Domain Name Selection: Getting the Greatest Value from Your Web Address

Selecting, registering, and utilising a UK domain name is an exciting process, but it’s important to understand what you are looking for before you begin. Your domain name is more than just the web address of your website. It is part of your website’s identity, and can actually deliver a surprising amount of value to you as the website operator (and likely business owner of the company whose website is associated with the address).

What kind of value does a domain name deliver to your business? Well, several kinds actually.

First of all, there’s brand recognition and marketing value. This means that people recognise not just the name of your company, but also the name of your website. Having a website that is easy to find, easy to spell, and easy to associate with your company (for example, your business name is part of your domain name) makes for a cohesive, clear, and solid brand representation for your company.

This is important because you need to send a clear message for people to really absorb and retain who you are and what you do. Selecting a rock solid domain name for your UK website is a great way to keep your branding message clear and consistent across multiple mediums.

Secondly, there is search engine optimisation value. You’re probably familiar with search engine optimisation (SEO) by now, but in case you’re not, it’s basically this: when people query search engines looking for a certain type of information, the job of the search engines is to return the results that are most relevant to that query. If you’re a business, you obviously want to turn up near the top of the list when people search for what you offer and where you offer it.

Domain name selection and domain name registration, both in the UK and globally, can play an important role in developing competitive search engine performance. While there are many factors (largely including site content and incoming links) that influence SEO, having a relevant domain name can help inform search engines what it is your site is all about. So, for example, if you provide plumbing services in Oxford, having the words “plumbing” and “Oxford” in your domain name send search engines a clear message about what they’ll find on your website.

Monetary value. This has less to do with the name itself than with how you go about registering it. For a good deal on UK domain name registration, consider registering your domain through the same company you choose for web hosting. This is usually the most affordable way to do so, and it also streamlines your process, keeping things simpler and faster.

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