How to Choose a Domain

The TL;DR

Choose a domain that is:
easy to remember
fits your business for the long term
is a .com, if possible

What is a domain?

Domains are how you tell people to find your website, kind of like giving them your address. It’s made up of the first part that you make up: “mydomain” and the extension, which you choose from a list of available extensions. The most common is “.com.” So the full domain is “mydomain.com.”

How do I get one?

Domains must be registered through a registrar, and there are many options. Some are resellers through other companies. My favorite is at the end of this article.

How to choose a domain

So some general guidelines for choosing a domain:

Make it easy to remember and easy to spell, if possible.

If you intentionally misspell a word, make it part of your branding, so people remember it.

One way to make it easy to remember? Make it easy to say. Because what usually happens? I hear about a website on a podcast, the radio, or in a conversation.

So if I want to find the site, it’s got to be something I can remember and spell well enough to find the site.

Make sure your domain fits your business, not just now but long term.

If you start with an online bookstore – appybeemerbooks.com, for example, and expand into selling chocolate candy and organic health products on the same site, it might not work well.

Maybe beginning with beemergifts.com might give the business room to grow.

This ability to expand or even pivot a business using one website is why you see many sites with a personal brand – like appybeemer.com.

Any type of business fits under a personal brand.

Some people recommend adding keywords to your domain, but Google’s official position is that it is not necessary.

Use a .com if possible.

Over half of domains use the .com extension. According to growthbadger.com, .com domains are more memorable and more trusted than others.

One final note – don’t use .biz. It’s one of the “seems scammy” extensions.

If you need a domain, I recommend checking out namecheap.com. And no, I’m not an affiliate, just a fan. 😉

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