforts will be wasted… and you’ll have to start over! Let’s go over some tips for choosing your eCommerce site’s name.
Decide what information will appear in the domain name
First, decide whether the domain will include your brand name or keywords that match what your potential customers search for online. If your brand is already well known in the market, don’t hesitate to use it. If not, consider including some keywords in the domain. Here’s what the domain would look like in each case:
- www.yourbrandname.com: companies already known to customers.
- www.keyword1keyword2keyword3.com: recommended for companies just starting out (for example: www.sofasparamascotas.com or www.cocheselectricos.biz)
Google used to prioritize domains with keywords, but now it also favors those with a brand name. If you can, combine both.
Keep the name as short as possible
Keep in mind that Google and other search engines will only consider the first few words of your web address. Short domains are also easier for users to remember, more visually appealing, and so on. As the saying goes: brevity is the soul of wit.
Create a domain that is easy for users to type
Visitors not only need to remember how your domain sounds when they read it, they also need to type it correctly in search engines (if they get it wrong, they could end up on a competitor’s site!). As far as possible, use the language most of your customers speak.
Choose your domain extensions carefully
A domain extension can be generic (.com, .net, .org) or country-code (.es, .fr, .de). If your market is in Spain, .es may be the best option. If your customers aren’t limited to one country, .com is probably the better choice. Ideally, buy your domain name with as many extensions as you can. You can then redirect them all to your main domain and prevent anyone else from taking them.
Avoid duplicate content
By default, users can reach your online store whether or not they type the famous www in the address bar. In practice, this means your online store will exist twice. But you know Google doesn’t like duplicates… So avoid problems: choose a main domain and set up a 301 redirect on the other.
We hope these tips have been helpful. Good luck with your eCommerce project!
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