A retail business on the verge of establishing its online presence can be quite exciting. However, it’s important to consider choosing the right domain name as it can be a reflection of your brand as well as something new and recurring customers can remember. As we go through this guide, we will be taking a look at some key tips you’ll want to be aware of when choosing the best domain name for your business.
Ready to learn about these tips? Let’s get started with them right now so you can make the best decisions on which domain name will be the best fit for your brand.
Keep it simple and memorable
When a domain name is simple and memorable, that’s a good sign. Especially when you don’t want new and recurring customers to remember the name of your brand. It should be easy to spell and pronounce as well. For example, let’s say you are selling apparel online. Your domain “mysportsapparel.com” will be better than something lengthy like “my-excellent-quality-sports-apparel.com”.
Even when creating your site using a reliable website builder, you can keep things simple. Especially when there’s really no need for coding or any of the complicated technical stuff.
Make it a reflection of your brand
Your domain must simply reflect your brand. It’s important to consider incorporating certain words that match your business or even the industry you might be in. This can be something like “fashion” or “clothing” if you’re selling such items. Also, you may want to think ahead a bit especially when it comes to hypothetically scaling your brand in the future. What else could your business offer other than the initial items sometime in the next year or so?
Choose A “.com” or “.co.uk” extension
These two extensions will be useful in building a retail website because they are the most trustworthy to customers instead of other extensions that may seem exotic. However, “.store” or “.shop” might be more acceptable than others. But still, “.com” and “.co.uk” are more credible and accepted.
Avoid hyphens, but consider number type (if it fits the name)
Hyphens have no places in domains at all so it’s best to leave them out altogether. If there is a number in your brand name, you could spell it out or use numerals – whichever is appropriate. For example, it may be wise to spell out the number if it makes sense. Brands like “Forever 21” may use numerals because it makes sense for their brand as well.
However, do not use numbers in your domain if it’s unnecessary. Meaning “comfortableshoes123.com” may not be appropriate if the brand name happens to be just “Comfortable Shoes”. Don’t make it too complicated to the point where a prospective customer may inadvertently enter the incorrect domain (such as using the numeral when the number is spelled out).
Use long-term thinking
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the name of your domain should be something you intend on using long-term. In other words, it has to be future-proof. It may feel restrictive if you’re planning on selling additional items later on. So consider using a domain name that may open the door to possible diversification of the products or services that you offer.
Do not focus on names that may seem narrow and cause inflexibility in your brand. What if you have plans to scale your business in the future? Or better yet, what if you decide to pivot and sell something else? Try not to overthink this.
What we can say is that your brand has the potential to stick around for a long time. Take a moment to determine whether the domain you want to use will be able to fit into your business plans, both in the present and in the future.
Final thoughts
Choosing the right domain name can be a challenging task. Yet, you should be able to find one that will be the perfect fit for your brand soon enough. Once you do, you’ll be able to set up your retail website and launch it accordingly. The best part, you’ll feel excitement knowing that you’re putting something together that will be a hallmark to your business success.
Be sure to follow these key tips above so you can choose the best domain. Finally, make sure that your customers remember it by name (or at least bookmark it).
