Biggest Domain Name Mistakes

First time website owners all have to start at the exact same point: Purchasing a domain name. The domain name will ultimately become the website’s brand and how your customers find you which is why choosing the right domain is such an important decision when launching a website. However, most new website owners frequently make critical mistakes with their domain name choice which is what this article will cover. Here I’ll share the ‘Top 3 Biggest Domain Name Mistakes’.

Mistake #1: Failing to Compromise and Using Ugly Domains

A domain name is very valuable to individuals that are trying to build a well known website around a popular keyword or phrase. Niche website creators and inexperienced web developers will often make a compromise in their domain names in order to purchase one with the keywords they are seeking. The unfortunate side effect of making a compromise results in a very ugly domain that actually hurts the website because it looks unprofessional and sleazy, such as high-ranking-keyphrase-wesite.com.

Any website can rank well in search engines with enough efforts. Niche website creators have found that by using a keyword in domain names the website has a higher chance to rank well in search engines. Likewise, first time website owners are so set on purchasing a domain name they were set on that they end up creating a jumbled mess of hyphens and word modifiers.

Consider making a compromise in you domain name rather than creating an ugly domain that gives a little extra “SEO juice” or is the exact name you’re looking for. Brainstorm a branded domain that is far more likely to be memorable than one that comes across as sleazy and unprofessional. Consider using common word modifiers that make sense and relate to the key phrase you’re trying to snag. Don’t fail to compromise and end up with an ugly domain because people really do notice it and will bounce once they hit the site because it looks as if an amateur created the site.

Mistake #2: Not Purchasing the Additional Top-Level Extensions

A domain name can fall under multiple top-level extensions such as .com, .net, .org and many more. The most common top-level extension (and most prized) is the .com extension because it’s so frequently used and has become such commonplace that people assume to use .com when directly entering a domain name.

One of the biggest mistakes a new website owner can make, when purchasing domain names, is failing to pick up the other top-level extensions for their domain. Although the other extensions are additional costs when starting, it’s still very important in the event that the website grows and becomes popular over time. The reason for purchasing top-level domains is that people frequently “snipe” .net and .org extensions to falsely represent popular domains in the hopes to siphon traffic or even hold the domain name “hostage” in some ways.

Since your website builds a brand of its own, it’s important to have all channels that people reach your website by under your control. The additional purchase of the .net and .org domains are very inexpensive and can save new website owners many troubles in the long run especially when the website begins to grow in popularity.

Mistake #3: Failing to Act on a Great Domain

The final mistake is less about purchasing a bad domain or failing to pick up extensions rather than the new website owner failing to act on the domain. There are millions of new website owners that have purchased incredible domain names but have never done anything with them because they don’t understand what they’re sitting on or have become scatter brained and never get to work on the website.

The usual event that takes place in the web development community is that a great domain is found, the website is never created and months (or years) later another individual comes along and creates something incredible with a related or matching domain (such as with the other top-level extensions). The person that took action ends up building and incredible website while the original owner of the domain is left in shock and some-what jealous of the individuals success with “their domain”.

Don’t buy a domain name you’re not going to take action on. You will soon amass dozens of domains for each of your projects which results in hundreds of dollars being spent each year to renew the domains even though they’re not being used. If you purchase a great domain name than follow through with your project else someone else may come along and take all the glory.

Conclusion

If there is anything to be learned from the mistakes in this article is that a great domain takes time to come to light; brainstorming a great domain name may be an instant spark of inspiration or take many weeks on end. The domain name, in the end, becomes the brand which is why it’s important not to fall back to ugly domains, letting others siphon your traffic with knock-off websites under your name and taking action with your purchase to get your project underway. In all, these mistakes can easily be avoided now that you have the knowledge but it’s still up to you to take action and setup that first website.