How do you select an appropriate Domain Name for SEO?

Selecting appropriate domain names is critical aspect of website development. Besides, it can influence your website’s user experience, further influencing your SEO performance. Hence, you should follow SEO best practices when selecting the domain name for your website. In this regard, you can hire a web development company in Ontario to choose the appropriate website domain for your business.

Importance of Domain Names for SEO

Domain names might not be a significant ranking factor; however, they can significantly impact SEO. Hence, you should use relevant and branded phrases to create short domain names your users want to click on. It can further help improve your chances of ranking well on SERP. However, avoiding using exact-match keywords in your domain name is better. Otherwise, your website may appear spammy, negatively impacting your search ranking.

Shorter and more memorable domain names are easier to check and share with others. It helps avoid the possibility of confusion, errors, etc. As a result, it improves user experience and thereby boosts SEO performance.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is a unique address visitors use to access your website. It consists of the following parts.

• Top-level domain (TLD) – It is the extension of the domain name, such as .com, .org, .edu, etc.
• Second-level domain (SLD) – It is the name to the left of the domain extension that represents the identity of a website.

5 tips for selecting SEO-friendly Domain Names

The following tips can help you select an SEO-friendly domain name for your business. Let’s discuss them further.

Select a suitable Top Level Domain (TLD) extension

You need to select the appropriate TLD extension according to your business type. In this regard, considering the following aspects can help you choose appropriate TLD extensions.

First, consider the location and demographics of your target audience. For instance, if you prefer presenting your business in the local market, such as Canada, selecting a nation-specific TLD, such as ‘.ca’ will be most appropriate. Otherwise, choosing a general TLD extension, such as ‘.com’ or ‘.net ‘is better if you want to present your business globally. Similarly, a TLD extension ‘.edu ‘is appropriate if your website is education-related.

Consider the length of your domain name

Users find shorter domain names easy to remember and search in the browser. Besides, ensure that your domain name is simple and straightforward. It will allow users to easily remember your name and search for your brand on search engines.

Avoid using hyphens, numbers, or special characters

When choosing your domain name, avoiding using numbers, hyphens, or any other special character is better. Adding these characters to your domain name may confuse users, who may find it challenging to remember them.

Ensure the domain name is easy to pronounce and spell

As you select the domain name, ensure it is easy to pronounce and spell. Otherwise, your users might have difficulty remembering or sharing the name with others. Besides, if your domain name is difficult to spell, your users may have issues finding your website or end up landing on another website that is spelled similarly to yours.

Consider possible future growth and expansion

Initially, your business or website might specialize in offering specific products or services. However, you may plan to expand your business by introducing more products or services. If you select your domain name while considering your present brand offers, it may not stay relevant once you expand. Hence, when selecting a domain name, you should allow flexibility for future growth.

A domain name might not influence SEO but can affect user experience (UX). By selecting an easy-to-remember, short, simple, straightforward, and relevant domain name, you can create a positive user experience for your audiences. It can further positively influence your SEO ranking.

HireH Consulting offers web development services in Ontario. Along with building an appropriate website, we can also help you select SEO-friendly domain names for your website.