Updated 9/5/2024
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.
Some people use hyphens, if their domain is not available without them. Like appy-beemer.com (not a real site) for example.
It works, but again, it's not ideal because it's harder to tell people about it and harder to remember. You have to figure out if the tradeoff is worth it for you.
Also, in 2024, we're more likely to click links than to try to remember a site and type it in. I'm weird that way that I will, but a lot of people won't. So again, think about the tradeoffs, how you expect people to find you, and what fits for your business.
Make sure your domain fits your business, not just now but long term.
If you start with an online bookstore - appybeemerbooks.com, for example (not a real site), and expand into selling chocolate candy and organic health products on the same site, it might not work well.
Maybe beginning with beemergifts.com (for example, not a real site) 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.
We are seeing more .co, .io, and even .ai extensions, but be careful those as a small business. Think about how people will find and use your site, and make sure your extension fits for you.
Other main extensions are .net, .org, .edu, and .gov. The .net extension was intended for network services, but has become more used by tech businesses. I don't prefer it, but a .net extension might be an acceptable option if .com is not available for your domain.
For the others, I would only use those if the website fit the specific purpose - like a non-profit (.org), a government agency (.gov) or an official educational facility (.edu).
One thing to consider, if you want to use an alternate extension because your domain is in use already as a .com - is what happens if your audience ends up at the other website, the examplesitedomain.com site that's NOT you (you're on examplesitedomain.net)?
And 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 or Porkbun. And no, I'm not an affiliate, just a fan. 
