Before starting a new blog or business website, determining a perfect brandable domain name is essential. A brandable domain name refers to the name that bears significant potential for branding in the competitive market of other similar businesses online.
But, deciding on a perfect brandable domain name is the first and foremost challenge during the business settings.
Indeed, the process of selecting a brandable domain name is not a crazy instant. If you do not take this as a great challenge, you might either go to start your business with a great mistake.
Because the journey of SEO and brand both simultaneously start from the second-level domain (SLD) processing in your website.
In terms of taking the best benefits from search rankings as well as social media presence, a brandable unique handle must play a very crucial role in propelling your intuitive business journey.
That's why processing your perfect brandable domain name is not either easy for non-professionals. It is located in the proper action of sagacious integration injecting all core properties into the single TLD that you prefer first.
Remarkably, At least three dimensions together play an important role in the brandable name such as potential power of brand value, pretty shortness, and SEO-worthiness in your futurist TLD name.
Here're the definitive steps. I'm gonna show you how to reach the goal of your most preferable brand name for your new business or profitable blog.
The 25 Steps To Choose Your Brandable Domain Name
1. Choose Your Extension First
There are several hundreds of extensions on the web to choose one for you out there. According to Statista 2021, here's below the popular top ten global extensions whereas dot-com alone leads the lion share (52.3%) of the total market.
Dot-com domain is the top choice among the users yet! Image: Statista
So, you can choose dot-COM extension for your business domain since your deal goes with the commercial purpose for a profitable business. Fortunately, every TLD plays an equal role in SEO, so, you might go with another extension if you do not find a matching domain with overused dot-COM.
2. Follow Branding Basics & Future
Don't forget the branding basics and the long-term future during the domain process for final selection. Make sure the branding basics you drafted comprise significant elements duly.
The obvious elements are, such as business name, product name, slogan, logo, style of the products, packing standard, pricing policy, media presence, the standard of advertisement, staff behavioral standard, type of freemium offer, and so on already counted in your pre-plan.
And, make sure that all are those being kept in your mind-map at a glance for determining your significant domain name.
3. Get Help of Tools for Domain Name
There are numerous name-research tools on the web, you can use one for your domain processing. As an instance, Instant domain research might be one of the comprehensive tools out there that include several useful features including expired domain search as well.
While processing a domain name, the domain generator tools can leverage you to choose the extension from several hundred and broker house domains offer too.
4. Follow Synonyms of Dictionary Words
Using Google dictionary chrome extension, you could find the synonyms of words on particular dictionary words.
Following that way, input your raw words into the domain research tools for finding the appropriate words. Keep shortlisting judging the available words whether it goes with a particular generic name or with a variant.
5. Keep The Shadow of Your Trade Name
Keep a strong shadow of your trade name or business name on your domain so that potential customers could find the logical connection and relevance.
Great harmony with your business vision, goal, and views over company service or product might bring an extra flavor to your domain name.
6. Use Powerful Character
The first and last character of the domain name matters in the strength level for recognition. A source DataGenetics proved this influence over the powerful combination on both sides.
So, you might pick out the best impact playing words following their composite chart above being shown the power frequency of both letters.
In terms of the powerful presence of your domain name, this way might add an extra feather with the crown domain.
7. Keep it Unique for All Media
Keeping a unique handle for social media plus email addresses must empower your branding ability that matters. Using a powerful variant with the generic word you could unlock a good name.
Then all you need to prove this name is whether it passes the goal of a unique media handle. For that purpose, just Google the exact name you selected and check the first and second result pages produced by a search engine.
Then, to get over sure, do the same using each of the media tools in the respective social sites.
8. Never Go Out of Niche
Niche is a particular imaginary area of product or service that follows an industry or subject for conducting your content generation, branding, and marketing operations.
This bears huge importance to let your marketers, copywriter, and eventually, your consumers recognize the relevance.
Any misconception or paradox with finishing might generate a costly journey for branding either. That's why make sure your potential domain name process is constituting a clear niche for a purposive journey.
9. Input Actionable Trending Keywords
You have a chance to use Google Trends for the trending popular key terms that are being used by the name creators around the web.
According to Verisign, the top ten trending keywords that registered for the third quarter of 2019 in.COM and .NET in English as below:
The trending and dominating DN keywords!
And, here's below the top 10 keywords of domain names shown with counts of users registered in April 2020 are: online, shop, home, covid, life, group, health, store, tech, and news.
Image source: dofo.com
So, you might go through the process to make your domain name that focuses you too with the top trending keywords club.
10. Use Generic Word with Strong Variant
Using an appropriate generic dictionary word with a stronger variant can lead your domain name to reach a perfect brandable name. You can use word finder word.tips tools for choosing a strong variant as short as possible.
