Pick the right domain name

Do you need a descriptive domain name or a branded domain name?

A good domain name can really help your marketing efforts and drive traffic to your website. When you think about a domain name for your website, you will be looking at various choices, including whether to go for a branded or descriptive domain name.

Wait, rewind, what is a domain name?

Your domain name is your website’s name and address. It’s the human-readable identification of your website. People type your domain name into their address bar when they want to visit you. It’s what you share with people when you want to direct them to your online presence. This website’s domain name is eonic.com.

Your domain name may also have an effect on your performance on search engines. So it’s worth thinking carefully when you choose. In many ways its just as important as your logo and branding.

What makes a good domain name?

I did a quick straw poll around the office about what makes a good domain name, and this is what the members of our web development team shouted out:

  • Short
  • Distinct
  • Easy to type
  • Easy to say.

Domain names can be descriptive or branded, according to your marketing needs.

…and what’s a descriptive domain name?

A descriptive domain name is a generic description of your product and service. An example would be canadiantravelclinics.ca. A descriptive domain name includes keywords (and location if appropriate).

…now tell me what a branded domain name is?

A branded domain name is your brand. Examples are eonic.com and downingburyfarm.co.uk.

It’s also possible to have a hybrid domain name, like www.imago.community.

Which type of domain name is right for me?

There’s a question! You may already have a good idea of how you want to position yourself in the marketplace, and that should help you decide on a domain name.

But if not, I can guide you through the various domain name choices. When you come to Eonic for web development services I spend a lot of time getting to know you and asking a lot of questions in our discovery process. Then I go away and research other offerings in your marketplace. And then, working with all this information, I ask our creatives to come up with some domain options for you.

Our SEO experts will research potential domain names to ensure they aren’t trademarked or under copyright or being used by your rival. And I’ll tell you about some choices for extensions (there is so much more to extensions that .co.uk…)

I’ll also recommend some steps you can take to protect your brand by preventing competitors from registering other versions of your domain. And because I’m nothing if not passionate and enthusiastic, unless you ask me to stop talking, I’ll tell you about clever ways you can use domain names to access different marketplaces.

How do I reserve my domain name?

As part of our web design service I’ll help you reserve your domain name through a reliable internet domain registrar, and our developers will sort out website hosting for you, too. They can also organise redirects from other versions of your domain.

Finally I’ll give you all the tools you need to manage your domain going forward. Your domain is a valuable asset and as ethical web developers Eonic will put you in control of it.

Ready to talk about domains? Contact Eonic’s Kent-based website design team for a chat.