We know we need a domain name for our business. Let's see how we
can go about choosing one:
Your domain name is a critical part of your online identity, so knowing what makes for a
good domain name matters.
Try to keep it short and relevant to your business. A name that's easy to spell and type
is preferable to long or complicated names.
For instance, if your business is cleaning windows, you'll want your domain name to
include the keywords "window" and "cleaning" or "clean"- because those are the
words people will search when they need your service.
Numbers, whether spelled out or as digits and dashes can create confusion.
The domain "bestwindowcleaning.com," three short words, is way easier to remember and
type than "number1-windowcleaning-4u.com".
For local businesses, including your city, state, or region in your domain helps your
customers find you faster. For example, "seattlewindowcleaning.com" is more targeted than
"bestwindowcleaning.com".
Now for the extension... that's the part of the domain name following the dot. If you can
get ".com," go for it. It's the most widely used extension, but it's also been
around so long that getting a short, memorable name that ends in .com can be a challenge.
Other popular extensions include .net, .org., .info. and .biz. Definitely consider using a
country code extension; ".lk" for Sri Lanka.
You can protect and build your brand by purchasing misspelled versions of your domain name
so customers who get it wrong are still ushered to your website.
Important
- Domains should always be registered into the name of the business owner. If someone else is registering the domain for you, insist that you are listed as the domain registrant. After all, it's your business and you need to 'own' the website name too.
- It's very difficult to find .com domain names that are available, but for local businesses in Sri Lanka, using a .lk domain is a great option. These are called 'country level domains'. Search for .lk domains at https://www.nic.lk/
- Your domain name does not need to be the same as your business name. For example, say your business name is Sara's Homestay, you could choose the domain 'sarashomestay.lk' or something totally different that describes your main selling point e.g. 'sunriseview.lk'.