Web visitors decide within seconds whether or not to stick around to read your blog. Many potential subscribers judge your blog on its domain name. Picking a memorable, short and easy to visualize name can boost your subscriber count while expanding brand awareness.
Before you pick a domain name use these 3 tips:
Align with Your Topic
Nothing confuses visitors more than a non-relevant domain name. Picking a name related to a totally different niche or a variety site only diminishes the power of your brand and sends new visitors off with a bad taste in their mouths. People demand relevance and clarity in a domain name.
Some of the most well known blogs were carefully thought out creations. Experienced blog owners build a domain around their vision. Who do you want to attract to your blog? Picture your ideal reader. Think of their age, location, occupation and dwell on specific demographics to become more familiar with that person.
Once you have an avatar in mind you can effectively pick a domain name which resonates with your ideal reader. The name can be clever as long as it’s brief. More than anything the name should align fully with the topic of your blog and it should appeal to your ideal reader to resonate with your target audience.
Short Works Best
Avoid the common mistake made by newbie bloggers. Pick a short, easy to remember domain name so users can type in the URL with ease. Long domains are both confusing and difficult to type in on both laptops and handheld devices. Few people have the time or patience to type in a 40 digit domain name on their tablet.
Short domain names are easy to recall and even easier to type in. Visitors may bookmark your blog but lazy, less motivated, new viewers of your blog still need to type in your domain name on their first visit. Make it easy to recall the name and easier to type the name through a smart phone or tablet. Keep it short and punchy to maximize web traffic.
Can You Picture the Name?
People think in terms of pictures. As you’re reading these words you’re building images in your mind. Reading a book sparks your visualizing faculty. When someone visits your blog they’re likely to observe the domain name.
Can people easily visualize the name? If they can picture the blog domain name you just made their job easier. Readers can better understand a domain name that they can see and grasp instantly. Tough to picture domain names lead to confusion. Confused readers rarely stick around for more than one or two visits.
Patiently work through a list of domain names before you make your final selection. Reach out to bloggers in your niche to ask for suggestions. If you’ve found that most bloggers can easily picture your domain name you’re likely on the right track. Register your domain name once you’ve picked an easy to picture, relevant, short and punchy URL for your blog.