How to choose the right domain name step by step

Successful entrepreneurship and business almost always go hand in hand with a professional website. Of course, having your own website starts with finding the ideal domain name. Although more than 6 million .nl domain names have now been registered, there are still more than 6 million free .nl domain names. Register your ideal choice easily. When choosing a name, there are a number of things to consider, such as the relevance of the name and the extension. In this article we explain step by step how to choose and register the right domain name.

A name that is readable and memorable

The following applies to both your company name and your domain name: choose a name that people can read, easily remember and can pronounce well. This also makes it easier to spell your domain name during verbal contact and avoids confusion or miscommunication with your customers or partners. A relatively short name often sticks better than an extremely long name. Yet a short name is not always better. The important thing is that the name is recognizable when you read it. For example, in search results on Google. An original and appealing sentence is then sometimes more effective than an unpronounceable, short name.

Beware of hyphens or abbreviations

A hyphen in your domain name is often forgotten when typing the url into Google, so people may not be able to find your website. Of course you want to prevent that. Therefore, always choose a domain name without hyphens. Or make sure you register both variants (hyphenated and unhyphenated). Even if the domain name you have in mind is taken, preferably choose the hyphenated variant: you create confusion with the domain name without the hyphen. In addition, abbreviations in your name are confusing for your target audience because they reduce readability. Your target audience wants to know what you do from your domain name, especially if they are not yet familiar with your company.

Choose the right extension

You choose an extension based on your goals. Are you an entrepreneur doing business primarily in the Netherlands? Then a .nl is the most logical choice. Research shows that the .nl extension has the most positive image in the Netherlands. Dutch internet users associate .nl with being close (74%), trusted (69%), reliable (65%) and secure (64%) (Source: SIDN survey, n=1025). Internet users are more likely to click on a .nl and trust a .nl domain name than any other extension. And rightly so, because a .nl is 10 times less likely to be used for spam than a .com(source: Spamhouse, 2021). This lowers the barrier to doing business or making an online purchase online.

Register multiple domain names

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to one domain name. Do you do both national and international business? Or do you have the ambition to offer your services or products internationally in the future? Then it's a good idea to register the domain name in multiple extensions. For example, register the .com extension in addition to your .nl domain name. You can also register domain names that are similar to your domain name and link them to your website. This ensures that users always end up at your website and that competitors do not run off with a similar domain name.

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