In this series, xneelo will be providing the advice business owners need to take their ecommerce stores to new heights.
The goal of any ecommerce website is to expand the reach of your business and to make it as easy as possible for customers to make a purchase. Achieving these goals starts with your choice of domain name and extension – the starting point of your customers’ experience with your ecommerce business.
We’ll take you through the most important factors for choosing a domain for your ecommerce business so your website is geared for success from the very beginning.
Tips for choosing a domain name
Your domain name is your website’s address on the Internet. It's the text a visitor sees in their browser’s address bar. For example, the ‘xneelo’ in xneelo.co.za is xneelo’s domain name.
A lot of thought needs to go into choosing the right domain name as your online store may form the central hub of your business that all your marketing and social media activities will stem from. Most importantly, it is the heart of your brand.
It's important to choose a domain name that matches your company name or aligns with what you offer. The trick is to make it as simple as possible for customers to find you online. Ideally, your domain name should be consistent with your social media channels. The last thing you want to do is cause confusion. A cohesive brand is a credible one, and one which customers will trust.
Here are our top tips for choosing the right domain name:
- Keep it relevant to what you do
- Keep it on brand
- Make it memorable
- Keep it simple and easy to spell.
Once you’ve chosen the perfect domain name, see if it's available and register it as soon as possible. If your chosen domain name is not available, it means someone else has already registered it. In this case, play around with prefixes and suffixes, or use your slogan or an aligned word instead. Alternatively, you can try to contact the current owner and offer to buy the domain.
Tips for choosing a domain extension
Every domain name ends with a domain extension. For example, in ‘www.xneelo.co.za’ the .co.za is the domain extension. For an ecommerce store, you ideally want a domain extension that is widely used, like .com which is the most common domain extension. If your online store will only serve South African customers, use the .co.za local extension as it is instantly recognisable to local customers and indicates right off the bat that you are a local business.
Finding an available domain extension can be tricky, so have a look at the other domain extension options available to you. For example, if you are predominantly an NGO and your online store plays a more supporting role, .org or .org.za might be more suitable.
Finding the right domain is the most important step on your ecommerce journey. So choose wisely. You’ll be surprised by just how important these few characters are and their role in your success.
Ready to start your online journey? Find the perfect domain name here.