How to Choose a Powerful Website Domain Name for Your New Business

Grant Polachek
by Grant Polachek
Updated On: October 8, 2023
How to Choose a Powerful Website Domain Name for Your New Business

The internet is today more strongly bound to businesses than ever before. And any small business owner developing a successful brand must invest time and resources in getting a high-quality domain name.

Your domain name is your brand’s digital address, and having a solid one will make it easier for customers to access your website, suggest it to their friends, and increase the conversion rate of your business.

And if you’re in need of a powerful domain name but don’t seem to know what to look for, read on because that’s exactly what we’d be looking at.

What are Premium Domain Names

Premium domain names are a set of domain names that differentiate themselves from others by containing all of the necessary qualities an ideal domain name should have. They are simple, memorable, brief, resonate with the company they represent, and usually end in ‘.com.’

Companies that possess premium domain names have significant branding potential. Great domain names, such as Amazon.com and eBay.com, have assisted these businesses in standing out and being easily available to their target customers.

So, if you really want to make it simpler for people to find your company online, invest in a top-level domain name. And one way to start your search is with a well-known brand name creator.

What Exactly Makes Premium Domain Names Special?

To fully understand what distinguishes a premium domain name, you must first grasp the specific benefits it may provide your company.

Understand that domains are typically acquired by business owners as a means of increasing brand recognition or simply because they don’t want another person or brand to get them.

Many entrepreneurs, however, have made it their mission to discover premium domain names since:

  • They are short and easy to remember
  • They can boost your brand’s SEO performance
  • They are easy to customize 
  • They come with trusted extensions like .com, .net, .org, and .io
  • They communicate a clear message

These are just a handful of the reasons why top-quality domains are highly popular. Aside from standing out from the crowd, top-level domains are also excellent at performing their primary goal, which is to make it simpler for visitors to locate a website. 

Here’s Why it’s Important to Get Your Business Website a Premium Domain Name

use premium domain name when choosing a domain name for your business website

It Resonates With Your Brand Identity

High-quality domain names stand out because they are an excellent medium for expressing the heart of your startup’s brand identity.

Getting a premium domain name that’s an exact match or similar to your company’s name and social media handles can help you increase your brand’s online visibility and make you more accessible to your target audience.

Choosing a domain name that is notably different from your company’s name will have a negative impact on the efficacy of your brand.

It Makes it Easier for Your Target Customers to Locate You

Domain names work the same way as physical addresses, and it is widely accepted that the shorter your address, the easier it will be for people to locate you.

Purchasing a premium domain name makes it easier for your target audience to identify, search for, and locate your company online. Because premium domains are short and straightforward, they deliver more precise responses when consumers search for your company online because they are easier to speak and remember.

It Boosts Your Startup’s Credibility

Getting a top-level domain with a .com extension boosts the legitimacy and reliability of your company’s website. Because the .com domain is more widespread and trustworthy, customers are more inclined to purchase shoes from bestshoes.com than bestshoes.click.

Premium domain names are your best choice for making a good first impression on clients since they will provide your online business the legitimacy and authority it requires.

The 4 Critical Tips for Success When Choosing a Premium Domain Name for Your Website

Use Your Business Name (Or Something Similar)

Your business name plays an irreplaceable role in the success of your brand. The best business names communicate a clear message and positive tone, and are short, memorable, and easy to say, spell, recall, and recommend. Check our guide on different tones in writing examples . And most especially, it must embody your brand identity and personality.

And just like your brand name, it’s vital that your domain name possesses these non-negotiable qualities because it’s the first thing customers would go looking for when searching for your business online, and ideally, you want them to find your brand quickly.

The easiest way new businesses can help customers find their brand is by using a domain name that’s an exact match to their brand name. 

But, say you’re a well-known business with an established product or reputation; then you can use an abbreviation of your brand name. Some great examples are GlaxoSmithKline and Facebook using gsk.com and fb.com, respectively.

Get a ‘.com’ Domain Name Extension

Although there are over 1500 domain extensions—according to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority—available online, the ‘.com’ domain is still king. 

And that’s because customers are so familiar with the ‘.com’ extension that they’ve come to associate it with trusted and reliable, and non-scammy sites.

It’s best to use a ‘.com’ extension, but if it’s been taken by someone else, consider using other top-level domain extensions like ‘.co,’ ‘.io,’ ‘.net,’ and ‘.org.’

And yes, resist the urge to jump head-first into business with a domain name like Sam.pizza because, even if you’re running a pizza business, most of your customers would hit an error page when they search for sam.pizza.com, or worse, end up on another business’s site. 

Ensure Your Domain Name is Brandable

Brandable domain names do not include any SEO keywords, nor do they give clients any information about the items or services that a brand provides; nonetheless, they do an excellent job of communicating some subtle hints about what your brand does.

Although brandable domain names such as apple.com, google.com, and amazon.com lack keywords and provide no indication of the items or services they provide, these domain names are distinctive, attractive, and effectively express their brand’s essence and personality.

So, if you’re a new entrepreneur, an established founder, or even a website developer looking for a memorable brandable domain name, consider using abstract, metaphorical, or symbolic words.

Brandable domain names are unique, memorable, easy to trademark, and can grow to encompass all facets of your business as it grows.

Keep Your Domain Name Short and Memorable

Another element your domain name needs is simplicity. Ask yourself, Is my domain easy for my customers to learn, recall, and spell? Or is it complicated and tough to spell?

Lengthy domain names can be complex and challenging for your customers, diminishing their value. And that’s why you must focus on using a short and simple domain name. This way, you can easily increase your customers’ likelihood of recommending your business.

And yes, make sure to choose a shorter domain name even if the lengthy version is an exact match domain (EMD) to your business name.

