Selecting an appropriate URL (web address) for your new business can be almost as difficult as naming the new business in the first place. In fact, if you are considering a few different business names, it may be a good idea to make sure the URL you want is available before deciding on your business name! It definitely can save some frustration later.
However, for those that have already decided on a name for their new business and are now looking for the right web address, I have put together this list of items to consider:
Spell-ability. How likely is the general public to correctly spell your web address? This may sound crazy, but spelling can be a challenge. I learned the hard way that many people misspell the word “personnel” when I started my prior business. Ensuring that it’s a ‘spellable’ web address is important.
Understandability. Test your proposed web address with a few friends first. If you find that you must clarify anything, or perhaps make sure you are annunciating the words or letters clearly, then it may be a confusing URL. A good URL is something that you can say once, and the majority of listeners are able to type without any problem.
Short is nice. This is more of a practical consideration, but in general a shorter URL is better because it is 1) easier to use for email, and 2) less likely to be susceptible to typos. This isn’t as important as some of the other considerations, but a short URL certainly is nice as long as it meets all the other considerations as well.
Singular vs. Plural. If your business name is plural (ends with an “s”), realize that some people will accidentally use the singular form, thereby not finding your website. This can be handled by purchasing both versions of the name. If both versions aren’t available, you may want to consider a different URL.
Practical vs. Cute. A practical URL that is clearly relevant to your business is much better than a cute wording that only a few people will understand. If you have an idea for a URL that seems catchy to you, just make sure it is also catchy to several other people. Otherwise, it will come across about as good as a bad joke, and ultimately work against you instead of for you.
Lastly... dotcom. I’m not sure this matters as much as it used to, and in fact there are cases where other extensions make more sense given that there are so many extensions on the market these days. However, if the dotcom version of your desired URL is available, it certainly makes sense to purchase it as well. And if there isn’t a valid reason to use one of the other available extensions (such as .edu or .org), then a dotcom extension will likely be the best choice. Keep in mind that although there is an extension for almost every field (.academy, .accountant, etc.), the public isn’t aware of most of those. Many of us still assume a web address ends in dotcom unless we are 100% sure otherwise.
I’m sure there are many more considerations to think about when selecting a URL. These are just some of the thoughts I have had when selecting URLs for my own companies over the years.
Please feel free to give your thoughts below!
Until next time, have a wonderful week.
Mark Goldman
Comentarios