How to choose the right domain name

Registering a new domain name is easy. But which domain name is most suitable for you? Just switching domain names can be a lot of work. Often you are stuck with the same domain for several years. What you should consider when picking a good domain name, we will find out in this blog post.

You should take the following things into account:

1. Which extension should I choose?
   If your target group is in the Netherlands, the most logical choice is a .nl domain name. If you have a special beer cafe then you could also choose a .beer extension. Every year more extensions are added to the list, so take a good look at them.
   
2. Is the length of a domain name important?
   Often short domain names are already taken. So very quickly one ends up with a somewhat longer domain name. However, if a domain name is too long to remember or type easily then it is better to look for another one. For example, if your company name is "de Boer Snackbar en Lunchroom" you can abbreviate it in a number of ways. For example "deBoerSnacks.nl" or an abbreviation "dBSL.nl". When customers are on your page you can of course display the full company name in the title of your website.
   
3. Puns
   Perhaps obvious but try not to register domain names where the domain name can be interpreted twice. An example is a pen website called penisland.com where it could also be construed as something much less innocent.
   
4. Domain names that are too focused as a TLD (Top level Domain).
   Choosing a domain name that is general is often better than if you take a domain name that is very specific. If you have a restaurant and you are widely known for your delicious chicken dish then you might be inclined to choose, for example, 'LekkersteKippengerecht.nl'. However, not everyone likes chicken and besides that it could be that someone is looking for a delicious steak for example. If you serve different types of dishes, a more general domain name such as specialties-restaurant.com is a better choice.
   
5. The domain name I want is already taken, what now?
   It can happen that the desired domain name is already taken. There is not much you can do about this except choose another domain name or make an offer for the domain name if it is for sale. Another domain name could be a synonym. One advice is to make a list of synonyms and see if versions of them are available.
   
6. Spell check
   We see it from time to time; spelling errors in the order of a domain. If you are in the final step of ordering with us you will see all the services listed. Double check the domain name here again.
   
7. Available names on Social Media
   When you have chosen a domain name and want to order it, it is wise to also check social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) if the name is still available there. The most ideal is to use the same name on every service. This way you have a fixed brand name and it will be better recognized.
   
8. Keywords
   Keywords or Keywords are important to search engines for a number of reasons. You might consider adding a keyword to your domain name. If you have a snackbar in Amsterdam then you might consider adding the keyword 'Amsterdam' to the domain name as in snackbar-amsterdam.nl. The goal will be to get as high as possible in the ranking of a search engine. A keyword in a domain name is not the only thing that causes this but it certainly plays a role!