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SoÌýyou have decided you want anÌýonline presence, likely with your own website. That’s great! But how are people going toÌýfind you?

InÌýorder toÌýmake yourself visible toÌýtheÌýonline world, you need aÌýdomain name. This task may seem simple, but there isÌýaÌýlot more toÌýitÌýthan one might think.

You can’t risk choosing something random because, toÌýput itÌýbluntly, once you register your domain name you’re basically stuck with itÌýforever. ToÌýchange it, you have toÌýpurchase aÌýnew one andÌýthen promote itÌýtoÌýyour customers.

SoÌýtoÌýmake things easier, I’ve created this guide toÌýhelp you understand theÌýimportance ofÌýchoosing theÌýright domain name, some tips onÌýhow toÌýfind it, andÌýwhat toÌýdoÌýifÌýit’s taken. Plus, we’ll goÌýover how toÌýregister it.

Let’s get into it!

What IsÌýaÌýDomain?

Just like physical shops have anÌýaddress people can visit, ecommerce businesses have aÌýdomain address people can use toÌývisit theÌývirtual store. AÌýdomain (or domain name) isÌýyour online business address onÌýtheÌýinternet.

And just asÌýyou need toÌýeither buy orÌýrent aÌýphysical space, you also need toÌýdoÌýtheÌýsame with aÌýdomain. The only catch isÌýthat you can’t purchase aÌýdomain name forever, unlike aÌýbuilding. Instead, you have toÌýpay aÌýmonthly/annual fee toÌýaÌýregistrar toÌýuse it.

Domain names have two elements:

• theÌýdomain name itselfÌý— e.g., Etsy
• ²¹²Ô»åÌý²¹Ìýtop-level domain (TLD, orÌýdomain extensions)Ìý— e.g., .com

There are numerous domain name andÌýextension options. SoÌýlet’s get into theÌýguidelines that’ll help you best analyze your options.

The Best Practices forÌýChoosing aÌýDomain Name

Choosing theÌýright domain name isÌýsuper important forÌýyour business because itÌýisÌýhow people will find you virtually. Use theÌýfollowing best practices toÌýcome upÌýwith your perfect domain name.

Use Your Brand Name

Your customers will most likely remember your store byÌýyour brand name (e.g., Alibaba), soÌýthat’s what they’ll type into search engines. SoÌýyou should try toÌýuse your brand name forÌýyour website domain (e.g., alibaba.com). It’s professional andÌýdistinctÌý— plus, you should really own theÌýdomain that uses your brand name, anyways.

IfÌýyou use your brand name, that gives you room toÌýexpand your inventory inÌýtheÌýfuture. SoÌýyou won’t have toÌýcreate aÌýnew website andÌýdomain name every time you venture into new products.

Using your brand name isÌýgreat, but make sure toÌýinvest resources inÌýbuilding andÌýpromoting itÌýsoÌýthat people know toÌýsearch forÌýitÌýasÌýyour domain name.

Use Keywords Related toÌýYour Website Content

When brainstorming domain name ideas, consider descriptive keywords that give context toÌýfirst-time visitors.

For example, ifÌýyou used artshop.com orÌýaÌýdomain name extension like .art, itÌýshows that theÌýdomain deals with art.

SoÌýchoose aÌýdomain name that describes your products. Also, try toÌýavoid generic names that your customers would confuse with other businesses. AnÌýexample ofÌýthis would beÌýtheÌýgeneric name “Codeless´Ï which brings upÌýthree different companies that all doÌýdifferent things.

But doÌýkeywords improve your organic search rankings?

InÌý2009, Google’s John Mueller that “it does help aÌýlittle bit toÌýhave keywords inÌýtheÌýURL.´Ï And aÌý2017Ìýstudy ofÌýtheÌýtop 10Ìýkeywords inÌý10Ìýmajor industries found that have keywords inÌýtheÌýdomain links.

However, inÌý2020, Mueller actually against having keywords inÌýtheÌýdomain name. HeÌýargued that ifÌýyou want toÌýexplore aÌýdifferent niche inÌýtheÌýfuture, itÌýwon’t fit into theÌýkeyword-rich domain that you may have spent years andÌýresources building.

With all ofÌýthat advice inÌýmind, it’s upÌýtoÌýyou whether toÌýuse keywords inÌýyour domain name orÌýnot.

