Beginner’s Guide: How do I find a suitable domain name?

Finding the perfect domain is easier than you thought. Of course, the chosen domain should also match your blog.

The domain is not decisive for successful internet presences. It is only important that the domain also matches the chosen blog topic and reflects this.

Most people panic more than is actually necessary when searching for a domain.

Why is domain selection still important?

The domain is your first flagship and represents your website. Even users who haven't visited the blog yet should know what it's about.

A domain is still very meaningful and is no longer so relevant for search engine optimization. This is no longer as large as it used to be, but still exists.

With a blog, the blogname and the domain name remain in the memory of the visitors.

Therefore it should always be considered that the domain name cannot only be seen in the URL bar.

Business cards or letterheads are also printed with the domain name. For this reason it should be carefully considered which domain name suits you and your blog.

The domain and the blogname

What is the difference between the domain name and the blogname? The blogname or title of the website is what visitors can read first in search engines.

If you want to know what domain names are, we have already explained this here in the article "What are domain names?"

You can work with hyphens or abbreviations in the domain for blognames. This is an advantage for search engine optimization.

At the same time, visitors can better memorize the blogname and domain name.

A connection between the two components makes it possible to save the name in memory.

Large differences in blognames and domain names distort the overall picture and are confusing for the visitor.

The same applies to the selected topic. In the best case, the topic is also in the blogname and also in the domain name.

The top level domain

Once the right name has been found, the question of the right Top Level Domain, also called TLD, arises.

The TLD refers to the domain extensions. Examples are .de, .com or .org.

These do not depend on the visibility of the website.

TIP: Always try to choose a country-specific TLD. Hosting should also take place in the same country.

If you have chosen a domain, but the desired TLD has been assigned, other TLDs are a good alternative.

So you can simply use the extension.com or.info instead of.de. However, the.de domain is recommended for bloggers in German.

Domain and search engine optimization

If you think that the domain is very important for visibility on Google and Co. then this is not quite correct.

A few years ago this was perhaps a decisive factor, but today it has been greatly weakened.

Overall, the relevance of the domain is no longer quite as high.

Tips for choosing the right domain

It makes sense to choose generic terms for the correct domain.

Generic terms are what users are looking for:

1. If the blog would be called "maxmustermann-blog.com", the blog would most likely have fewer visitors.
2. The effective domain name would be "mobile-phone-blog.com". So users immediately have a tangible topic and know what can be found on the blog.
3. No user will search Google for the words "Max Mustermann" and "Blog" in combination. But more likely after the combination "mobile phone" and "blog".

In the past, it was common to string all terms together in a domain. Domains looked accordingly hard to read.

An example of this is "mobilephonesapple.com". If these terms are separated by a hyphen, it reads much better.

If the domain is called "mobile-phones-apple.com", this is easier to remember and errors when reading or typing in the domain are reduced.

Since until a few years ago all terms were written to each other by default, many domains with hyphen separations are still free today.

Don't use too many terms:

• The number of words in the domain is very important, so a maximum of 3 keywords should be used.
• As a rule, the domain should be as short as possible. Too long domain names put off your potential readers.
• It is also no longer useful for search engines if a domain consists of too many words.
• Basically, the domain should simply fit the blog's vision.

The user should already know through the domain what to expect on the blog.

TIP: Note, however, that the domain must reflect the content of the website.

Important keywords should be included in the domain. But art terms are also suitable if the blog is to establish itself as a brand.

Transfer old domain

Besides a new domain registration (or domain purchase) it is also possible to take over old deleted domains at a reasonable price.

Old domains can bring some pros:

• Faster inclusion in the search engines.
• The domain already has a certain popularity and may still have old visitors.
• The domain already has a history and ideally already has backlinks that are necessary for search engine optimization.

The cons is that usually the exactly desired domain is not available and so the blogname might have to be adapted.

TIP: Avoid signing any club memberships to get old domains or just deleted domains. With Expired Domains this is free of charge.

Which domains are you allowed to register?

The legal factor should also play a big role for you.

• For example, you may not register domains that can be traced back to existing trademarks.
• The same applies to company names or names of third parties.
• City names and vehicle registration numbers are also not permitted.
• Typo domains are also not allowed.

It should therefore be noted that it is absolutely necessary to check before registering whether the rights of third parties may be infringed when naming the domain.

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