How to choose the right domain name for startups

For start-up companies, at the beginning of the company, especially for some Internet companies, they must hope to get effective exposure on the Internet, and building an official website is essential. Before building an official website, the first choice will be to choose a suitable official website domain name. How start-ups choose a suitable domain name depends on their own assets.

Nowadays, domain names are not only the house numbers of enterprises on the Internet, but also an important tool for promoting and promoting their corporate image. They have become an intangible asset of an enterprise. The identity of the domain name changes with the identity of the enterprise. With the strength of the enterprise, the value of the domain name should not be underestimated, and it can even solve the crisis for the enterprise. For example, a four-letter domain name Lola.com was sold for a million yuan after the holding company went bankrupt!

Generally, when start-ups choose domain names, they are divided into two stages, one is the seed stage of the enterprise, and the other is the development stage. The seed stage is when a startup is just established and does not have a lot of money on hand; the development stage is when a startup has obtained financing and has passed a certain development node and has a certain economic strength.

In the seed stage, the budget for domain name selection of startups is often relatively low, and it is difficult to choose some expensive domain names with mainstream suffixes. Therefore, most of the time, some non-.com domain names will be considered, such as .cn, .net., .cc, .me, etc.

Enterprises in the development stage, because they have obtained a certain amount of financing, will have a higher budget for domain name selection, a wider range of choices, and the opportunity to acquire brand domain names or short characters. Top-quality domain names, such as two-digit, two-letter domain names, etc.

Whether it is a Zhong Ziqi enterprise or a development enterprise, when purchasing a domain name, in addition to choosing the suffix, the domain name body is also a problem that startups must consider. If an enterprise wants to get good exposure online and facilitate people to remember and input, the domain name body needs to be more convenient to remember. Therefore, when choosing a domain name, you need to know the following requirements:

1. Easy to remember: A good domain name is easy for users to remember. If your users can't remember your official website domain name, it is difficult to access it, and they may even need to search on search engines, which is a waste of time and brings a bad search experience to users.

2. In line with user memory habits: For domestic start-ups, choosing a pinyin domain name is the safest method. Although the pinyin domain name has longer characters, it fits the corporate brand very well, and there is no obstacle to memory and input.

3. Short characters: If you don't want to use a pinyin domain name, you need to consider some alphabetic domain names with short characters, such as three-letter and four-letter domain names, and try to make the domain name as short as possible.

4. Pay attention to the domain name history: When choosing a domain name, you need to check whether the domain name has been blocked; or whether it has been enabled by other terminals before. If it has been enabled by some well-known terminals, it has a lot of traffic, which will also help the promotion of the website.

Many start-ups do not have sufficient funds, so they should first choose some simple and easy-to-remember domain names, or some non-.com suffix domain names according to their own situation. After obtaining a certain amount of financing, the brand domain name will be protected. For example, some well-known companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, and Google did not acquire the brand domain name at the beginning, but acquired it one by one in the later stage to improve the brand protection work.

In addition, for start-ups, many entrepreneurs are reluctant to spend a lot of money to buy domain names, thinking that good domain names are too expensive, or even not worth that much money. However, this is not the case. Premium domain names can not only expand publicity for start-ups, but also save a lot of promotion costs for enterprises. In terms of advertising promotion, the returns obtained are far greater than the price of acquiring domain names, and the traffic benefits brought are also immeasurable. Therefore, for Internet entrepreneurs, it is important to understand the importance of good domain names to brand building, marketing promotion, and website traffic diversion, so as to stand out from the same category.

Think from the perspective of visitors

To choose the best domain name for your brand or business, it may be helpful to first think from the perspective of potential website visitors. What types of domain names are most memorable or typed in relation to your niche? Which sites stand out for their originality and accurate representation of the brand behind the site? Think about the most important features of your brand and the message it conveys, and look for phrases, words, and keywords that help express those ideas.

Make Your Domain Name a Brand

People form an impression of someone within seconds of meeting them, and the same is true when they see your domain name. The name you choose is the online representation of your brand, so you want it to stand out from the competition and clearly express not only the services or products you offer, but also the values and mission behind those things.

It’s also important to think long-term about your domain name. Since this name will be used all over the internet, and potentially offline as well, it’s difficult to change it later if your name doesn’t seem to tangibly express your business, or if your company chooses to expand into other areas of business. While it’s important to introduce keywords when possible, stuffing your domain name with generic keywords will not only make it less interesting and memorable, but it can also be limiting if changes to your business are focused later.

Make People Remember Your Domain Name

Studies show that the world's most recognizable domain names, such as Google, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter, share a few important traits: They're creative, instantly recognizable, easy to pronounce and spell -- and short.

While keywords can help with searches for your domain, use them sparingly. Consider using an obscure word or phrase that evokes the spirit of your brand, or using an existing vocabulary in a new way. The most memorable online sites often have short, punchy names of six to 14 characters, which makes them easy to remember and type into a web browser.

Word about a brand spreads in a variety of ways, even by word of mouth. Domain name experts recommend choosing a domain name that's both easy to say and type. That means avoiding names that include numbers, hyphens, or other special characters that are hard to pronounce and remember. If your company or brand has a long name, however, consider using its first letters, or incorporating a relevant keyword.

Choosing the Best Suffix

The extension, the part of the domain name that comes after the "dot" that designates the top-level domain, can also help or hurt your domain name. The most widely known extension in the world is still .com, although there are now more extensions, and due to its familiarity with business and reliability, .com is still the best choice in most cases. If .com is not available, consider other neutral extensions such as .net or .info. While new extensions like .church or .photo can help instantly convey what the site is about, more exotic choices such as .me or .pizza may not convey the right image and will not stand the test of time.

Since a domain name represents its owner everywhere it goes, do everything you can to promote it and avoid confusion. When possible, research alternatives to an ideal name and purchase those domains – including those that may be misspelled. This also includes variations used by social media accounts, so that a brand is consistently represented everywhere it may be found.

There are over 1.3 billion websites on the Internet, so there is a good chance that any domain name, no matter how unique and creative it sounds, is already being used in some way. Carefully research your domain name generator, keyword searches, and trademark searches to ensure it is not infringing, which could lead to legal action and the need to reselect a domain name.

Choosing the right domain name to serve as your brand or company's online presence can be a challenging task. However, with careful planning and careful consideration, you can create a memorable domain name that will stand the test of time.