IfÌýyou doÌýchoose toÌýuse keywords, doÌýsome research toÌýidentify keywords that your customers use toÌýsearch forÌýyour products. AtÌýtheÌývery least, your keywords should have:

• Decent search volume (over 1k)
• Low competition (different tools have different metrics)
• High cost-per-click (the average price that advertisers pay forÌýeach adÌýclick inÌýpaid search results)

Most SEO tools like Ahrefs andÌýMoz will beÌýable toÌýshow you these metrics.

After choosing your keywords (e.g., flower shop) feed them into aÌýdomain name search tool ofÌýyour choice. But before settling onÌýaÌýdomain name, know theÌýfive best practices below.

Consider Your Location

IfÌýyou target local buyers primarily, you can add location information toÌýyour domain name toÌýgive more context toÌýyour store.

For example:

• bostonart.com tells customers that theÌýart shop isÌýbased inÌýBoston.
• 617art.shop uses Boston’s area code. Ideally, theÌýtargeted customers would know theÌýarea code.
• sincityarts.com uses Las Vegas’s nickname. It’s perfect forÌýaÌýstore that targets buyers inÌýLas Vegas, orÌýthose who admire theÌýcity.
• artsupplies.ca uses aÌýcountry-code domain extension forÌýCanada. Domain zones that belong toÌýspecific countries target people inÌýthose countries specifically.
• artsupplies.miami uses geographic domain extensionsÌý— domain zones that belong toÌýaÌýcity, province, orÌýcontinent. This one would show that theÌýshop isÌýbased inÌýMiami, Florida.

Like other keywords, location information limits your scope ifÌýyou want toÌýexpand toÌýother locations inÌýtheÌýfuture. But you can always buy domain names forÌýdifferent locations andÌýredirect all ofÌýthem toÌýtheÌýmain domain.

Keep ItÌýShort, Easy toÌýPronounce, andÌýSpell

NoÌýone wants toÌýtype aÌýlong domain name every time. And when it’s easy toÌýsay, it’s also easy toÌýremember. SoÌýhow short should your domain name be?

from Domain Registration found that theÌýmost popular domain names are two words long with about 12ÌýtoÌý13Ìýcharacters.

It’s also aÌýgood practice toÌýmake itÌýaÌýbrandable domain name. SoÌýthink Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.

Overall, theÌýshorter andÌýeasier toÌýsay, theÌýbetter.

Avoid Numbers andÌýPunctuation Marks

Numbers andÌýpunctuation marks make theÌýdomain name less memorable andÌýharder toÌýtype. Honestly, using numbers and/or punctuation marks can beÌýplain annoying.

IfÌýyou’re looking forÌýways toÌýmodify your domain name, read onÌýforÌýsome modification ideas.

Avoid Spammy andÌýUnusual Extensions

People are wary ofÌýextensions like .br or.xyz because they look spammy andÌýunusual. Instead, you should try forÌý.com because people trust this extension.

But ifÌýtheÌý.com version ofÌýyour dream domain isÌýunavailable, either goÌýback toÌýtheÌýdrawing board orÌýchoose from other TLDs, like .clothing, .boots, .store, .jewelry, etc. These can add more context toÌýyour domain name. Like keywords, though, beÌýcareful not toÌýlimit yourself toÌýone product ifÌýyou don’t want to.

IfÌýyou’re wondering whether your desired TLD looks spammy, verify itÌýusing Spamhaus’s tool. The lower theÌýpercentage, theÌýbetter.

Avoid Trademarked Names

Distinct domains could beÌýprotected byÌýaÌýtrademark. Using aÌýsimilar domain orÌýhaving similar content toÌýaÌýtrademarked domain exposes your business toÌýcopyright, abuse complaints, andÌýlegal complications.

´¡²õÌý²¹²ÔÌý±ð³æ²¹³¾±è±ô±ð, , formerly known asÌý“Jarvis.ai´Ï, received trademark complications forÌýits name inÌýearly 2022. Its domain andÌýbrand closely resembled Tony Stark’s “J.A.R.V.I.S´Ï AIÌýfrom theÌýMarvel moviesÌý— andÌýwith Disney lawyers atÌýtheir doorstep, Jasper AI’s CEO decided toÌýrebrand.

Google also notes that:
“If aÌýtrademark owner feels you have violated aÌýtrademark, theÌýowner may file aÌýUDRP orÌýURS complaint, requesting that your domain beÌýcanceled, transferred, orÌýsuspended… Google will honor theÌýUDRP orÌýURS decision.´Ï

Once You Find aÌýSuitable Domain Name, Buy ItÌýASAP

Consider that inÌýtheÌýfirst three months ofÌý2022, that 8.8Ìýmillion domains were registered. That’s about 97K domain registrations every 24Ìýhours, orÌýroughly 1Ìýdomain every second.

