8 Best Practices for Choosing a Domain Name

So you have decided you want an online presence, likely with your own website. That’s great! But how are people going to find you?

In order to make yourself visible to the online world, you need a domain name. This task may seem simple, but there is a lot more to it than one might think.

You can’t risk choosing something random because, to put it bluntly, once you register your domain name you’re basically stuck with it forever. To change it, you have to purchase a new one and then promote it to your customers.

So to make things easier, I’ve created this guide to help you understand the importance of choosing the right domain name, some tips on how to find it, and what to do if it’s taken. Plus, we’ll go over how to register it.

Let’s get into it!

What Is a Domain?

Just like physical shops have an address people can visit, ecommerce businesses have a domain address people can use to visit the virtual store. A domain (or domain name) is your online business address on the internet.

And just as you need to either buy or rent a physical space, you also need to do the same with a domain. The only catch is that you can’t purchase a domain name forever, unlike a building. Instead, you have to pay a monthly/annual fee to a registrar to use it.

Domain names have two elements:

• the domain name itself — e.g., Etsy
• and a top-level domain (TLD, or domain extensions) — e.g., .com

There are numerous domain name and extension options. So let’s get into the guidelines that’ll help you best analyze your options.

The Best Practices for Choosing a Domain Name

Choosing the right domain name is super important for your business because it is how people will find you virtually. Use the following best practices to come up with your perfect domain name.

Use Your Brand Name

Your customers will most likely remember your store by your brand name (e.g., Alibaba), so that’s what they’ll type…