Our tips for choosing the best domain name
Choosing a domain name is an important step for any web project. Here are a few tips to help you find the best domain name for your website.
What is a domain name?
The domain name is a website's address. It is made up of a name and an extension.
www.infomaniak.com
Subdomain
Name
Extension
.COM .CH .FR? How to choose your domain name extension?
Here are two criteria that need to be taken into account when choosing your domain extension:
1
The coherence between the domain name, its extension, and your site content
A non-governmental organisation or an association, for example, will more often opt for extensions such as .ORG, .NGO, while a recruitment or accounting firm will be more likely to choose an extension such as .CONSULTING or .ACCOUNTANTS.
2
Your target audience or market
The .FLOWERS domain extension would, for example, be ideal for a florist while a .CH domain would be of interest to a SME whose clients are only in Switzerland.
Extensions by country (ccTLD)
If you target the inhabitants of one country in particular, the choice of a national primary level domain extension is certainly indicated, as is the regional level. For example, you can choose the extension:
If you are targeting several countries at once, it is possible to choose a domain extension of first national level for each of the target countries, which will allow you to enhance the local aspect of your activities.
New generic extensions (New gTLD)
The new generic extensions offer an unprecedented chance to land the perfect domain name. They’re a unique opportunity to align your domain name (.archi, .fitness, .tattoo, .photography, .expert, etc.) more precisely with your role or activity.
These new extensions allow you to enhance your positioning and to gain relevance while distinguishing yourself from others. Given their growing success, we recommend that you reserve the extensions which match your activity as soon as possible in order to protect your brand and your name.
The key to choosing the right extensions
1
Choose the extension based on the target audience in order to generate as many followers as possible.
2
Once the principal extension is found, register the extensions necessary for protecting your brand and your name. Ask yourself whether you want to find your competitors with your domain name on other extensions (for example yourdomain.net, yourdomain.co, yourdomain.com.co or yourdomain.cc). If the answer is no: reserve these extensions.
3
Browse the web to gain an overview of the competition and thus find a unique position so that you stand out from the crowd.
4
Be successful abroad sooner and reserve the extensions for the countries where you are planning to offer your services or products. Don't wait for significant growth to reserve different domain name or extension variants. Keep them in reserve ;)
Three tips to find your domain name
Easy to write and pronounce
Easy to remember and intuitive
Make your domain name easier to remember and take on-board by focusing on its meaning. You can do this by choosing a name that hints at your business activity, using a generic extension or using the country extension that your target audience would normally expect.
Just like your company name, your domain name will be easy to remember and intuitive thanks to a clever combination of keywords or concepts that will help people remember it. For example, if you make delicious pizzas, you could choose “delipizza”.
At Infomaniak, we're all passionate about IT. That's why we chose to reflect that passion in our name!
Use strategic keywords
Use keywords to clarify what you do and narrow down or broaden your audience. For example, you can include a geographic area next to your name to define your service area or, conversely, use a generic term to target a broader audience.
Include a keyword that is likely to match users' queries on search engines in order to attract visitors who are genuinely interested in your services or what you have to offer.
It’s time to transfer your domain name to Infomaniak
Included with every domain name
Show all extensions1 web page
1 email address
DNSSEC protection
Unlimited aliases and redirections
What should I do if the domain I want is already taken?
1
Adapt it to your sector of activity
Take the time to think about a domain name that’s less generic and more impactful – one that’s better suited to your goals and helps you connect more closely with your audience. This process will yield interesting results and help strengthen your brand image.
2
Use a less generic extension
Imagine your domain name with a different extension. It’s likely that a new extension would be a good fit for your project. These new extensions offer a wide range of creative possibilities, allowing you to create meaningful “name-extension” combinations as well as clever taglines to set yourself apart from the competition.
3
Take over the domain name
Finally, it is possible to buy a domain. To do this, find the contact details of the domain owner or registrar using Infomaniak’s Whois tool so that you can negotiate the purchase.
The case of premium domain names
Deemed domains with high added value, these domain names are sold on the market by registers which have blocked them beforehand.
Registries are free to set the price of the domains they own. As these domains are often very strategic, competition to own them can be fierce and the price can be very high.
Case of cybersquatting
It is possible that the domain name of the brand you represent was registered by a third party for profit (page full of advertising, page aimed at promoting the sale of the domain name in question, illegal internet storefront forging the brand identity, or an owner did not want to get rid of the domain name without even using it).
Infomaniak is a Swiss registrar accredited by ICANN and the main registries
Reserve your domain name
Infomaniak's domain name registration tool allows you to check the price and availability of a domain name immediately.
Once you’ve found your domain and its extensions, order them quickly before someone else gets hold of them! Generally speaking, waiting is not always a good idea. While you’re reading this, hundreds or even thousands of individuals, companies (and “domainers”) are busy registering domains. Desirable domains don’t remain available for long, so we advise you to secure yours as quickly as possible.
Included with every domain name
Show all extensions1 web page
1 email address
DNSSEC protection
Unlimited aliases and redirections