Domain Name Guideline

If I could go back in time, I'd start buying domain names: forget the lottery! New business owners know the pain of finding a relevant SEO friendly domain name that is 1- available and 2- available consistently across social media platforms. Along comes Namevine - a Twitter bootstrap developed tool to help you with that battle.Simply type your keywords in to see what domains may be relevant and available; and whether they're available for Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress, and more! Location services can even help you choose a domain relevant to your specific city or country. The only caveat - the tool isn't always 100% accurate. Sometimes generic URL keywords are tagged as available but are not, or in the time you've found it, so has someone else. Give it a try: http://namevine.com/Choosing a domain name is like choosing a company name — it requires thought and consideration. Your domain name is your web identity, so you really want to choose a domain name that fits your business and is also easy to find and market.

Some steps to help the domain name process:

1. ResearchAlways check to confirm your domain name isn’t another company’s name, or is trademarked or copyrighted.
2. Easy to typeFinding a domain that is comprehensive and easy to type is key: If you use slang or shortened words (u instead of you) or words with varied spellings (express vs. xpress), it can be more difficult for customers to find you.
3. LengthIf your URL is overly long and complex, customers could have difficulties. Keep it as short as possible.
4. KeywordsFor a serious SEO advantage, try using keywords that describe your business or service. For example, if you are a dog groomer, try haircutsfordogs.com or groommypup.ca. Be sure to explore keywords that people might type when searching for your products or services.
5. LocationConsider targeting your city or province in your domain to make it easy for local customers to find and remember.
6. Avoid numbers, hyphensWhen telling a client your URL, they won’t know if you’re using the number 5 or spelling out five. Additionally, dashes can easily be forgotten, sending your clients into the ether.
7. Use an appropriate extensionExtensions are the end of your URL: .com, .ca, .org, or .net, at the end of web addresses. These have specific uses, so make sure to choose the one that is inline with your business. The .com extension is by far the most popular for URLs, but it is a saturated market and that can make it difficult to find.New extensions are becoming available all the time, such as .events, .photography, .blackfriday, etc. Check out the full list of available extensions here: https://www.key-systems.net/en/blog/list-of-domain-extensions