Also, you have an easy chance to find all the three or four or five-letter words from the tool, or can get on the web while you search using Google or Bing.
11. Let it be Simple and Visionary
Simplicity comes first to make your domain easy to remember. Let it be pretty short and easy-to-type as well. Very best not to choose a combo of more than two words so it goes with a memorable combination for the audience.
And, a visionary name that sounds profound - which comes with a pretty combination of the meanings such as inspired but imaginative, creative but innovative, insightful but perceptive, enterprising but intuitive, and so on. Make sure your domain name goes accordingly.
12. Easy to Spell and Utter
The letters in a word composition are easy to spell out and make a unique voice. The voice or pronunciation matters in the brand name - better to match with an easy syllable.
In terms of achieving a great outcome from a brand name, the composition of each letter needs to be harmonious for a complete but memorable short voice. In this process, you might use two useful tools - Google Dictionary and ImTranslator free from Google Chrome.
13. Keep it Short but Not Shorter
How short is best? Or How much is too long? Research by DataGenetics shows that 11 characters is the top number of users over 8 million came with. And this eleven is the best average character in the world for the .com domain name.
Domain length popularity, image: data genetics
Since the world's average or standard length of letters goes with eleven characters. You might choose a domain name accordingly. So, your counts might be within a pretty range of a minimum of four to a maximum of fourteen letters.
Taking less than four letters shorter is not acceptable either in terms of Google E-A-T as well as SEO value into the root domain for rank. That's why your second-level domain name length 6 - 9 is best but not to be less than 4 chars in terms of comprehensive domain equity.
14. Easy to Remember and Predictable
Make sure the name you judge to be easily memorable and predictable for long remembrance. A profound meaning, worthy simplicity, and pretty shortness in a name might lead the selection process for determination.
Following the sweet points including your own state-of-the-art crafting experience, you could get a strong way to decide on the best names.
15. Do not Use Numbers Hyphens and Double Letters
This is obvious to know the points that might downgrade the name equity. In terms of SEO, numbers and hyphens in a domain name can't make a domain key and worthy brand for search dominance.
And, double letters in a domain name are used to make users uneasy to remember as well as a rhythmic hurdle. So, very best to avoid these obstacles in the naming process.
16. Keep it Rhythmic
You might care that the rhythmic sense on the domain name is an extra quality. Let your domain name be harmonious combo and rhythmic while you take variants with a generic word.
Keep the first letter of the variant remaining the same as the first letter of the seed word. This sort of combo is the most powerful way to pronounce.
For instance, Coca-Cola, Shutterstock, Billboard, BabyBoomer, LiveLeak, and so on famous brands.
Here, Coca-Cola is a combo of Coca + Cola, which stands as a powerful word with a rhythmic sound. It helps to draw a strong but fascinating image in the audience's mind for keeping in memory for long.
17. Avoid Exact Match Domain
There's a misconception among the quick hunting SEO that exact match domain (EMD) works to boost rank. It is very thinly true and works up to a point only- once asap starts falling the rank. Why?
Because Google’s EMD algorithm update doesn't favor the spammy EMD. If the site contains thin content, then results happen worse and frustrating either. Google loves the brand because people love this.
So, let your domain name be brand-worthy that Google loves, and you could uncover it using the rules that you learn here.
18. Follow Misspellings
Following the common misspelling method, you have a chance to create your domain name keeping the pronunciation unchanged. Taking the last letter twice makes a strong buzz at the finishing edge.
Also, you can use the character "Z" instead of S/J, and K/X at the place of C for an appropriate misspelling name.
An example of misspelling domain name!
For instance, in plpl-com, "pipl" comes from people. And, some other reputed domain names, such as "vocativ" which comes from vocative, "fundrazr" from fundraiser/razor, and "Fiverr" from Fiver, were created accordingly.
19. Follow Alternative Words
Following alternative generic terms or keywords, you have a chance to create an amazing domain name. An alternative method might be followed by taking synonyms, related or semantic names, relevant alternative product terms, and so on.
Most importantly, you have the opportunity to consider the popular terms of Latin, French, Italy or Spanish names in your naming process.
20. Go with Powerful Suffix or Prefix
You have countless opportunities to pick out the appropriate suffix, infix, and prefix in your domain name using the said tools.
For example, some suffixes such as roma, gence, let, nation, ment, jet, tive, and so on. And some prefixes such as anglo, con, bona, in, pro, gold, kick, web, and so on. In your domain process, all you need to brainstorm is taking an appropriate variant.
Make sure that joining letters between generic words and variants go with harmonious form in terms of proper phonics and syllable manners.
