Naming your website correctly is important. However, it is not a matter of life and death as many people think. For one thing, the site can be re-migrated later, and since a certain Google update, the domain name also plays a minimal role for search engines. Still, it’s worth giving the domain name some serious thought.
Choosing a name
If you have a business, you first need to come up with a name for your business. I’m not an expert on this and refer you to Jakub Kantor’s blog or this article.
Once you have a business name, try to find a domain that is as similar to the name as possible (ideally, verify when you’re coming up with the name).
For domain availability, you can check on Wedos.
If you are not a business and want to start a new online project, I would stick to a few simple recommendations.
Simplicity
When thinking of a domain, avoid complex names (kraniosacralnibiodynamika.cz).
Readability
Also, be careful not to have two of the same letters in a row (fanousciibsena.cz) or to make the domain too long (skvelyblogpromaminkynamaterskedovolene.cz).
Comprehensibility
Avoid words that don’t mean anything, unless that’s the name of your company or it has some meaning (gebrilantino.cz).
On the other hand, I find one-word names (stoikem.cz), or a phrase that is easy to remember (kocarekavino.cz), or a name that just suggests what the site is about (vseopostelich.cz) are great.
What ending to choose
I would go for .cz. It doesn’t play a big role, but we have so many free domains in the Czech Republic that it would be better to always try to come up with an equivalent than to reach for .io, .org, or .net.
Is it worth investing in a domain if it’s already taken?
It depends. In my opinion, more likely not, but there are definitely exceptions. However, if you are starting a business, there are much better ways to put your money to use than investing it in a domain.
That’s why I would avoid buying domains for more money and rather find a domain that is still available.
What to look out for
The process doesn’t end when you buy a domain, so to avoid any inconvenience in the future, there are a few things you should look out for.
Set up automatic domain renewal
There are hundreds of stories where someone had an interesting domain, forgot to renew it after it expired, and lost it. So set up an automatic renewal at the place where you buy the domain.
You always own the domain
And if you don’t understand the world of domains at all, ask the people who make your website to buy and own the domain themselves. This is a good precaution and no creator should have a problem with this requirement.
Buying a domain is not complicated. If you can set up an email account, you can buy a domain.
If anything is not clear, come and ask us at our Discord or Facebook.
Then let me know in the comments what your experience with choosing your domain name has been.
