Neil Lim
With hundreds of new domains launching, you now have more options for your domain name, but how do you go about finding the perfect domain extension for your business?
Here are three easy steps to help you find the perfect domain name for your business:
1) Focus on Your Brand and Keywords
The first step is to list your brand name(s) and any keywords that may relate to your business.
If you have trademarks, product names and industry terms that people search for in search engines, list all of these down. These are typically the words that would go “before the dot”.
For example, Webnames.ca would list Webnames as its trademarked term, then domains, email and web hosting would be keywords that are important to us. It just so happens that .DOMAINS and .EMAIL are some of the new domain extensions available right now so we’ve identified these as high priority domains.
2) Narrow Down Your Choices
Step 2 is to ask yourself a few important questions such as: “What industry/profession am I in?”, “Do I have plans on going global or am I only serving a local market?” and “What is my niche/Who is my audience?”
Answering these questions will help you narrow down your choices to the domain extensions that will matter for your business.
For example, answering which profession you are in may help lawyers identify that the .LAWYER and .ATTORNEY domains are important to their portfolio or chefs and restaurants may prioritize securing .RESTAURANT and .MENU for their businesses. For businesses with plans to mainly operate locally, .CA should be your number 1 priority but if you have plans on expanding internationally, .COM and .GLOBAL are two domain extensions worth considering.
Another way to approach the selection process is figuring out how you want your brand to be perceived by your audience. If you want your brand to be recognized as a professional and authoritative organization, you can narrow down your extensions that can help boost credibility such as .CONSULTING, .INC, .COMPANY or .CORP. On the other hand, if people recognize your brand as a fun loving and creative business, then domains like .ROCKS, .NINJA, .GURU or .XYZ are some domains worth considering.
3) Register Your Domain Name
A lot of businesses register more than one domain name at a time for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is to protect their name online but others also use their spare domain names to promote certain products or to redirect potential customers back to their main website. For those on a limited budget, we recommend registering at least 3 domains – Your domain name of choice, a .COM version (if available) and a .CA version.
To see which domain extensions are launching within the next year, go to the Webnames.ca Domain Schedule. You can also click on each domain extension to see more detailed information about the rules and pricing for each domain extension. You can also use the Webnames.ca Domain Search tool to see the complete list of domains available right now and to see all the domain categories.
As your business grows and as it gains more recognition online, you may have to revisit the number of domains that you need for your business or explore new options available.
Finding the Perfect Domain Extension
The number of domain extension that you can choose from shouldn’t be daunting. By investing some time, research and effort, you can find the perfect domain extension for your business in just 3 easy steps – Focus on your brand, narrow down your choices and register your domain names!
