What type of powerful domain name is going to work best for you?
Choosing an effective domain name gets SO many people stuck!
So here’s the first 2 things that you should know.
a) It’s important to choose something that feels right for you
b) Don’t let it hold you back. And by that I mean – your business will not fail because you don’t choose the perfect domain name.
Honestly, I know of people who haven’t started their businesses, because they got so caught up in figuring out a name to use. Don’t let that person be you.
Yes, your domain is important, but it doesn’t need to be absolutely perfect. And to be honest, it’s unlikely to be, as the choice of domains is somewhat diminished now. So temper your expectations of what is going to be available.
If the one that you’re wanting has already been registered, move onto the next option on your list, or a variation of it, and keep moving forwards.
With that being said, there are 3 types of domain name that you may want to consider. As a lot of you reading this are coaches and therapists, the first category is likely to appeal to many of you:
1. Personal. If you’re going to be using your name as your primary domain, this is the category for you. This strategy can be used very effectively and lots of people in the coaching, consulting and online marketing space use it successfully. Some examples include:
amyporterfield.com
kimgarst.com
mandymuckalt.com
If you find that your name has already been registered by someone else, you can look for some variations. If my name was Jane Doe, and I was a coach, I could consider some of these options:
simplyjanedoe.com
iamjanedoe.com
janedoecoaching.com
coachwithjanedoe.com
thejanedoe.com
successwithjane.com
theonlyjanedoe.com
2. Company. You may choose to be recognised by a company name rather than your own. Back in 2003, when I set up Azure Marketing, this was the route that I chose. Some of the examples in our industry that you’ll see now are:
capandanchor.com
moz.com
mailchimp.com
3. Market: If you want to be instantly recognisable by your industry, you may choose a descriptive domain name. When you see these domains, it’s instantly obvious what goods or services you may be offered if you visit them. Good examples of this include:
pet-supermarket.co.uk
toysrus.co.uk
thebushcraftstore.co.uk
So that may get you on the right track with what kind of domain name you’d like to consider.
But what about the practicalities of something that is going to serve you well?
What else do I need to consider when choosing my domain?
Some of the best domain name advice I have seen is given by Rand Fishkin of Moz.com.
So I would urge you to watch his video or read the transcript of it here: https://moz.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-domain-name-whiteboard-friday
If you’re needing some more inspiration in searching for your domain name, take a look at Lean Domain Search which will show you some possible variations, and also will show you what’s available and what’s not, and whether the Twitter handle for that name is available too. It’s a nifty tool.
Join the free WordPress Happy Community to join the conversation, and run any of your suggestions past us in the group for feedback.
Next, we’ll actually register your domain name, and I’ll show you how to get the best deal.
If you’re wanting feedback on your domain name choices, join me for the next Confident Website Creation Challenge. It’s 5 days of free training to get your website started from scratch and I’ll be in there with you giving you training, feedback and encouragement to get you up and running.
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