Many people are interested inÌýdomain names, soÌýthis rapidity ofÌýdomain registration isÌýnot surprising.

You’ll even find people making aÌýbusiness out ofÌýdomain registration. For example, founder Mike Mann runs multimillion domain selling businesses. HeÌýpredicts profitable domains byÌýchecking keywords with traffic potential andÌýregisters them toÌýresell atÌýaÌýhigher price. HeÌýutilizes bots toÌýregister over 14k domains inÌýless than 24Ìýhours.

SoÌýonce you find that perfect domain, take it! Along with that, buy anyÌýmisspellings ofÌýyour domain name toÌýredirect mistyping customers toÌýtheÌýright domain.

New vs. Existing Domains

IfÌýyou’ve come upÌýwith aÌýdomain name but it’s already registered toÌýsomeone else, here are some things toÌýconsider.

With aÌýnew domain, you start with aÌýclean slateÌý— zero spam, zero backlinks, andÌýzero penalties. But it’ll take longer forÌýsearch engines toÌýtrust it. InÌýcontrast, anÌýexisting domain with good SEO that search engines already trust can give your site aÌýhead start.

Here are some checks you’ll want toÌýdoÌýforÌýdomains that are already registered:

• Head toÌýgoogle andÌýtype inÌýsite:YourDomainName.com (e.g., site:ecwid.com) toÌýverify that theÌýdomain name still appears onÌýsearch results. IfÌýtheÌýsite doesn’t appear onÌýGoogle, there isÌýaÌýchance that theÌýsite may have been penalized, removed, orÌýblacklisted. You can further check with free tools like Mxtoolbox toÌýsee ifÌýtheÌýsite isÌýblacklisted.
• Next, analyze theÌýdomain’s history. You can see when theÌýdomain was first recognized byÌýGoogle, archived URLs, what theÌýwebsite looked like, andÌýother details ofÌýtheÌýdomain’s past onÌýtheÌýInternet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
• Then use Ahrefs (or aÌýsimilar tool) toÌýanalyze theÌý. These are all theÌýlinks that direct visitors toÌýyour site andÌýisÌýanÌýimportant factor forÌýgetting Google toÌýrecognize your domain.

And ifÌýyou’re ready toÌýbuy aÌýtaken domain, here are your options:

Check ifÌýtheÌýDomain isÌýforÌýSale

First, access theÌýdomain using your browser toÌýsee ifÌýit’s forÌýsale byÌýcopying andÌýpasting itÌýinto your browser. The domain could beÌýredirected toÌýaÌýsales page toÌýbuy theÌýdomain.

ItÌýcould also lead toÌýaÌýpage with theÌýseller’s information.

IfÌýit’s upÌýforÌýsale, you should beÌýable toÌýbuy itÌýfrom theÌýdomain’s owner.

Buy from theÌýDomain’s Owner

There are three ways toÌýbuy theÌýregistered domain:

• Buy itÌýdirectly from theÌýowner. Look upÌýtheÌýowner’s contact information using ICANN’s registration data lookup tool. You can then negotiate aÌýfair price based onÌýtheÌýdomain’s value andÌýtheÌýmarket value forÌýsimilar domains (authority andÌýkeywords). You can also pay aÌýdomain broker toÌýnegotiate aÌýfair price.
• Buy itÌýthrough aÌýtrusted online business marketplace, forÌýexample Flippa. You simply place your bid, wait forÌýtheÌýseller toÌýcontact you, andÌýthen buy through theÌýsite.
• Buy theÌýdomain name through aÌýbackorder service. Backordering means booking toÌýbuy anÌýexpired domain ifÌýtheÌýowner doesn’t renew itÌýwithin their grace period. Domain registrars offer these backorder services. Generally, you buy aÌýbackorder credit andÌýwait until you get theÌýdomain. ItÌýshould beÌýaÌýlast resort because theÌýregistrars can’t guarantee you’ll get theÌýdomain name.

Learn more: How toÌýBuy theÌýPerfect Domain Name forÌýYour Store

Modify your Domain Name

Alternatively, modify your domain name while keeping theÌýbest practices above inÌýmind.

