How to stand out with a great domain name?

How to stand out with a great domain name

Showcasing your great idea with a professional website can help you
stand out. A great place to start is by choosing and registering a .com
domain name. Millions of businesses around the world choose .com for
their domain name extension because it’s universal, trusted and
recognized.

Use this checklist for helpful tips to choose a .com domain name and start
building a website today.

1. Create a plan to build your website.

• Choose and register a .com domain name for your web address. Quick tip: Even if you decide not to build your website right away, a .com domain name still provides you with a memorable and consistent web address for your business.
• Decide the purpose of your website (e.g., blog, e-commerce site, online brochure).
• Decide if you want to build your website yourself using a website builder, or if you want to outsource it to a professional. Quick tip: Many website building tools are now made with small business owners in mind, helping you to easily create a great website with simple tools (such as “drag and drop” functionality). You may want to try website building out for yourself first before enlisting professional help.
• Choose a hosting company. This is the company that will “display” and manage your website online to make it accessible and viewable to users.

2. Define your website requirements.

• Develop a list of wants and needs for your website.
• Determine what is most important to have on your website today, and what can be added later. Most websites evolve over time.
• Determine what website content is essential and create it. What information will your visitors find interesting and valuable? At a minimum, make sure your website includes several ways for people to contact your company, such as your custom business email address and telephone number.

3. Promote, maintain, and optimize your website.

• Think about how visitors will find your website, and list your web address everywhere possible, including on business cards, packaging, printed materials, signage, social media, advertisements and online directories. Also, consider search engine advertising and a custom business email address as a way to strengthen brand recognition.
• Understand how your website is performing and who is coming to your website by using tools to help analyze your website traffic. Your website builder or hosting company may offer website traffic analytics as part of your package.
• Continually optimise your website and develop useful content for your visitors based on traffic data and user feedback. Make a monthly plan of things that need to be done regularly. Set a schedule and dedicate the time you want to invest. If your website and content are set up correctly, you may not need as much time as you think to maintain your website.

While this checklist can offer a good starting point in building your website, it’s important to understand that a website will require additional time and effort to maintain if you wish to grow your business.

How to stand out with a great domain name? was originally published in Startup Grind on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.