But, if getting a shorter version isn’t possible, be sure to obtain every commonly misspelled variation of your business name, like how 7-Eleven secured seven-eleven.com, 711.com, and seven-eleven.com.

Another great example is Facebook. The company bought the domain name fb.com and redirected it to its primary site, facebook.com. Meta also spent $8.5 million to acquire fb.com in order to increase the site’s accessibility.

Also, if you search Louis Vuitton online, you’ll notice that they’ve linked every common misspelling of their names to their main address, such as loisvuitton.com, luisvuitton.com, louisvuitton.com, and probably a few others.

And these brands did this because they knew their brand names were pretty complicated to spell and if it could affect their brand’s success if someone else got it before them.

How Can You Register Your Domain Name?

Here’s a simple path to registering your domain name.

First: Find a Great Domain Registrar

The best domain registrars provide low costs, good customer care and support, strong security measures, and a solid, time-tested reputation.

Namecheap, Bluehost, DreamHost, and GoDaddy are all outstanding domain registrars. These registrars provide competitive price options and good customer service and support. 

They also provide extra features like private domain name registration and website creation tools, making them excellent choices for organizations and people looking to start a website. 

These registrars offer sophisticated security features like two-factor authentication and round-the-clock monitoring to safeguard your website from dangerous assaults and data breaches.

Check Domain Availability

Before registering any domain name, you need to check if it’s already been used by someone else. And to do that, you can visit sites like GoDaddy and Domain.com and search for the domain name. Doing this will help you know if your chosen domain is available.

Set Up Domain Privacy

Although this is optional, setting up your domain privacy is essential because it stops your personal information from being gathered and published in public WHOIS databases. 

Spammers, telemarketers, and other bad actors could quickly get this information and use it for illegal activities like identity theft and phishing scams. 

Activating your domain privacy will keep your contact information private and save you from needless exposure. 

The best way to set up domain privacy is to ‘add privacy protection’ before completing the purchase. Doing this would even help you place the contact information you’d like displayed when someone looks up your domain name.

Renew Your Domain Name

Always remember to check your domain status and renew your domain name regularly. This way, you can guarantee that your website and email are functional, secure, and will not expire. 

Renewing your domain also allows you to maintain your website content, emails, and related services without interruption, giving consumers a consistent user experience. 

And yes, if you fail to renew your domain name in time, someone else may buy it if it is available. And that could result in lost traffic, brand confusion, identity theft, or other legal challenges.

Here are The Three Best Available Domain Name Tools

Squadhelp

suqadhelp offers premium domain names for website naming

Squadhelp is one of the greatest services for selecting a premium domain name that matches your brand identity, whether you’re starting a fashion, technology, or healthcare business.

Squadhelp is simple to use and supports customers in locating the best premium domains available on the internet. In addition to a unique collection of expert-curated domain names, customers might arrange a naming contest with thousands of imaginative experts to assist them in choosing a name that is specifically fitted to their business.

Sedo

sedo offers best domain names for your business

Sedo is widely considered one of the most reliable domain marketplaces. The website provides a wide range of top-level domain names at reasonable prices. Buyers may analyze and compare analytics data from two or more domains using Sedo.

Sedo also provides brokerage services to help with negotiations and transfer procedures. Buyers who are new to domain purchases may be certain that an expert broker is handling their transaction.

Flippa

flippa id #1 marketplace to buy and sell domains

Flippa is an auction-based marketplace known for selling and acquiring domains, applications, and even entire internet-based enterprises.

Customers can also do a sufficient investigation to uncover any questionable activities as well as potential development prospects. Flippa’s verification and validation can evaluate domain activity over a three-year period and give critical industry progress information.

Bonus: Use a Domain Name Analyzer

Domain Name Analyzers are great tools that can aid you in selecting the perfect domain name for your website. 

If you’re buying a domain name from a secondary marketplace, using a domain analyzer can help you examine target keywords and site metrics relevant to the site’s performance.  

You can also use domain name analyzers to examine the availability of certain domain names and compare other choices. Some domain analyzers can even give useful information on the popularity and traffic associated with specific domain names.

Conclusion: Your Premium Domain is a Huge Asset

A good domain name is well worth the investment since it will create more than enough value to cover its cost, even if it is overpriced on the secondary market. A premium domain name is an essential component for every business since it represents the brand’s digital identity.

So, now that you know what to look for in a good domain name, make sure to acquire the one you find as soon as possible since getting a domain name should be done as quickly as possible; otherwise, someone else will claim it.

Don’t forget to pair your excellent domain name with an equally amazing website design. Ensure your website contains valuable content that will pleasure your visitors and convert them into repeat customers.

Finally, make sure you renew your domain name. You don’t want someone else to purchase your domain name as an expired name and then sell it back to you for a premium.

FAQ

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is a distinct name used to identify a website online. It’s often composed of a string of words, letters, or numbers. For example, Nike’s domain name is nike.com.

What is a Top-Level Domain?

Top-level domains (TLD) are the highest domains in the Internet’s hierarchical Domain Name System (DNS). It is a domain suffix at the end of a web address and is used to signify the kind of website and its purpose.

What are the 5 Top-Level Domains?

The five top-level domains are ‘.com,’ ‘.net,’ ‘.org,’ ‘.edu,’ and ‘.gov.’ But, some of the fastest-rising domains include ‘.online,’ ‘.store,’ ‘.info,’ ‘.io,’ and ‘.tech.’ 

Should I Include Dashes in My Domain Name?

Short answer? ‘No!’ The long answer is that it all depends on your kind of business and the purpose of your domain name. Using a dash (-) to build a phrase or combination of words will make your domain more readable.

But, many people see dashes as unprofessional and difficult for website visitors to remember, so it’s crucial to assess every alternative before adding a dash to your domain name.