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A Guide to Choosing Domain Names

When setting up a business, one of the first tasks on your ever-growing to-do list will be to get online, with every business operating in every industry needing a strong online presence in order to survive. This includes having a secure, clean and user-friendly website. But, in order to get the website live, a secure, on-brand domain name will be required.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a unique name that identifies a website, with every single website that is live online having its own ‘address’. For instance, here at Web Hosting Cymru, our domain name is WebHostingCymru.co.uk. This is what web-users will type into their search bar in order to access a website directly.

Choosing a domain

There are no strict rules or guidelines when it comes to choosing a domain name. In fact, in recent years, business owners have become increasingly creative when it comes to this task! Below, we look at a few common practices business owners are using when selecting their chosen domains:

Their brand name:

It makes sense to choose a domain name that includes your brand name. This makes it easier to find your website simply by typing in your business’ name in Google.

Nothing too lengthy:

The lengthier your domain name, the harder it will be to remember. This is why keeping your website address short and snappy is ideal.

Keywords :

Keywords are words you want your website to appear in Google for. For instance, if you are an accountancy firm, having the word ‘accountant’ or ‘accountancy’ featured in your domain name will help you climb the Google ranks. Keep this in mind when searching for your website domain.

Numbers and hyphens –

Generally speaking, it is advisable to avoid having too many hyphens and/or numbers within your domain name. Not only do they add another aspect for Google to process but domains with many hyphens and numbers are also hard to communicate verbally.

Think long-term –

Although you may have a cool idea for a domain name now, it’s important that you think about the future, not simply opting for the first option that seems ‘okay’ for the current phase your business is in. So, when purchasing your domain, think long term and put some thought into whether or not you’ll be happy with this same domain name 5-10 years down the line.

Domain extensions –

Your domain extensions refers to the section after the full stop. The most common domain extensions are .com and .co.uk. However, in recent years, an increased number of domain extensions have become available, with .wales, .london, .club, .news and .com.uk being heavily in demand.

Domain and hosting packages

If you are on the search for domain names then be sure to search through our ever-growing inventory of options here on WebHostingCymru.co.uk. With a variety of domain and hosting packages available at competitive prices, we make getting online quick, simple and affordable.
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