How to Choose a Perfect Domain Name
Even if Daenerys Targaryen is your favourite “Game of Thrones” character, I sincerely doubt you can memorize her full name – Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.
The children of the modern age advanced technologies, are feeding us with various information packages on daily basis. When looking for a suitable online home for your company, local community, or yourself, the first thing you need is a domain name.
Your domain name is the equivalent of your Internet ID, and you want it to be presentable. Just like Mother of Dragons, a strong and fearsome name which makes all of the noble houses across the Seven Kingdoms shake. So let’s make sure you choose wisely!
#1 Build your personal brand!
If you want to build an awesome personal brand, then you already know that your URL is the very first message you send to your visitors. A good domain name can help you build a brand that people will remember and keep coming back to.
Choosing a perfect domain name isn’t as easy as it may seem. In fact, I dare to say it’s one of the most challenging aspects of building a brand. You can spend days coming up with a name just to realize it is already registered by someone else. That is why our WHOIS (search box in the upper right corner of this page) should be your best friend. Whenever you are struck by inspiration and you think of a domain name you like, check to see if it’s available!
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I would always recommend using FirstNameLastName.me combination, ‘cause it reflects who you are. And that’s the most important requirement your personal domain should meet. Whether you want to share your skills, to blog about your experiences or to showcase your work, is there a better way to do so than to do it under your own name? Check out evanthompson.me and see how the pro does it! Simple design and all the relevant info can make a perfect online home.
Second, this combination is great for both personal and business purposes. It carries your name and you can use it as a hub for both your professional achievements and things that interest you personally. And third, if people google you, you want your website to be the first thing they see right?
I chose .ME because I wanted to emphasize that I’m a person, not a company. I believe that the .ME domain name is a clear indicator that this is a personal website. The best part about it is that I can have a name@surname.me email address.
Benny Aarup, UX/Web Developer
Maybe your alias speaks for YOU better than your FirstNameLastName combo? That’s great, as long as you make sure your domain name says: “This is ME!” Because that is the message you want to send, and I can’t recall a better way of doing it than by using .ME!
After choosing a domain name, the next step is building a personal website. If you don’t know how to make it, don’t panic! There are many free or/and affordable services which can help you create your online home in minutes. You can find a list here.
#2 Highlight the Me Selling Proposition of your business!
If you wanna find a good domain name for your business, do not make the beginner’s mistake! Before you even start thinking about the online future of your business, you have to solve the big “finding a perfect domain name” equation.
The moment you decide how to name your business is the moment when you should start scouting for available domain names. You don’t want your company to be called the same as a random website you have no control of. Believe it or not, a domain name can make or break your business.
It is very important for any business to have a well-organized and deliberately branded online presence. Besides the most obvious – users searching for the reviews of your product or services – your online presence can help you connect with your customers in ways nothing else can. You can use your website to educate them about your products and services, drive your sales, provide customer support, gain valuable input and cultivate meaningful relationships between them and your business. And that’s what Me selling proposition is all about!
check2.me chose .ME because they wanted to send a clear message to the customers of what their business is all about.
But a well-designed website with all the right information means nothing if people can’t find it! The key feature of your business domain name is memorability – the more memorable, the more chances to be re-visited. What makes this online memorability? Three things: length, a right domain name extension, and call-to-action.
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#1 Keep it short and simple! A short domain is, by default, easy to remember and perfect for sharing across online and offline social media – it saves characters on Twitter, fits on your business card, and spreads rapidly via word of mouth. ID.me is the perfect example of a simple and memorable domain name.
Also, try to avoid hyphens as much as possible. Too many hyphens can make your URL seem like a spam. What would you say if someone told you to visit www.divorce-quickly-boston-lawyer.something ? I am imaging a flash website with lost of paid ads and viruses attacking my computer. So please, make it easy to spell and easy to type.
#2 Make your domain name extension work for you! It is very important that you choose the right domain name extension. If you want your company to rank high on search engines globally it is important to look for a domain name that allows that. Even though .ME domain name is by origin a country code TLD (ccTLD), in 2009 Google permitted geo-targeting of .ME domains, which enabled them to rank well all over the world like any standard generic TLD (gTLD). It worked pretty well for about.me!
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#3 Create a Call-to-Action! If you make it just right, you can use your .ME domain extension to create a call-to-action. Just try to forget addresses such as Advise.ME or even those including newly coined words such as Themify.ME!
Aside from using .ME domain as a name hack or a call-to-action, just having that “ME” in your web address signals your commitment to your users and desire to make your products and services as personal as possible.
#3 Build a community around your idea!
There is power in Internet communities. The Internet itself is a big community after all! But there are millions out there, from big ones like Deviant Art to smaller ones that number a couple of thousand members, like Cat Lovers Australia. They all have one thing in common – their purpose is to allow people with shared interests to interact and pursue them.
The same as with business, if you want to take your community online and connect with people, you have to make it easier for people to find you. Meaningful web address goes a long way. Just by hearing or seeing your URL people should be able to guess what your community is all about, and preferably, want to find out more. That’s why you should make sure to incorporate carefully selected keywords into your domain name. If you want to build a community of mom bloggers, then “mom.me” is a perfect choice, if you want to promote your book club, consider “bookclubdenver.me” for example.
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There are many communities that recognized the advantage of having a .ME domain and we are very proud to have them as a part of .ME family: tearaway.me, reset.me, mom.me or player.me. It’s never too late to start creating a community around something you’re passionate about, and .ME is there to help making it outstanding!
So you see, your web address is a big part of your online presence and online brand, which is why you have to be careful with it. Whether you use it for personal branding, your business or your community, you have to make sure that your domain name is memorable and that it carries meaning!
And by now, I am sure that you have an idea of a domain name you would like to call your own, so don’t wait! Check if it’s available in our WHOIS box and register your .ME with one of our accredited registrars.