• Add “the´Ï toÌýyour domain nameÌý—“the´Ú±ô´Ç·É±ð°ù²õ.³¦´Ç³¾´Ï
• Add location informationÌý—“nyc´Ú±ô´Ç·É±ð°ù²õ.³¦´Ç³¾´Ï orÌý“flowers.nyc´Ï
• Add anÌýaction phraseÌý— “buy´Ú±ô´Ç·É±ð°ù²õ.³¦´Ç³¾´Ï orÌý“shop´Ú±ô´Ç·É±ð°ù²õ.³¦´Ç³¾´Ï
• Change theÌýdomain extensionÌý— “nycflowers.shop´Ï

Come upÌýwith aÌýNew Name

IfÌýall else fails, you’ll just need toÌýcome upÌýwith something new. But don’t fret; theÌýinternet has created many tools that can help. For example:

• Use aÌýdomain name generator like namer.ai

Domain generators will generally find domains that are available

• Use AIÌýwriting tools toÌýgenerate ideas

AIÌýwriting tools can beÌýincredibly useful forÌýtheÌýinitial brainstorming process. Like with this example done onÌýJasper AI

• Use Google Keyword Planner toÌýfind keyword ideas, then run aÌýdomain availability check onÌýaÌýdomain registrar ofÌýyour choice

Google Keyword Planner isÌýaÌýgreat tool toÌýuse toÌýsee trends andÌýsearch volume forÌýspecific keywords

• Use aÌýdomain name thesaurus toÌýcome upÌýwith domain name ideas

Synonyms can beÌýanÌýeasy get-around toÌýget theÌýsame meaning ofÌýanÌýexisting domain name

How toÌýRegister andÌýSecure aÌýDomain Name

SoÌýonce you find aÌýperfect domain name, shop around toÌýcompare prices from various registrars.

For example, Porkbun isÌýcurrently renewing nycflowers.shop atÌý~$25Ìýper year,

while Namecheap renews theÌýsame domain atÌý~$31Ìýper year.

Find AÌýDomain Registrar

Besides having theÌýbest domain price, aÌýlegit domain registrar has theÌýfollowing basic features:

• Reliable tech support
• AÌýsolid track record
• AÌýrange ofÌýextensions (TLDs)
• Industry security standards (SSL certificates, Whois IDÌýprotection, etc.)
• AnÌýeasy domain transfer andÌýregistration process
• Basic domain andÌýemail management tools (email forwarding, URL forwarding).

With that inÌýmind, below are myÌýmost highly recommended domain registrars.

ºÚÁÏÃÅ byÌýLightspeed
ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýanÌýecommerce platform that also provides you with aÌýcustom domain forÌýyour online store. So, this option isÌýperfect ifÌýyou need both anÌýonline store ²¹²Ô»åÌý²¹Ìýcustom domain.

With ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you get aÌýsecure domain with aÌýfree SSL certificate andÌýWHOIS privacy protection. ItÌýtakes minutes, andÌýbest ofÌýall, aÌýdomain isÌýset upÌýautomatically. That means you don’t have toÌýmanually connect your domain toÌýyour online store!

Another perk ofÌýbuying aÌýcustom domain via ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýthat it’s cost-efficient. Usually, you have toÌýrenew your domain once aÌýyear, andÌýsome registrars don’t miss theÌýchance toÌýraise aÌýdomain price when theÌýperiod renews. With ºÚÁÏÃÅ, there are noÌýhidden fees orÌýhigh price jumps when renewal comes around.

Learn more about buying aÌýdomain via ºÚÁÏÃÅ inÌýthis article:

Porkbun
AÌýdomain name from Porkbun comes with free SSL certificates that protect your site visitors’ information, like their credit card numbers. ItÌýalso comes with free Whois privacy protection (to protect your personal information from people who look itÌýupÌýonÌýICANN’s Whois directory).

ItÌýalso includes free email andÌýURL forwarding (redirecting one URL’s traffic toÌýanother URL orÌýaÌýsimilar scenario with email). InÌýaddition, your account will have security measures like two-factor authentication, login notification alerts, andÌýmore.

Namecheap
Namecheap isÌýfamous forÌýits competitive domain prices, andÌýitÌýhas been inÌýtheÌýbusiness forÌýover 20Ìýyears. The domains come with free Whois protection, plus protection from DNS (Domain Name System) spoofing andÌýcache poisoning. But typical ofÌýbig brands, their customer support isÌýwanting.

Google Domains
Google Domains isÌýfast andÌývery secure. They provide:

• Free Whois andÌýRDAP privacy protection that protect your contact information
• Cloud DNS support, which scales toÌýmeet high traffic demands
• Protection from DNS threats like cache poisoning andÌýDNS spoofing.

