Choosing the right domain name is a particularly critical point in the life of a business. Finding the ideal address often takes longer than putting together the structure of the website behind it, and that is no accident!

A good domain name can give a huge boost not only to new businesses but to established ones as well, while a bad choice can have an equally negative effect. Without exaggeration, the right domain is the foundation of your online presence!

If you want a website of your own and are struggling to choose the right address, we have summarised below the most important things to know before registering a domain name.

1. Make it easy to remember, easy to spell and related to what you do

The first criterion a good domain name must meet is that it is memorable. Before you choose, always think like a prospective customer who does not know you and only knows what kind of service or product they want to buy.

So keep your future domain name simple, ideally a single word. Avoid special characters – numbers and accented letters are not a good idea either – and aim for a name that is easy to remember and easy to spell, without being ambiguous or easy to misread.

It also matters that the domain name relates to what you do, although we should note that this is not always possible. It is a particular problem with brand names, but forcing a keyword into your website’s address is not a good idea either – unless it fits naturally!

2. The brand name versus keyword dilemma

The question of keywords versus brand names often comes up when choosing a domain name. Unfortunately, it is hard to single out a clear right or wrong answer here, as in many cases it is the situation and the business itself that determine what will work.

For example, a brand name is the best choice if your business already has an established name of its own that people know well, or if the brand’s recognition will grow in the future through online and offline marketing and targeted search engine optimisation.

Keyword domain names can also work well when the term perfectly describes the product or service your business sells, and it can even be combined with a location.

In practice, it would be hard to find a stronger local SEO technique. In every other case, however, forcing a search term, or mixing it with a brand name, looks unprofessional and is often penalised by Google as well.

3. Research your chosen name thoroughly

Once you have settled on a domain name, your first and most important task before registering it is to research it thoroughly. There may be accidental matches that cause trouble later and could even raise legal problems in the long run.

For example, there may already be a successful or active Facebook page, or perhaps a YouTube channel, under your domain name. That is a big problem, as people may confuse the two in the future, they may get in each other’s way, and the situation can raise far more serious issues – especially if the two are in a similar line of business or serve a similar audience.

4. The domain extension matters too

When registering a domain name, you have to decide which extension it will have. Extensions, or TLDs, are endings such as .hu, .eu and others, and they can later be particularly important for search engine optimisation.

For Hungarian businesses targeting only the local market, .hu is usually the ideal choice: it makes online marketing easiest and immediately shows which country the company is from.

It is a common misconception that domain names ending in .hu can only be reached from Hungary. These websites can be visited from anywhere in the world without restriction; just think of the latest trends, which are no longer based on country codes but on a keyword, such as the .shop or .photo extensions.

5. A larger business should register several extensions

The obvious question is when a business might need to register a domain name with several extensions at once. This is especially important for larger companies, for businesses with a significant online strategy and for those that operate internationally.

If a business only owns the .hu version of its domain name, nothing stops competitors from buying the .eu or .com version of the same name, which can cause a lot of trouble. To avoid this, it is worth registering at least the better-known extensions.

+1. What can you do if the right domain name is already taken?

It is an increasingly common problem that a business cannot buy the domain name it wants because someone else has already registered it. Unfortunately, many people buy up these addresses as a business, so that they can later sell them at a large profit.

One option in such cases, if the domain name you have your eye on belongs to someone else but is not actively used, is to contact the holder with an offer to buy it. The price will certainly be higher than for a fresh domain, but for your own brand building and the success of your business it is a small investment.

Before you change your plans, it is worth checking the other extensions of the domain name: the .hu version may well be taken while the .eu one is still free, with nothing standing in the way of registering it. This choice usually puts the business at no disadvantage, even in the long run.

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