21. Use Abbreviation for Unique Name
Using the abbreviated word in the domain name might be one of the powerful ways to create a brandable name. You can use the short form of your vision.
Shortening the focal slogan of your business or organization like BBC, CNN, PCmag, TED, and so on, you have a great way to create your fabulous domain name.
For instance, PCmag stands for Personal Computer Magazine; so they use their SLD domain name PCmag. And, TED is a domain name that stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.
22. Source from Expired Domain Name
Expired domain name refers to the name that was earlier used by someone but somehow couldn't renew and get expired.
You have two ways to pick out an expired domain name, 1stly, buying an expired domain from the auction; and 2ndly, buying from your preferred registrar confirming the "deleted" status from Expired Domains Here or elsewhere.
Some other tools you can use for expired domains are DomCop, PBN Lab, Register Compass, Domain Hunter Gatherer, FreshDrop, Domain ReAnimator, NameJet, SnapNames, and Dropping.com.
There is a chance to find a suitable domain name which has already been deleted from the earlier registrar system while you keep checking regularly with the latest trends.
In the sense of Google's ranking factor, old aged domains are gold for boosting rank. You might have a chance to secure an expired domain with your favorite TLD. But, make sure that it's not spam either.
23. Audit Secondary Domains
While your determination goes through secondary domains, never avoid to audit ones.
The secondary domains got from expired domain auction market or deleted domain that registered need to audit for knowing the domain health.
Because let me confirm whether the earlier user of that domain got a penalty or not. Or whether the domain was full of spammy content earlier.
Use the tools like Internet Wayback Machine, Who.is, and HosterStats for checking the domain health.
Using these tools, you can check the condition of the features such as domain age, existing content volume, quality of content, PageRank, Backlinks, Present Traffic stream, Alexa, SEO-worthiness, and so on.
24. Consider Mobile-Friendliness
About half of the total website traffic engage on the interest using a mobile device. In terms of taking advantage of mobile traffic on your website, just pay your first attention to create a domain name that is pretty short and best user-friendly.
The mistake of taking care of this point might keep you enough lagged behind your competitors. So, make sure your domain name length is decided mobile-friendly.
25. Check & Avoid Trademarked Name
Make sure whether your selected domain name is trademarked (TM) or not. This is obvious and very important to pass the issue before starting your website.
Because it might generate a huge loss of money, hassle, and time-loss while at a well-branded stage someone claims your domain is illegitimate.
In that regard, an international organization INTA is working to protect the legitimate brands of their members or through their membership.
Their members, up to now when I'm writing this, come from 185 countries. An INTA membership includes top-notch corporate brand owners, SMEs, government agencies, law firms, professors, and so on.
However, by checking your DN legitimacy in terms and TM and others, you have a chance to use some tools on the web to get the pass that is free and worries for you.
Two major factors are associated with the issue. Industry checking, and Geo-location checking.
Here are the TM checking tools (*INTA suggested):
(1) WIPO IP Portal*
(2) DomainTools*
(3) Whois.Net*
(4) USPTO.GOV*
(5) TM View*
(6) Marcaria
(7) Trademark Elite
(8) Trademarkia
If your domain wasn't yet taken by someone who is in the same industry but taken in the same geo-location.
Then, you could run the domain name. Also, if your domain is already taken by someone who is in the same industry, but located in the other geography, then also you could continue the domain name.
That means you couldn't use the domain name while it falls into the same industry and same geolocation.
Final Step: Filter, Shortlist, Refine, and Decide One
The above couple of dozen steps for processing your domain name ultimately deserves a primary hotlist for your final step. Then, follow some basic principles to refine the list for shortening in two or three names.
Make your conceptual score on the choices following potential brand equity, SEO value, and other intelligence such as IQ, EQ, SQ, and so on).
Social quotient (SQ) could help you score the domain names as per social power it deserves. A brandable domain always refers to the unique social media handle for huge potential growth.
And, emotional intelligence might help you to score the names based on overall compassion it complies for the audience.
If you have a budget and find it difficult to choose one from two choices, you might issue a giveaway on social media for choosing the best one.
But before going through giveaways, never forget to keep them booked with a registrar. However, the final decision might give you an amazing brandable domain name that works.
Conclusion
Most of the preferred TLD and SLD are picked by the brokers' houses around the web. Then, all you need to do is pay them a rich price for owning one. And, it makes it challenging either to unlock the perfect domain name that your business deserves.
But still possible to uncover a sky kissing brandable domain name following the ways as given. Your creative patience, passionate searching, and adequate processing might make it easier to find a much better one rather than the aftermarket domain names.
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