Google Domains also comes with free email andÌýdomain forwarding, automatic domain verification (useful forÌýconnecting toÌýGoogle Search Console), andÌýeasy access toÌýecommerce platforms.

Hover
Hover domains come with free Whois IDÌýprotection. Plus, theÌýmore domains you have inÌýyour account, theÌýless you pay forÌýrenewals. Besides hundreds ofÌýextensions toÌýchoose from, they also make itÌýeasy toÌýconnect toÌýecommerce platforms andÌýother services.

Secure Your Domain

Your domain name isÌýaÌýhuge part ofÌýyour business, andÌýyou want toÌýmake sure it’s asÌýprotected asÌýpossible. The first thing you can doÌýtoÌýguarantee protection isÌýregister your domain name yourself rather than using aÌýthird-party. That way, only you will have access toÌýtheÌýdomain’s password.

Next, use theÌýfollowing checklist toÌýsecure your domain:

• Enable two-factor authentication
• Activate REGISTRAR-LOCK status, which prevents unauthorized domain transfers.
• Enable Domain IDÌýProtection soÌýthat people won’t find your contact details onÌýtheÌýWhois directory andÌýRADP
• Limit theÌýIPÌýaddresses that can access your domain account
• Change your password regularly
• Set upÌýdomain status notifications toÌýget notified whenever someone logins
• Register misspellings ofÌýyour domain name andÌýredirect them toÌýtheÌýcorrect URL. ItÌýprevents competitors from buying theÌýmisspellings toÌýhijack your traffic.

How toÌýConnect aÌýDomain Name toÌýYour Store

You may beÌýlooking forÌýanÌýecommerce platform asÌýwell asÌýaÌýdomain name forÌýyour online business. Fortunately, there are platforms that allow you toÌýcheck many tasks off your ecommerce to-do list atÌýonce.

ºÚÁÏÃÅ byÌýLightspeed isÌýaÌýgreat example. When you sign upÌýwith ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you get anÌýInstant Site, which isÌýaÌýfree ecommerce website with aÌýbuilt-in online store. You also get aÌýfree domain forÌýyour Instant Site: https://store12345.company.site, where 12345ÌýisÌýtheÌýIDÌýofÌýyour store andÌý.company.site isÌýtheÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ domain.

But you don’t have toÌýsettle forÌýtheÌýdefault domain name. You can easily customize itÌýtoÌýbetter fit your business andÌýmake itÌýsimpler forÌýcustomers toÌýlocate your store. Use your brand name instead ofÌýyour store ID, like awesomestore.company.site. Here’s .

You can also ifÌýyou don’t want toÌýhave .company.site asÌýyour domain extension. That requires noÌýmanual setup, andÌýtheÌýdomain connects automatically after purchasing. Plus, domains purchased from ºÚÁÏÃÅ include theÌýWHOIS privacy service that keeps your personal contact information private.

After signing upÌýforÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ, you’ll also get aÌýfree SSL certificate forÌýyour store. SSL certificates are vital forÌýonline stores asÌýthey keep your customers’ information safe from hackers andÌýthieves.

ToÌýSum Up

Your brand name isÌýtheÌýbest domain name. It’s professional andÌýallows you toÌýexpand your inventory inÌýtheÌýfuture without worrying about theÌýniche. But you can also use keywords that describe your product.

The problem isÌýthat you’ll hardly find aÌýshort andÌýkeyword-rich .com domain that isn’t already registered. InÌýthat case, you can modify theÌýname byÌýadding location information orÌýanÌýaction phrase like “buy´Ï toÌýtheÌýdomain name. However, avoid adding numbers orÌýpunctuation marks because they make theÌýdomain less memorable.

AsÌýsoon asÌýyou find anÌýavailable domain that suits your needs, buy it!

Don’t let picking aÌýdomain name hold you back from selling your products. ºÚÁÏÃÅ byÌýLightspeed makes itÌýeasier than ever toÌýstart anÌýonline store, andÌýwith our help, you’ll beÌýpromoting your store inÌýnoÌýtime.

Ìý

• What aÌýDomain IsÌý&ÌýWhy You Need ItÌýforÌýYour Business
• How toÌýBuy theÌýPerfect Domain Name forÌýYour Store
• 8ÌýBest Practices forÌýChoosing aÌýDomain Name
• The Easiest Way toÌýBuy aÌýDomain