How to choose a domain name?

Domain names are brands of the internet. Long gone are the years of using IP addresses to get to a website, while possible, nobody does, unless they are hosting something specific. Although it is still possible to see the IP addresses. Domains connect with IP addresses of the hosting provider. DNS or Domain Name System identifies and helps you reach the servers where content is located by using domain names.

If you ever wondered how you can check the IP address of a website, just go to windows start, search for CMD and enter the command

ping google.com

Doing this will show the IP address of Google’s server you are reaching. A note, it might be different for you, since you are probably pinging a different server because Google has load balancers, that direct people to different servers.

But enough about that. Domain names! Glorious, wonderful, sometimes crazy domain names. There are different types. Some try to catch attention by using keywords, some by it’s wild-made-up slogan, or some even by their premium feel of either a dictionary name or small number of characters.

Keyword domains

These are straightforward. They are domains that have the relevant keywords of your interest. You might be searching for different items or concepts. If you’re searching for fluffy cats, there might be a domain, that has ”fluffycats” in it’s name, so you know what you should be getting.

Keyword domains are great for letting your customers know what they should be expecting. But they also restrict you from branching out later if you want to, because you won’t sell kitchen appliances if the domain name is about cats and dogs. They are however great for SEO purposes and if you are planning to concentrate on one niche, then great!

When buying, these cost anywhere from ~$1400 to $5000+ or even more for premium keywords. A killer keyword domain is worth it’s price.

Brandable domains

These are your amazons, your Netflix and every other made up name or partially made up name. They are usually easy to say and easy to type. If you tell someone your business name, you have to expect that the customer will be:

1. Able to remember it
2. Able to type into the browser without too many mistakes, thus passing a radio test
3. Associate it with the products or services you are providing

Brandable domains are great because of their ambiguity. While you get the general feel of the service you might be getting it isn’t certain. You always have the option of branching out in the future and furthering your business.

Brandable name pricing is not as straightforward. But there are some rules. For example, a dictionary name with a suffix might be more expensive than just a completely made-up name.

Either way, the pricing for brandable are usually ~$1500 to ~8000$.

Premium domains

These are the blue chips of the domain name world. These are dictionary names, the 2, 3 or 4 letter domain names. Something like Code.com and other crazy names which when you see and hear, you know you are seeing a premium service.

Premium names, unsurprisingly, come with premium pricing. They can range anywhere from ~$10000 to millions and even tens of millions. But acquiring these domains, it means you are on top of your competition just by brand value.

What to choose then?

Personally, we also like making websites about topics. If we are planning to just stick to the topic on hand, we go with keyword domains. It’s easy for a user to remember, seeing it on Google also gives you the exact information you need to enter it.

Brandables are for more ambiguity and to branch out. Great for products in the real world, as once your business gets rolling, there is a high chance you want to add other services or products for more profit.

Premium name if you want to dominate the field you are entering, but these have a really high cost of entry.

As usual, if you want, WebSuffix also has domains on Brandable marketplaces and on non-brandable marketplaces. We have domains for a lot of niches, if you want, you can check them here. or on DAN for our non-brandable marketplace domains. Or under this post for a quick look!