Are you curious about how to choose a domain for your dropshipping site? These are the top questions often asked by new online business owners.
Every business begins with an idea.
Dropshipping stores start with a niche.
A domain is the foundation of your website. Your domain name is essential for any type of ecommerce business, including dropshipping.
Today’s article is about a very important topic. We will show you how to select a domain name and evaluate it before purchasing the right one for your dropshipping site.
Let’s get started with the basics.
What exactly is a domain?
Let me first explain what a domain is before I discuss how to choose one. A domain is the primary part of your website URL address.
Take a look at our website’s address.
https://alidropship.com/
The domain is ‘alidropship.com’. It is composed of two elements:
- This is the ‘alidropship’ part of the so-called Second Level Domain
A word or combination of words you use to describe your dropshipping website.
You can theoretically choose any combination of letters or digits as your second level domain. This combination makes sense, but it doesn’t seem to inspire trust.
The second level domain usually contains the same word or phrase as the store name. This helps with branding and makes sense.
Alternately, to improve your Google rankings, you could take the main store keyword and tweak it a bit. This is a way to make a memorable, catchy, and easy-to-pronounce phrase. We will go into more detail.
- The “.com” part of the Top-Level Domain (also known as “domain extensions”)
There are only a few top-level domains available, so you don’t have to invent anything. Follow the basics and pick from the available options.
Wait, what? Are there rules for choosing top-level domains?
The type of organization using top-level domains has been a hallmark of the past. Let’s look at the most popular ones.
- Companies and organizations who run a business or use the.com domain for financial purposes are generally allowed to use it. It is a trusted domain that has a reputation for being the most prestigious, trust-inspiring and popular. It is highly sought-after by businesses and organizations around the world.
We recommend the.com domain. We have found that shorter and more keyword-rich domain names with.com top levels domains yield better results. They are also more effective for dropshipping websites.
- The.co domain, which is relatively new to the.com domain, is an alternative that entrepreneurs choose. Most of the appealing names in the.com domain are already taken.
- Although the.biz domain is used in many of the same cases as the.com, it is not as common or as widely used as the.com.
- The.net domain is usually associated with high-tech companies, information technology, startups, or other tech-related entities.
- Charities and other non-profit organizations often choose.org domains (‘org’ stands for ‘organization) because they don’t place financial resources at the heart of their activities.
- Websites and blogs with an informational or educational purpose that raise awareness about something are eligible to use the.info domain.
- Educational institutions of all types regularly take the.edu domain.
- The domain.gov is owned by governmental entities in the United States.
There are also a variety of top-level domains that are specific to each country.
- .uk is for the United Kingdom
- .us is for the United States
- .il for Israel
- Australia:.au
- .de for Germany
- Finland:.fi
- Japan:.jp
- .kr for South Korea
- The Netherlands:.nl
- Russia:.ru
- .se for Sweden, etc.
These domains are restricted to authorized organizations, authorities and companies. They are unlikely to be required for your business.
Is there a similar process for selecting a second-level website domain?
This is the best part.
You don’t have much imagination or creativity when choosing a top-level domain. You only need to choose from among the 20-30 options.
It’s quite a different story when it comes down to the second-level domain name.
There are three things you should consider when creating your store domain.
SEO
When you are thinking about how do I create a domain, consider your domain’s potential for search engine optimization. It’s a smart idea to include SEO-friendly words or phrases in your domain if you want to get favorable Google rankings.
Many dropshipping business owners design their website domains around their main keyword. They can also use any supporting keywords to achieve this goal. They solve two problems at once. This improves their ranking in search results and makes it easier for Internet users find this webstore.
This optimization should be treated with care. A website that has an address like buyofficechairsonlineusa.com looks quite suspicious. This website even gives the impression that it is potentially dangerous and poses a threat.
Domain names that only contain long-tail keywords look shady and lack trustworthiness. It doesn’t make it easy to create an unforgettable shopping destination that is different from others.
This brings us to the next important consideration:
Branding
Are you a small dropshipping business owner who can compete with giants such as AliExpress and Amazon?
You can make a shopping destination that is easily recognized and buyers-oriented, while maintaining a friendly atmosphere.
You have a much smaller range of activities than big shopping platforms. This gives you a huge advantage. You can provide excellent customer service if you only have a few products to sell. This strategy is the best way to win over your customers.
The difficult but rewarding task of creating your own store universe begins with your website address, and more specifically your domain name. The website address and domain name are the first things people notice when they visit your store. Your website name should set expectations at the beginning of a first encounter. It is your responsibility to fulfill them.
It is important that a good domain clearly indicates what the store is about. This will help you get recognition and support the creation of your unique brand which is strikingly different than the offers from competitors.
Credibility
Your dropshipping website URL, as we’ve already said, is what makes the first impression. Naturally, the domain name plays a significant role. Here are some tips to help you choose the right domain name. Or, how to avoid making a domain that will scare off potential buyers.
Is it possible for an Internet user to visit your store once they see it in search results?
It all depends on the content and quality of your domain name. It could be a strange word combination or a random mixture of numbers and letters that makes no sense. It may be a great SEO strategy, but most Internet surfers will not click on it.
