SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about increasing traffic from search engines to your website. It takes a variety of strategies to get your website to rank high on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). Thus, choosing the right domain name is one of the most important factors in ranking well (via SEO).
In this article, we’ll define the domain and discuss why it’s critical to choose wisely. Let’s get started!
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is similar to an address that is specific to your website. It is one-of-a-kind, which means you cannot use it on more than one website.
First off, whenever you build a domain name for yourself, you have to then check its availability. In case your desired name is available, it’s a good thing. But if your domain name turns out to be unavailable, you can look out for a substitute for it and instead opt for that, provided, if it fulfills your business idea. If you want to purchase a domain name, you must go to a domain registrar site or you can buy a domain as part of your web hosting service, as most web hosting providers provide a free domain for the first year of subscription.
But what makes the domain name so important?
Here are some valid reasons
- A good domain name raises brand awareness and helps you keep your customers.
- The first thing your visitors will notice is your domain. A good domain name gives your website a name that helps you sound professional and grasp an idea about you.
- A good domain name can help to increase click-through rate (CTR) and search traffic.
Domains can be distinguished into 3 categories
- TLD or top-level-domain
- The domain name
- The sub-domain
TLD or top-level domain
The last segment of a domain name, or the part that comes immediately after the “dot” symbol, is referred to as the top-level domain (TLD).
The “.com” portion of an internet address, such as https://www.google.com, is the TLD. TLDs are divided into two types: generic TLDs and country-specific TLDs.
Some popular TLDs are
- .com
- .org
- .net
- .gov
- .biz
- .edu
The domain name
Simply put, a domain name is the name of your website. This is how your website is distinguished from the billions of others on the internet. This is the name that appears before the TLD of your website. As an example: the forumias mentioned in the link blog.forumias.com is the website’s domain name.
The root domain of your website is the combination of forumias and .com. The root domain is the most important page in the hierarchy of your website and is typically your homepage. It’s also where your website’s authority is focused as you build backlinks.
The sub-domain
The third component of your URL’s anatomy is a subdomain. This is what appears in front of the root domain of your website. The most commonly used subdomain is www., which stands for world-wide-web. The subdomain is a blog in the case of forumias.com
Choosing the right domain name for your website, whether you are a business or an individual, is critical because it will help you build a stronger online presence in the long run. Here are some things to think about when picking a domain name:
- If possible, do not use any complex or long names as in such cases, they are prone to be misspelt.
- Always represent your identity, whether as a company or as an individual.
- The ideal kind of name is a short name
Impact of Domain Name on Seo
It will be the first thing people notice when they see your website listed in Google search results. It will frequently be how people refer to you when recommending your company to their friends, family and co-workers. Creating a domain name is a practice that is worthwhile devoting some time and effort to. It may even cost you money, but the return on investment may be well worth it.
A good domain name backed by a memorable brand, a location or a useful service can help a new business get off to a good start. A well-thought-out domain name with a catchy, one-of-a-kind name can attract customers to your company. It can help you stand out from the crowd and help people find you as word-of-mouth about your company spreads.
A bad domain name, on the other hand, can confuse people, send customers to your competitors and cause your business to fade into obscurity. That is never a good place to be for an online business. Finding a domain name that encapsulates your brand and service while remaining understandable to both people and search engines is difficult. Patience, creativity and perhaps a little luck are the basics that are required.
Using best SEO practices on your website will help you rank higher on SERPs, resulting in more organic traffic. A good domain name is one of the most important SEO factors. Choosing a bad domain name will only complicate your SEO efforts and will most likely harm your website traffic in the long run. Let’s check out some of the crucial SEO strategies:
Branding
Since a domain name is unique, you can use it to build your brand. For example, if your company name is Cool Coders, a good domain name would be coolcoders.com as, this will not only help your SEO (if you can get that domain), but it will also directly represent your business.
With this type of branding, you will gain more user recognition and attract more potential visitors. Furthermore, because traffic to your site is a ranking factor in following advanced SEO services, your site will rank higher.
Relevance
When users search for cool coders, for example, search engines will display websites that contain that keyword. Continuing from the previous example, if you use coolcoders.com, you will have a better chance of being among the top results when people search for your company. Why?
Your domain name contains the keywords that users are looking for. As a result, the more people who visit your site after searching for cool coders around, the better search engines recognize you as a relevant result, ranking you higher. However, keep in mind that the keyword alone does not complete the task. Your entire website should contain content. Otherwise, you will have a high bounce rate – the percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page – which will have a direct impact on your SEO practices.
Factors related to location
A location-specific domain boosts search engine optimization (SEO), ensuring free and natural website visibility. Location-specific domains are an excellent choice if you want to attract more business from the area in which you operate. They also help to reduce user confusion, making it easier for your audience to connect with and communicate with you.
If your company operates in a specific country or has a target market in that country, you can use a country-specific domain, such as .uk for the United Kingdom, .ie for Ireland, or .jp for Japan.
Alternatives
Here are some alternatives if you want a more business-related name
- Graphic designers will benefit greatly from .design
- .inc is more general and can be used for any type of business
- . store is ideal for your online retail business
- .tech is ideal for any technology-related company
- .gallery is ideal for artists
Using these alternatives, you can keep your preferred name for increased brand awareness while also making it easier for your customers to find your website alongside other search result matches.
Conclusion
All in all, we’d like to sum up that we’ve said choosing an SEO-friendly domain name is much simpler than you might think; all you need to do is keep it simple and focus on branding. Keep in mind that you cannot rely solely on your domain name to rank in search engines – a domain name is only one component of a good website. It is critical to select the correct domain name. It should be brief, straightforward and accurately represent your company. You can now consider what the best domain name for your website would be.
In any case, site optimization is critical if you want to rank high on any of the major search engines (like Google or Bing).
