{"id":29911,"date":"2022-03-15T21:15:15","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T04:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericasneubauer.com\/?p=29911"},"modified":"2022-04-07T09:08:25","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T16:08:25","slug":"how-to-choose-a-domain-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericasneubauer.com\/how-to-choose-a-domain-name\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose a domain name"},"content":{"rendered":"\nNeed to pick a domain name, but feeling totally overwhelmed by all the options? Here’s some things to consider, and what to do if the domain you want is taken: \n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800 \n\u2714\ufe0f.com is the most popular and most intuitive option- by which I mean most people type it in by default. However, don’t pay an arm and a leg just to get your ideal bizname.com (no joke, domains that are considered valuable can be sold for millions of dollars)- there are other good options, which I’ll describe further on.\nAlso an important thing to consider- if the .com that you want is taken by a competitor, don’t just use the exact same domain name ending in .co. This will actually work against you, as most likely anyone typing in your domain name will default to the .com, thus sending more traffic to your competition. \n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800 \n\u2714\ufe0f Shorter and easy to remember is better. If your biz name is known by a nickname or shortened version, use that (i.e. adventurecat.com for Adventure Cat Sailing Charters). If your biz name is the same or similar as other businesses in other locations, add your city name. \n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800 \nPro tip: Be sure to do your due diligence by checking your state’s registry of businesses to make sure your business name isn’t the same as a competitor’s in your geographic area. The availability of the domain does not necessarily mean the business name is available.<\/em> \n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800 \n\u2714\ufe0f Other extensions to consider if .com is taken: \n.biz- also short and sweet \n.io- this is becoming popular for those in the tech industries \nAny extension related to your field i.e. .law for a law firm \nJust be sure the ending you want is not on any spam lists- there are lots of dodgy extensions \n\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800\u2800 \n\u2714\ufe0f You can add hyphens and plus signs (sadly, no ampersands)- this is a helpful workaround if your ideal name is taken\n