Dropshipping websites that speculate on well-known brands or trademarks are also subject to the same rules. Scammers often use the wrong spelling (abibas.com). They can also choose a domain with a different top-level than the official one (adidas.net). Scammers are not something people like, so it’s best to avoid misleading people by using another’s brand. Great website names don’t look like this!
Dropshipping websites that have inappropriate word combinations or domain names will be avoided by people. For example, domains such as bestkidnaps.com and therapistbay.com are examples.
Avoiding negative connotations in foreign languages is also important. It is impossible to be familiar with all languages around the world. However, make sure to check the meaning of your chosen name in the target language. Also, make sure to consider the meaning of the name in the most commonly used languages around the globe (at least, Chinese, English, Hindustani and Spanish).
How do you choose a domain name? What technical steps should I take? How do I purchase the domain?
It’s really easy and fun!
First, go to a domain name generator website. You can find many domain generators and most of them offer their services for free.
The Namemesh generator is highly recommended. It allows you to evaluate the appeal of any domain by multiple parameters simultaneously.
The search bar allows you to enter 2-3 words and then click the “Generate” button.
This system displays all possible combinations of these words and splits domain name suggestions into multiple categories.
- Common
These are the most ‘traditionally-looking’ names with typically used top level domains (also called extensions) like .com, .net., org, etc.
- Neue
These names contain the latest extensions available for websites (.tech.chop.center, etc.). These extensions are ‘young’ so you have a great chance of grabbing a name before anyone else.
- Short
This section lists the shortest domain names. The shorter the domain name, the better your recognition. But, it must make sense. You should also note that the majority of most popular domains have a short URL, which is why they are often occupied.
- Additional
These domain names have unusual extensions such as.name,.me, or.ly. They are similar to the “New” category in a way but are still common for worldwide practice.
- Similar
These domains do not contain the keyword you provided. They are instead based on synonyms and antonyms. These names are unique and can be used to describe your business in a more’smarter way’. They might be the best option for branding.
- SEO
This section contains the perfect names for potential Google rankings. The system modifies the main keyword by using suffixes and prefixes. This is how you can get a list with SEO-friendly but sensible domain names.
- Fun
Smart word modification is used to create the website domains in this category. This includes blending words and phonetic variations, mispelling and other tricks. You get unique, yet meaningful words that make great brand names.
- Mix
In other words, suffixes and prefixes are mixed in with the keyword you have provided.
You get a page with all possible domains.
You can modify the results as you see and have fun with them!
To find more domain options, you can look at every one of the Search Suggestions. This is very useful if you have tried all the names and are unable to think of any other good ones.
You can also hide domains already registered. This saves you time. You can also search the WhoIs database. You can also find out who bought the most popular domains. Sometimes, it may be helpful to contact the owner and inquire about buying this domain.
You can also specify the preferred domain length, and select the top-level domains that you would like.
The most important part is finally here. You can also select the registrar that will offer you the best domain name.
It doesn’t really matter which registrar service is used. Each registrar service has the same number of domains. It’s impossible for any registrar to offer domains you cannot buy elsewhere. Namemesh lists all registrars that have the legal right of selling website domains.
It’s still a good idea for you to verify the name in each registrar. Simple reason: Even the same name can have completely different prices for different services.
To be a smart shopper, it is important to:
- Namemesh
- Choose one registrar
- Enter the keyword
- Click the “Generate” button
- Look through the generated domain name list
- Click the name to see more
The system will automatically direct you to the registrar website. You will find the price of the domain name and instructions for how to purchase it. Once you are satisfied with the price and name, proceed to the payment!
It’s overwhelming to choose from so many options for names. Do you have a checklist for choosing a domain name to use in dropshipping?
Yes! It is important to choose domain names. Take a look at this list and mark the statements that you agree with.
- This domain name is very appealing to me
Your opinion is important! No matter what marketing experts say, you should be satisfied with the name’s sound and meaning.
- It is very short
A length of 10-12 characters is acceptable. Do you want people to be able to recall your name?
- It’s easy to type
It’s all about brand recognition. Let’s say you choose a well-known name but have chosen unusual letters to go with it. Most people will misspell it when they type the address or use hashtags on social media.
- It allows me to grow.
Dropshipping makes it easy to expand your product offering when needed. If you wish, you can switch to another business niche. If you decide to add new product categories, will the domain be relevant?
- It’s also available on social media
You need to have relevant accounts on social media in order to promote your store online. Imagine someone has created a Facebook page with the same name as you. This would cause confusion among your customers and would be very sad. They will also mix you up with random accounts.
Namemesh also has the adorable feature of scanning social media networks! Take a look at the image below.
The system checks the “Social Availability” when you click on the suggested domain. This means it analyzes the names of existing Facebook and Twitter accounts. The same can be done manually on Instagram.
You can use the same name for all your social media accounts. It will help you build a strong brand and increase your visibility.
- It has a long and proud history
Did you know that every domain name must be checked before you buy? You should still check the history of any domain you purchase, even if it isn’t from an owner. This domain could have some history.
Perhaps the owner simply moved on from the domain. You can use the Wayback machine to verify that nothing is amiss. This shows who has used the domain and what their purpose is.
