9 common mistakes to avoid when choosing your domain name

These days, having an online presence is essential to the survival and growth of most businesses. A business website helps to establish your online presence, increasing brand awareness and attracting customers.

Sometimes creating a website may not be as challenging as choosing a domain name. Keep in mind that a domain name has a huge impact on the success of your e-commerce website Malaysia.

Here are 9 mistakes you shouldn’t make when choosing a domain name.

1. Choosing a Domain Name That Is Similar to That of Another Brand

While the name you choose needs to represent what your brand is about, it should be unique to avoid getting consumers confused. 

If your brand doesn’t have a strong recognition yet, make sure you choose a domain name that no other brand uses.

You risk losing your customers if you use a domain name that is similar to one that already exists.

2. Thinking That Your Business Name and The Domain Name Must Be The Same.

It is not compulsory for your business and domain names to match. Instead of looking for matching names, focus on getting a domain name that correctly describes your business and what you offer.

Your target audience doesn’t care if your domain name rhymes with your business name. All they want is for your website to meet their expectations.

3. Choosing a Domain Name That is Hard to Say

A domain name that is hard to pronounce will most likely be difficult to remember.

Avoid using words that people shy away from using because of their pronunciation. Stick to words that are easy to say, so that people will not forget it in a hurry.

4. Choosing a Long Name

Not only are short names easy to remember, but they are also easy to spell. When choosing a domain name it is advisable to limit it to one or two words.

Unusually long domain names make it hard for you to be found online and those who may want to access your site with a mobile device may find the name too lengthy. Unless you want to deliberately reduce web traffic, use a short domain name.

5. Opting For a Name with an Odd Spelling

In a bid to make your domain name stand out, you may want to use a name with an odd spelling. This means that the words will not be spelled as pronounced.

Odd spellings are a recipe for disaster. Not only does this make it hard to find you online, but it also frustrates potential customers as even voice recognition software like Siri cannot find you if the customer decides to run a search through them.

6. Choosing the Wrong TLD Extension

TLD here means ‘Top Level Domain’ and it comes after your preferred name. The most popular TLD is ‘.com’ and it is appropriate for most websites. 

However, there are other TLDs that may suit your website better.

That being said, you need to be careful when choosing a TLD extension as some of them sound odd and are associated with spammers. 

You should also not use country-specific TLDs if you are looking to attract customers from different parts of the world. This will make it hard for your website to appear in the search results.

7. Spending Too Much To Get a Generic Name

It’s OK to want to get a generic domain name Malaysia that specifically projects the nature of the services you offer. But spending a fortune just to get it is not a wise move. Generic names are no longer in vogue.

You can opt for other catchy names and invest more in other important aspects of your business such as marketing.

8. Not Picking the Right Domain Name Because Of Cost

If you find the perfect domain name but refuse to go for it, you will end up spending more in the long run.

Domain names are of different prices and well-targeted names cost more but produce the desired result and do not need as much publicity as cheaper names.

9. Not Doing a Thorough Research

It will be a mistake to just choose a domain name without doing thorough research. Search for similar domain names to yours and see what happens when the name is misspelled or when a different TLD is used.

Does it take them straight to your competitors? If it does, you may be losing your customers to them. Plus research helps you to use the right TLD for your website.

Takeaway

If you can avoid these mistakes, you will end up with a suitable domain name Malaysia. Don’t be in a hurry to pick a name.

Take your time and do the proper research to ensure that your domain name does not cause confusion and frustrate potential customers.

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