The Internet address, also known in professional circles as the domain, is the heart of a website. It should be meaningful, fit the purpose of the business and meet other important criteria. Anyone who is looking into building an online presence for the very first time is well advised to know the essentials when deciding on a domain. With the following tips, website operators can be on the safe side.
The central task of a domain
Buying domains is not only necessary to make the website discoverable for the user, but also to create a bond between the consumer and the company. That’s why choosing the domain is an essential part of branding. The internet address is an essential component for differentiating yourself from your competitors on the market.
Every domain is unique: Beware of hidden domain theft!
Once a domain is occupied, it is not possible for a competitor to acquire the exact same Internet address. He only has the chance to secure it in a modified form. This makes it all the more important for the domain owner to get a domain that is unique. Since many domains are already taken, this can be a difficult undertaking. Therefore, it can be a good option to secure similar-sounding and similar-named domains in addition to the main domain. This minimizes the risk of confusion for the user.
National and international domains are not one and the same
Domain extensions are available in many different variants. The most common include:
Country abbreviations such as: E.g. .de, .at, .chInternational abbreviation .comCompany abbreviation such as .bizCity abbreviation such as .berlin Abbreviation of non-commercial organizations .org
Once you have decided on a domain name, it may still be available both nationally and internationally. It is advisable to purchase both versions so that a foreign company based abroad does not advertise under the same flag.
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Domain name: the crisper, the better
Long domains carry the risk of typos creeping in. Some website operators deliberately take advantage of this flaw and try to draw the user’s attention to their own, grammatically incorrect web domain. It is therefore advisable to choose a domain that is short and as distinctive as possible. Typing one in the browser line is more user-friendly for the consumer and is more likely to encourage them to visit the website.
Another circumstance that can benefit your web presence with a short domain is that it makes it easier for Google crawlers to process the domain in the search engines. Short, clear URLs are considered highly relevant, which has a beneficial effect on the ranking.
SEO effectiveness when purchasing domains
The fact that choosing the right domain is at least as important as knowing your own IP address or generating backlinks becomes clear when you look at the keywords that are so important in SEO circles. If keywords relevant to the website are already integrated into the domain, this sends a strong signal to the search engine.
Do trademark rights remain unaffected?
Last but not least, the selected domain should not affect the existing trademark rights of other companies. A look at the trademark register can help here.
Conclusion
Choosing a successfully performing internet address usually takes some time. Anyone who invests a lot of time here will be ahead in terms of sales later on.