A newbie blogger can sometimes spend hours (even days) racking their brain trying to figure out how to choose a domain name for their website’s brand.
But that’s just taking valuable time away from building their online business, at the end of the day.
Wouldn’t you agree?
The process of finding a domain is actually easier and quicker than you might think.
In this article, I’m gonna guide you on choosing the perfect domain name for your blog in 30 minutes or less, so you can spend more time focusing on creating your empire.
Sound good, my young grasshopper?
However, if you don’t already have a blog and you’re struggling with starting one, then I highly recommend that you grab your free WordPress blog here.
Table of Contents
What The Heck is a Domain Name?
Put simply, a domain name is the web address of your website. For example, ‘ZeroToAffiliateHero.com‘.
Without a domain, you have no website, online presence, and income. Simples.
If you wanna stand out in the marketplace and become a profitable affiliate marketer, it’s highly important to start up YOUR OWN blog with a domain name.
3 Awesome Reasons Why You Need a Domain!
By having your own web presence and brand, it’s gonna put you miles ahead of the affiliates who are doing it all wrong – the ones who spam social media groups with junk, etc.
Have you ever met a single successful affiliate who spams the internet with “raw links”?
The short answer: NOPE, neither have I!
The second good reason why you need your own domain name is that it’s gonna rank higher in Google than a blog on a free sub-domain like myblog.siterubix.com, for example.
Don’t get me wrong, free sub-domains can rank, but owning your own piece of “virtual real estate” using myblog.com, for example – will bring you the best results.
Now, the third and final reason is that as you continue to create content, your domain’s gonna increase in value down the road.
Did you know some bloggers sell their domains/blogs for $10,000s?
Incredible, huh?
You can sell if you choose, but let’s say your site’s pulling in 1,000s of visitors per day and your income increases month-after-month – would you wanna sell your estate for a one-off lump sum payment?
Hmm…
The Bottom Line:
In this day and age of Internet Marketing, those who bring value to the table by delivering “content” through their own brands (blogs/domains) to help others – are the ones who crush it and earn 4 – 5 figures per month.
But you’ll need to work on your blog like a Super Trooper for 12 months (at least) if you wanna earn that sort of life-changing cash.
2 Ways to Pick a Domain (Choose 1)…
When it comes to choosing the perfect domain you want, there are two avenues to pick from.
#1: The “Exact Match” Route
The exact match option is “exactly” as it sounds.
You simply choose a keyword-rich domain.
For example, BestPS4Games.net.
But you’ll need a keyword tool for the job. Jaaxy is my #1 recommendation because you get 30 free searches. Plus not to mention it’s the best keyword research platform on Earth! 😉
As for the availability of your chosen domain, Jaaxy also shows you that to save heaps of time.
From my example search, you’ll see that “.net” is available for the keyword domain ‘best ps4 games’.
But why use an Exact Match Domain (EMD), you ask?
Well, as you can also see from my search, the keyword generates over 4,000 searches per month.
So with an ‘EMD’, you can get some pretty nice extra traffic to your site when your domain ranks on Google’s first page for that keyword term.
But with that said, as you build out your site with heaps of content that targets the right keywords, you’re gonna get TONS of traffic anyway.
The other thing you must know about ‘EMDs’ is that Google has adapted to the sneaky tricks of the “Black Hat” SEO marketers lol.
Many moons ago (when Google had numerous loopholes to exploit), some marketers built websites/blogs on “keyword rich” domains for easy rankings and traffic.
But nowadays, it’s not a walk in the park to get your domain ranked on page-1 because Google expects blood, sweat, and tears from you (for many months) before you reap the rewards.
#2: A “Brandable” Domain
My Brand 😀
While picking an ‘EMD’ is a nice option, choosing your own domain that reflects YOU and YOUR PASSION is the absolute best option, in my book.
When you roll with a name that resonates with you, I think you take more pride in your online biz.
Before I chose ‘ZeroToAffiliateHero.com‘ – I rolled with two other “keyword-rich” domains in the past:
- ‘HowToCreateOnlineWealth.com‘
- ‘HowToEarnMoneyWithTheInternet.com‘.
“Zero To Affiliate Hero” isn’t just fun and punchy, but it’s a better fit for the brand I’m building, and it’s easier to remember.
Don’t you agree?
Wanna know my little secret?
“The Mask” movie with Jim Carrey kinda inspired me with the slogan “From Zero To Hero”.
If you need an extra helping hand with ideas, try using Name Mesh for no cost and also get 30 free keyword searches with Jaaxy – you’ll get TONS of ideas!
The Bottom Line:
Be as creative as you like, find some inspiration (like I did) if needed, and even chuck your own name into the domain if you want.
Pick a domain that you’re gonna be proud of turning into a successful business in the long-run.
3 Tips For Choosing The “Right” One…
So, by now, you should have a fair idea on the type of domain you want for your blog, right?
But before you go racing off to find the first domain registrar you come across, I’d like to share 3 important tips to take into consideration.
Tip #1: Always choose a “.COM” as your primary domain extension because .COMS usually rank the best in Google.
However, if that option’s not on the table for your chosen domain, then go for “.ORG” or “.NET” as your second choice because they also have great Google ranking power.
As for other extensions, they’re not really proven for top rankings.
Tip #2: Try to avoid using “dashes” just-like-this-if-you-can.com because my opinion, it looks dreadful (lol), it’s hard to remember, and it won’t perform the greatest in Google – although, it will still rank.
Tip #3: Keep your domain shortish because it’s gonna make it easier to remember for everyone (including yourself) – even if you’re talking to family or friends face-to-face about your domain.
Plus a short domain in Google looks awesome to your potential visitors!
The Bottom Line:
Ensure your domain has the right extension, keep it simple, and make it short, sweet, and to the point, so it’s memorable for everyone and their Grandmother.
“The” #1 Place For Buying Your Domain…
While there are some great domain registrars and web-hosting companies like NameCheap, GoDaddy, BlueHost, and HostGator, to name a few…
My #1 Choice is Wealthy Affiliate!
“But why, Neil?!”
I’m glad you asked!
Well, for starters, WA gives you a free profit-ready WordPress blog with super-fast web-hosting and the best hack-proof security around.
(As a Premium member, you can also build up to 50 WordPress websites!!)
Secondly, WA offers (.com, .org, .net) domains at highly competitive prices (starting from $13.99/year) that also come with “Domain Privacy” included.
Domain Name is For Example Purposes Only – I Don’t Own it.
In addition, WA hooks your blog up to your domain automatically when you buy it inside WA.
Thirdly, you get all the step-by-step video tutorials, training courses, super-cool tools (including Jaaxy “LITE”), and services you need for turning your blog into a full-time Affiliate Marketing business.
Last but not least, WA provides 24/7 live help & support from the co-founders (Kyle and Carson) and over 1 MILLION members – the best support you’ll ever get for success!
==> Become a Member of WA & Get Everything You Need Under One Roof For a Successful Online Biz! <==
Let’s Wrap it up…
When it comes down to it, choosing a domain for your blog can be a quick and simple headache-free process.
If you get the wheel cogs turning in your head, follow my guidance, and use the tools I’ve recommended, you’ll be able to choose your perfect domain in under 30 minutes – no sweat!
But just don’t spend all day racking your brains or it’s lost business-building time.
Your Friend, Neil 😀
If you have any questions or thoughts that you’d like to share on picking a domain name – we’d LOVE to hear your comments below…
