I’m a really good typist. Properly good. Accurate, fast, touch-type… you know, the works. But there are words that I have a complete and utter inability to type and as a result, I hate typing them. “Because”, “accommodation”, and anything longer than 9 letters. I’m telling you this, not so you consider me stranger than you first thought, but so that you can understand the pain when I come across this domain name:
That’s not actually the real domain but it was very similar. I could not type the thing, so had to result in typing the phrase in Google and finding the result to click on! Why? It was TOO LONG.
So, on behalf of typists everywhere, if you’re considering your first domain name, may I offer you the following tips?
Aim for 6-14 characters, preferably the shorter the better. If you want your business to be called “The World’s Best Bespoke Junk Modeller”, that is far too long for a domain name – you’d fall asleep typing the thing – so consider using a short domain name that is brandable. Oh and keep it to 2-3 words, maximum. Short words, ok?
.co.uk or .com?
Unless you’re an international company, a TLD (top level domain) such as .com is not really worth it. If you’re based in the UK, 95% of your trade is here and you have no plans to expand, then .co.uk is perfect for you. There is another option – well, hundreds actually – and they range from .studio to .coffee, .limited to .tips and hundreds in between. If you have a little leeway and the .co.uk domain has gone, consider one of the alternative endings.
The best and shortest domain names were probably taken years ago.
Be creative; there are some great word randomisers on the t’interweb, so if you’re not precious about your company name, give them a whirl. You never know, you could be the next “Firefox” or “Purple Bricks”!
Avoid misspelling words.
It may appear comical but it can make your site seem suspiciously like phishing or a malware site and make people worry.
Avoid funny spellings or words that can be spelled multiple ways.
e.g. “way”, “too”, “KustomKar”. While we’re on the subject, make sure you check the spelling before you register anything. We’re here to offer a pair of non-judgmental eyes!
Only use numbers or hyphens (-) as an absolute last resort.
Our parent company is guilty of this (first-spark.co.uk) but the rest of the domain is relatively short, so we thought it ok. Yeah, we were young and reckless…
Do not use brand names and/or trademarks used by other companies.
Just not worth it and you could open yourself up to legal action and suspension of your domain.
So now you have my two-penneth, I suggest you grab yourself a pen and paper, potentially a few trusted souls on Zoom and start brainstorming. When you’ve chosen something spectacular, Awenek is here to start the ball rolling on whatever you want to do with your new domain.
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