Many entrepreneurs, regardless of their field of expertise, make the mistake of not placing enough emphasis on the domain name when they want to grow a business. According to experts, this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make at the beginning, because in most cases, the domain name is the foundation of a successful business. If you are at the stage of launching an e-commerce business, the Marketing PixelFlowAgency team is here to help, listing and explaining a series of criteria you should consider when choosing your domain name.

The Domain Name Doesn’t Have to Match the Company Name

The company that owns Facebook is called Meta, and Google is part of Alphabet. Therefore, it’s not mandatory to name your business after your company name. More importantly, the role of a domain name is to describe the website’s content as clearly as possible and to attract as many visitors as possible, later turning them into potential clients/customers.

For local businesses or well-known brands, it’s perfectly normal for the domain name to match the physical store name for better visibility, but for online stores, this is not a rule.

A Domain Name That Contains Keywords Will Be More Attractive

Many SEO service experts believe that including keywords will automatically bring benefits in SERPs. We can say this is partially true, because it does happen—but not necessarily because Google “notices” the keywords, but because users are the ones who see them. For example, if you’re craving a certain dish, such as grilled sausages with mustard, where would you order from?

On a first search, Google shows “Casa Berii” and “La Micul Picant” at the top of the results. The decision might be random at first, but if you also want a cold drink to go with it, wouldn’t you be tempted to choose the first option? In this way, we can realize that including the main keyword in the business’s domain name is a good idea—not just for the search engine itself, but also for the user experience.

The Domain Name Should Be Short and Descriptive

It’s certain that the domain name should be as short as possible, while still including a reasonable number of characters (between 50 and 60) so it can be easy to remember and leave room for categories and subcategories. Although it’s not a rule when it comes to SEO specifications, specialists recommend choosing a domain name that contains no more than three words. Of these, at least one should have a clear, defining meaning for your business: in this sense, we’re either referring to a keyword like the ones above (sausages and beer), or a place (showroom, shop, online, zoo, café), or a term that expresses quality (friendly, cheap, fast, expert).

The Domain Name Should Not Contain Hyphens

Using hyphens is mandatory in some contexts, but not when it comes to choosing a domain name. One of the quickest ways to tell whether you’re speaking correctly is to know the basic rules of Romanian grammar. Why isn’t it recommended to use a hyphen in a domain name? Because it can make URLs look misleading and create the impression of spam. Considering the aspects mentioned in point 2—namely that Google doesn’t need to “see” the keyword, but the user does—it makes no sense to use a hyphen in a domain name. Moreover, from an aesthetic point of view, the presence of the “-” character doesn’t look great anywhere between www and .ro.

Don’t Register Just One Domain Name

There are several reasons, some more obvious than others, why you should register multiple variations based on the original domain name. This way, you either “anticipate” some of the mistakes a user might make—for example, typing lamicupicant.ro instead of lamiculpicant.ro—or you prevent competitors from registering domain names that could steal your customers.

It’s preferable to control both the singular/plural variations of the brand and the .com, .net, .org, or .info endings, depending on the nature of the website. In the first example, all the other domains should be redirected to the main domain, while in the second example, these domains should simply be held (this strategy is called “defensive domain name registration”).

Most Users Prefer .ro Domains

If you have an online store dedicated to Romanian users, it’s perfectly normal to use a .ro domain. On the other hand, if you think a .com or .us ending would add a sense of prestige to your brand, things aren’t quite that simple. Research has shown that local domains (.ro in Romania, .cz in the Czech Republic, .hu in Hungary) ensure higher conversion rates in these countries, most likely due to their association with the native language and the possibility of faster product deliveries when we’re talking about an online store. Therefore, you need to understand that .ro endings are not about patriotism or product/service quality, but simply about customer trust and expectations.

Check Whether the Domain Name Has Been Registered Before

Last but not least, it’s important to know whether the domain name has been registered before, especially if it previously received Google’s approval. If in the past it was used for purposes less related to what you want to do and was penalized for not being indexed, the problem can be “inherited” by you as the new owner. Attention: those penalties have not become null! In such a scenario, the real problem is that the relevant penalties won’t appear in Google Search Console, and you won’t know what needs to be “fixed.” Therefore, before registering a certain domain, go to archive.org and find out everything about its past.

Contrary to appearances, choosing a domain name is not an easy task, which is why it shouldn’t be ignored or downplayed. There are many things to keep in mind, but the tips above will help increase your chances of success by making the right choices.