Creating an effective online presence begins with choosing the right domain name. This article provides valuable guidance on selecting, registering, and managing your domain to ensure it effectively represents your brand for years to come.
Key Takeaways
- Choose a Smart Name – A great domain name is short, simple, easy to remember, and free of special characters.
- Check Availability – Research your domain name's availability across various TLDs and check for existing trademarks before registering.
- Select a Good Registrar – A reliable, ICANN-accredited registrar, such as Trustname, provides the security and features you need for long-term success.
- Ensure Security – Protect your domain by using a domain lock, enabling privacy protection, and keeping your contact information up-to-date.
- Plan for Renewal – Prevent your domain from expiring accidentally by setting up auto-renewal and considering multi-year registration.
Choosing a domain name is the first step in starting your online journey. This section offers tips and best practices for selecting and managing domain names.
Domain Name Suggestions
Here are some strategies for choosing the right domain name for your business:
- Keep It Short and Simple
Less is more for domain names. Your domain name should be easy to remember, spell, and share. This way, users can easily recall your brand name when searching for you online. A good rule of thumb is to stick between 6 and 14 characters in length.
- Consider Brandable
Think of big brands like Ford (vehicles), Amazon (ecommerce), and Apple (gadgets). While these brand names are not keyword-focused, they are brandable domain names that strike a familiar chord in users' minds. Your domain name should have the same effect.
- Avoid special characters
Special characters like underscores, hyphens, dashes, and # make a domain look spammy and can make it difficult to pronounce, spell, or remember. This is why you should avoid them in your domain name.
- Check for Trademarks
Before registering your domain name, conduct research to ensure it’s not already taken by someone else. This is because registering a trademarked domain name can lead to legal issues.
[Component][Callout] Wrapper - Info Insert title here [Component][Callout] Title/Title with Icon -> Tip – Run a Google and social media search to see if anyone uses the name. If you get no results in your search, it means your domain name is unique and safe to use.
- Consider Keyword-rich domains
Add industry-relevant keywords to your domain name or use them as the extension. For example, if you run an e-commerce store selling shoes, your domain name can be shoehub.com or perky. Shoes. Customers will immediately understand what your brand is about.
- Think Long-Term
Before registering your domain name, ensure that it’ll stand the test of time, especially if you’re considering scaling your brand in the future. This allows you to grow without needing to change your domain completely.
[Component][Callout] Wrapper - Info Insert title here [Component][Callout] Title/Title with Icon -> Tip – Avoid names that contain trendy words or temporary fads that may become obsolete.
- Research Domain Availability
Check for the availability of your domain name across various TLDs before making a choice. Chances are, the .com TLD may be taken, so it’s advisable to have up to 5-10 domain names in mind.
Best Practices For Domain Management
Now that you have a domain name ready, how do you manage it after registering it?
- Choose a Reputable Registrar
Choosing a quality, ICANN-accredited domain registrar, like Trustname, will save you from bottlenecks in the long run. Our users enjoy easy domain management, premium security, tier-two WHOIS privacy, and other state-of-the-art features. There are also no upsells or hidden fees compared to different registrars.
- Keep Your Contact Information Updated
When registering your domain, you’ll be required to provide your contact information (name, email, address, and phone number). You’ll receive notifications about your domain, including renewal reminders, security alerts, and other relevant updates, through these contact details. So, ensure this information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Enable Domain Privacy Protection
Most registrars (including Trustname) provide WHOIS domain privacy protection — be sure to look for this before choosing a registrar! This system protects the information in your WHOIS database from being accessible online.
- Monitor Your Domain Regularly
Regardless of your domain registrar, always keep track of your domain(s). This makes it easier to detect unauthorized changes or hijacking attempts that could compromise your website's security. Also, keep track of your domain status and renewal dates to prevent it from expiring accidentally.
- Use Domain Lock
Trustname gives you a Domain Lock that prevents unauthorized domain name transfers or suspicious parties from altering your domain information. This adds an extra layer of security to your domain and reduces the risks of unauthorized changes that could disrupt your online business.
- Plan for Domain Renewal
Don’t wait for your domain to expire before renewing it. If you can, register it for multiple years at once. Trustname offers discounts for longer durations without charging extra fees.
[Component][Callout] Wrapper - Warning Insert title here [Component][Callout] Title/Title with Icon -> Also, turn on auto-renewal and ensure your payment method is valid so you don’t need to keep tabs on your domain often.
- Keep Backup Information
Always keep a backup list of your domain(s) and all associated vitals, including the account credentials and contact details. Although Trustname has automated backup services, it’s safer to have your backup in case of unexpected issues or technical failures.
- Be Aware of Domain Expiration
To keep tabs on your domain expiry date, check the date on the WHOIS database via your registrar account and set a notification on your smartphone to alert you before the due date. A better option is to enable auto-renewal on your account so that you don’t have to worry about losing your domain.
- Review Your Domain Portfolio
Lastly, periodically review all your domains. This is more important if you’ve acquired several domains similar to your domain names. Assess whether they are still relevant to your business or if there are opportunities to consolidate them.
FAQs
Consider the purpose of your website, target audience, and budget. Many brands prefer the .com TLD because it’s widely recognized. However, these TLDs are often expensive and may not be available for your chosen domain name. You can also consider other alternatives such as .net, .org, or .biz, or consider regional ccTLDs if your business focuses on a specific geographic area.
A reputable registrar ensures reliable service, secure domain management, and customer support. Trustname is an ICANN-accredited registrar and offers these benefits and more. You can look at all our enterprise-grade features for managing your domain name here.
Monitor your domain’s status regularly to ensure it is active and secure. Set up alerts for renewal dates and any changes to track your domain effectively.
Domain privacy protection hides your personal contact information from public Whois databases. It helps prevent spam and protects your identity from potential threats. At Trustname, all registered users have lifetime access to our proprietary two-tier Whois privacy protection service, which protects their domain name.
Renew your domain as soon as possible to avoid losing it. Also, consider setting up auto-renewal or registering it for multiple years to prevent it from expiring accidentally.