How to Choose a Perfect Domain Name – SEO Best Practices

Domain Name consists of two parts- DOMAIN and NAME. The domain comprises an accessible group of computers that are administered with a common set of rules. A domain name is a name given to a website to make Google understand what the website is about. This blog brings you a detailed explanation of “what are domain names, the types of a domain name, how to choose a domain name and tips for SEO friendly domain name.” All of which are very important from an SEO point of view.

What are Domain Names?

Domain name is a specific name provided to a website that exists on any search engine. These domain names are human readable that can be easily understood. It consists of 3 parts i.e. top-level domain, sub-domain, and domain. The combination of top-level domain and domain name is known as the root domain. 

1. Top-Level Domain

A top-level domain is a suffix that can be seen at the end of any website’s name (like the one in the image). Some commonly used top-level domains include .com, .edu, .net,  .org, . There can be many suffixes that can be used depending on the business like- .book, .clothing, .lifeinsurance, .travel etc. It can also be made based on the location such as .uk,  .ind, etc.

2. Domain Name

Domain names represent the name of the website and is responsible for getting ranked in SERP. These names depend on keywords searched by the user. This name should be given after doing some research on keywords, as it has a very significant impact on the SEO ranking. Most of the website owners prefer giving domain names based on their business.

Example: www.licindia.in – Here the website domain is life insurance corporation (lic) and business is also about the life insurance.

3. Sub Domain

Sub Domain is the first and the prefix part of the website’s name. It is the separated part of the root domain.

In the above image – www.data-flair.training

4. Root domain

It forms a very important part of the website. This name is formed by combining top-level domain and domain name. Combination of both these names is used in basic conversation. The optimization of the root domain is also responsible for its visibility on any search engine.

Does Domain Name Affect SEO?

Yes, it affects SEO. Every website owner wants to attract maximum web traffic towards their website to gain more business and to do so the domain name should be appropriate and understandable. If a business owner keeps the name of the domain of his website according to his services & products, then it’s a good step towards getting a well-optimized domain name.

If there are 1000 of websites offering the same services or products, then the name of your domain should stand out as a unique and an emerging one.

Types of Domain Name

There are different types of Domain Names for a website. They are:

1. Branding Domains 

These are the names that sound similar to your business type. It is advisable to keep a brand’s domain name if you already have a well-established brand name and you want to promote it on a large scale.

These websites are not viewed for their services or products but of the brand power it holds.

Example – www.Reebok.com. 

Now Reebok is a very renowned brand. People buy their shoes because of its strong brand value. Therefore, a good strategy here would be to not change the name of your website.

One should use the brand domain name when:-

• One’s brand is well-known and established.
• It has some uniqueness.
• If one wants to promote your brand.
• If one wants to rank one’s brand name high on SERP.

2. Keyword Domains

Domain name that has keywords related to your business is considered as keyword domains. For example, if your website provides business opportunities to entrepreneurs, then you should use keywords such as best entrepreneurs websites or best start-ups, etc.

Be careful while choosing keyword as a name for your website because it’s difficult to rank higher and optimize your website if you choose keyword based domains. Google prefers the brand domain when compared to keyword domains.

3. Local Domains

These names are based on the locations of your business operation. For example, if you run a restaurant in Delhi, then you can name your domain as delhifood.com or delhiswad.com, etc. It has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that it focuses on the particular location and the main drawback is- if you ever want to expand your business, then it may be a point of concern.

4. Service Domains

It depends on your services that your website offers. For example : riyaips.com or perfectcoaching.com. These are mainly used by SMEs, who want to highlight their services and products. It also gives you an opportunity to decide your geographical region of operations.

How to Choose a Domain name- SEO Friendly Tips

Below mentioned are some tips that will help you in choosing a perfect name for your website.

• You can choose any name you want, but make sure it does not look like a spammy website’s name.- 
• It should be easily memorized.
• It should be relevant to the content present on your website.
• Avoid using synonym names for your website. It’s better to stick with the exact business name.
• Try to keep it simple and easier for the user.

Summary

Domain Name is very important from an SEO point of view, it helps Google in finding out your site from 1000s of other sites available. However, it should be chosen in a way that highlights what your site is about, to make it easy for Google in understanding and identifying.

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