Picking a domain name is a lot trickier than many people may ever realize.
You want to get something cool and that stands out, but also something that fits with your genre and theme.
It is a decision that cannot be taken lightly because your domain name will serve as the backbone for your brand. Whether business for personal your brand is crucial to establishing your domain as one people can trust.
Keep reading for seven must-know tips for choosing cool website names.
1. Make it an Easy Name to Remember
A good domain name example is one that is easy to remember. You want people to think about your site or the niche in which you are building your brand to have your name come to them quickly and easily.
A tricky name that does not stick in the memory will work against you in that regard.
When thinking of cool domain names, something catchy and memorable is certainly a must-have.
2. The Shorter the Better
In line with the above, choosing a shorter name is much better for you than a longer one.
Why?
Short names are easy to remember for a start. Beyond that, using a short name means there is limited room for spelling errors. Misspelled URLs means a loss of traffic. Not just that, but interested traffic.
3. Make it Brand Appropriate
When you are starting a website, you are doing it for a reason. Whether it is for business or personal reasons, there is a brand you want to build. That brand is you and the niche you have chosen.
From video games to writing advice and all things in between. When narrowing down your list of cool domain names you need to think of a choice that is brand appropriate.
If not, you may lose out on traffic, as people will see your site name and make assumptions on its content.
A game site without reference to gaming will not catch the eye of people looking for a game related website.
4. Keep it Positive
Positive names are the best. When thinking about how to come up with a good domain name, make sure you eliminate any names with negative connotations.
Even if you would use them as a sarcastic point, you are going to lose people before they give you a chance and learn the humor you are using.
If you write reviews of cheap indie games, then a domain named BadReviews might be appropriate, but it does not catch the eye in the way you would expect. A positive spin such as BadGamesGoodReviews conveys the same but in a better light.
Even if you’re not making money from your domain, thinking in terms of conversion, from searches to visitors, from visitors to followers, is a key way to grow your brand.
5. Avoid Numbers of Hyphens in Your Site Title
Much like long names, another big thing to avoid when looking at personal domain name ideas is to avoid using numbers or hyphens in your name.
Sure, it might sound great to call your site Reviews4Games but try explaining that URL to someone you meet. Most likely they will hear for, or maybe four, but few will think to use the number.
It may sound cool and hip, but you definitely need to keep things a little more real when picking your cool domain names.
6. Make it Unique
One thing you want to do is to make sure your name is unique.
Be careful not to do this at the expense of any of the tips above, but put some thought into something clever that has no real competition.
SEO keywords are important and make great domain names. Do your research and find a nice selection of niche and brand-oriented keywords that you can possibly use. All you need to do then it put your head together and come up with some cool personal domain name ideas.
With a shortlist, just check around and see what sort of competition there is for similar names.
What you are left with are all viable candidates for your site.
7. Use a Trustworthy Name
This is another tip similar to not using negative language in your site title.
When building a brand you want to make sure people can not only find your site but know they can trust it once they are there.
A big part of this is choosing a domain name that builds up trust from the get-go. First impressions are important in the virtual world as well as the real one.
You can always scout around and learn more about bad domain names before you make a mistake that hurts your brand.
There is More to Success than Just Cool Website Names
Having gone through your list of cool website names and settled on the one that is for you, then you need to realize that the hard work is only just beginning.
You need to ensure that you have quality content to match the cool name.
A website with nothing but a cool domain name is not really a site at all.
Regular and relevant content. SEO rich and with solid metadata and image titles used to give your site extra discoverability. That is what is needed in order to make your cool personal domain really stand out from the crowd.
If you want to learn more about web design and building your personal brand then check out some of our other helpful posts. Anything from different WordPress plugins to web design, development and coding, we can help turn you into the tech head you always wished you could be.
