Finding the perfect domain name is the first step toward creating a successful blog.

The domain name of your website needs to speak to your audience and represent your brand.

With the right domain name, your blog can be found by potential visitors with ease and, most importantly, they will be able to come back for more.

In this blog post, I’ve put together 15 tips that will make your life a lot easier when it comes to finding the perfect domain name, as well as the reasons why domain names are such a big deal.

What’s a Domain Name?

Your domain name is your website’s unique address.

Your URL address is how search engines manage to show your site on searches and users can find you online.

Generally, you’ll have to pay an annual fee to register the domain, which varies, depending on the company you register with and the URL you choose.

Domain Name Structure

The domain name is formed by the prefix, which is the http:// you see at the beginning of the URL. It can also be https://, where “s” stands for security.

Then comes the sub-domain – www, followed by the domain name, which is the name you’ll choose and the TLD, which we’ll discuss below.

Why is Your Domain Name so Important?

At first, a domain name might seem to have little relevance, considering the importance of content, building an audience and so forth.

But, choosing the wrong domain name can set you up for failure right from the start.

When you take the time to understand more about your choices, you’ll be able to find the right domain name for your site.

With the perfect domain name, your website will have the foundation to grow online.

Below are 15 tips to help you find the perfect domain name:

1. Consider Your Target Audience and Niche

Before deciding on the perfect domain name for your website, make sure you know your target audience.

Your domain name needs to be relevant to your niche and audience.

Otherwise, it will be challenging for them to find you and it won’t be memorable enough for them to come back.

Research your niche and audience thoroughly.

Learn about them, what do they like and dislike, which social media platforms do they use, what do they do, and any other relevant information.

That knowledge will give you a leg up when choosing your domain name.

2. Get a Domain Name With .com

Most successful bloggers, marketers, and brands will back this up.

Whenever possible, choose a domain name that you can buy the .com extension.

Since it’s familiar to most people, having the .com as your top-level domain (TLD) will ensure you don’t lose any visitors over a wrong domain extension.

Local TLDs

Some locations have their own domain extensions, such as Canada which uses .ca, Australia with .au, Germany with .de, Italy uses .it and so on.

If your business is local and you have no aspirations whatsoever to make it internationally, you could consider a local TLD.

Niche TLDs

Another strategy that brands use to choose the perfect domain name is to consider the niche-related TLDs.

For instance, if a business is in the education industry, using the TLD .edu could be a huge advantage and give the brand more credibility.

Pro-tip: Go TLDs crazy. Once you decide what your domain name will be, and you buy the .com, you should also think about buying other extensions. This will eliminate possible competition that could rise and any confusion. All your domains can redirect to the main one.

3. Branding Should Be Top-of-Mind

If your goal is to build a profitable blog or website, you need to see it as a business.

Your domain name is often your audience’s first interaction with you.

When your domain name is relevant to your business niche or audience, as well as memorable and simple, chances are, more visitors will come back.

4. Choose a Unique Name

It goes without saying, but it’s too important not to – your domain name needs to be unique.

If there are other websites with similar names, even if the industry isn’t, think about going back to the drawing board.

5. Brainstorm

Brainstorming is underrated.

With a simple exercise of dumping ideas in a piece of paper, you can find the perfect domain name for your website.

The first few ideas might be taken or cliché, but as you go down the list, you could have some potential names.

6. Thesaurus is Your Friend

Sometimes, it’s common to feel like you’ve run out of ideas.

That’s the best time to visit Thesaurus.com and check your keywords’ synonyms.

It’s a free tool that can help you find different possible words to say the same thing.

7. Keep it Simple

Many people try to be clever and conceive intricate names for their blog domains, but most of the time, it doesn’t work.

When the act of typing a domain name is too hard, potential visitors will just go somewhere else.

Here are a few things to look out for that could hurt your brand:

• Different spelling
  
• Long domain names
  
• Unusual characters
  
• Confusing to type

8. Shorter Domain Names Work Better

When your domain name is shorter, it makes things much easier for potential visitors.

It’s easier to remember and to type.

To select the perfect domain for your blog, you need to consider how much information people receive every day.

If you want them to remember your blog, shorter names are your best option.

But the chosen name still must be aligned with your business goals.

9. Buy the Common Misspelling

Even if your domain name is simple, common misspelling incidents are bound to happen.

The best thing to do in this situation is to purchase the domain name that’s misspelled too.

That way, you’ll always get the visitors.

10. Legal Ownership of Your Domain Name

As mentioned before, your website URL is your brand.

When you think you have the perfect domain name, make sure it isn’t a trademark.

Check if there aren’t any other brands under that name and no ownership over it.

Get your intended domain name and make it yours.

Once a blog starts growing, having your own trademark will give you some legal protection, in case something happens.

11. Think About Social Media Handles

When you are looking for the best possible domain name, you should also consider social media handles’ availability.

Sometimes, you might not be able to get the exact name, but try and keep it as close as you can.

12. Blog Naming Strategy

More than a domain name, you need a blog name – a blog that will become your business and brand.

A common strategy to help bloggers come up with names is to focus on the topic or audience group and the end goal of the blog.

Here’s an example:

If your audience is “Affiliate marketers” and the end goal is to grow fast, the name would be – Affiliate Marketing Growth or Affiliate Marketers Ascend.

13. Learn About Your Competitors

It’s vital to check out your competitors’ names, to come up with your perfect domain name.

First, it will help you determine what NOT to call your website, which already helps a lot.

Second, you can try and spot what they have in common and what they are doing well.

It will show you what you should consider before creating your domain name.

14. Use a Domain Name Generator

To create the right name for your blog, you need to explore different options and find what works best for you.

Having a tool like Name Mesh can help you find more alternatives before you decide on one name.

15. Think About keywords

Whichever niche you choose and domain name you’re considering, research is crucial.

More specifically, keyword research.

For your blog to succeed, you need to use the keywords that will put you in front of the right audience.

If you can’t find a way to insert your focus keyword in your domain name or you think it will restrict your expansion in the future, you don’t need the exact keyword on the domain name.

Just make sure you use the keyword and its synonyms throughout your website within context.

Tool for Keyword Research – Jaaxy

To ensure you choose the keywords that will help you grow faster than ever, check out Jaaxy.

This keyword tool helps bloggers save a lot of time on research, which means increased productivity and more time for writing your blog posts.

With Jaaxy, you can find out which words will give you a competitive edge.

It will allow you to choose a domain name and keywords that will help you thrive.

Give Jaaxy a try today!

When you put these tips into action, you’ll be able to find the perfect domain name for your blog, which can soon become your brand.

Though your domain name is important, high-quality content and relevance will have a more significant impact on your success.