A domain name is basically the name of your website. It’s what people type into their browser when they want to find you online, kind of like your address on the internet.
When choosing your domain name, you have to look at a couple of things.
First, what is your website about?
Your domain should reflect your brand or what you’re offering. If you’re a photographer, it might be something like yournamephotography.com. If you’re starting a blog about travels, maybe something fun and catchy like funtravels.com.
Keep it simple, relevant, and easy to remember.
Keep it short and sweet
It’s hard to type and easy to forget long or complicated names. Try to keep your domain name short, clear, and easy to spell. If people have to guess how to type it, you’ll probably lose traffic.
Avoid numbers and hyphens
Unless your brand has a number in it, skip the digits. And hyphens? They can just confuse people. Imagine telling someone your site is blog-with-abby.com, they’ll probably forget the dash and end up somewhere else.
Stick with familiar extensions
Most people go for .com, and for good reason, it’s the most trusted and widely recognized. Though there are many like .net, .org, they might work too. Just make sure it feels legit and fits your vibe.
Personally, I would recommend sticking with .com.
When your site evolves and grows to hundreds of thousands of visitors, then you can buy the .net, .org extensions to secure your domain name. More on this later.
Think long-term
Choose a name you can grow with. Maybe you’re starting with a blog, but one day you’ll want to sell merchandise or offer services. A good domain name should still make sense if your site evolves.
Check availability (everywhere)
Make sure the name you want isn’t already taken, not just as a domain, but on social media too. It’s way easier to build a consistent online presence when your domain name matches your Instagram handle, Twitter, or TikTok.
Bluehost has a search bar where you can check if your domain name is available.
Get Started with Bluehost
Once you’ve found the perfect domain name, it’s time to bring your website to life! You can get started with Bluehost using this link, which includes a discounted rate and a free domain for your first year.
Need a little help setting everything up? No worries, I’ve got you covered! Check out this step-by-step blog post where I walk you through the entire process.
Final thoughts
Your domain name is one of the first impressions people will have of your brand. Take your time with it. Don’t rush. Brainstorm. Say it out loud. Ask a friend. Once you find the right one, you’ll know.
