SEO is important for every type of business and no one can deny that. It helps your website get visibility and it boosts searchability. Here are some powerful tips from an SEO perspective that you need to know prior to domain registration.
Use Broad Keywords Carefully
Earlier, many businesses used keyword-rich domain names that clearly reflected what the business was all about. At that time, these domain names were at an advantage because such pages ranked higher than others. However, due to the low-quality content of such websites, they are not preferable anymore. You can use a keyword in your domain name but you must do so with caution because your website will be checked for quality content. Essentially you want to aim for a domain name that is interesting yet fresh and tells your customers what your business is about.
Stay Away From Hyphens
Hyphens have made their way into domain names and although many websites tend to do this, it is best if you avoid it at the time of domain registration. Although a hyphen helps improve readability by people because you can separate words, it is associated with spams too. Spam websites make use of various characters and hyphens are one of their favorites that they use more than anything else. Hence, if you really have to use a hyphen then make sure you use only one although it is strongly advised to avoid using one altogether.
Name That Is Easy To Remember
You want your domain name to be simple. It should have these qualities; easy to recall, simple to pronounce, easy to type, and short. Experts suggest your domain name should be around 15 characters or less. An easy to remember domain name means people will recall it easily. This can do wonders for word-of-mouth advertising as people can effortlessly remember the domain name and visit the website with ease. You want to avoid using characters in the domain name. One of the ranking factors used by search engines is usability. An easy domain name has higher chances of ranking higher on search engines than a complicated one.
Popular social media website Facebook is an example of an easy domain name.
Choose TLD Wisely
During the domain registration process, one of the key factors to remember is to always go for .com as your primary TLD choice before anything else. However, if that choice is unavailable for the domain name that you have chosen then you should try others such as .net and .co. SEO experts advise you to stay away from low-quality TLDs because they can rank you lower. Some examples of these TLDs include .ws and .biz. These types of TLDs are not commonly trusted by people and since they are usually associated with spam there is less traffic to these TLDs.
Domain Age Is A Non-Issue
It is a common myth that domain age is a big deal and it affects the ranking of a website. A Google executive has stated that none of the search engines have used domain age as a ranking factor so far and at present, it doesn’t matter when you registered the domain. The decision to renew an existing domain and continuing to use it is not a deciding factor about the ranking. The deciding factors for Google when it ranks websites include when your website was crawled first among other factors.
Opt For Subfolders Over Subdomains
Before you opt for domain registration you should know that different metrics are used when it comes to domains and subdomains. Although Google has made it clear that when it comes to ranking subdirectories and subdomains they are ranked the same way, experts still insist otherwise. That is, experts have recommended that you use subfolders for content that people will view rather than use subdomains. There are a few exceptions to this such as websites that are language-specific.
Move Domains Properly
If there is a requirement to move your domain then a lot of aspects must be kept in mind. Experts have suggested that you should not redirect all pages from the previous domain to the new domain’s homepage. Instead, you should approach the task differently. You should redirect page by page so that each page is redirected to the corresponding page on the new domain. This is an SEO-friendly method of moving domains.
It is crucial that you keep the pointers above in mind before you register your domain name. A safe and simple domain registration process is provided by Shopify. You just need to enter the domain name you want and Shopify will display all the extensions available along with the prices. You can easily view which ones are available and which are not.
