The very first thing you do when you first start setting up your affiliate marketing website is choose its domain name. So, which domain name is best for affiliate marketing?
The best domain name for affiliate marketing is the one that is brandable, catchy, and tells the readers about the topic of the blog. However, choosing too specific and keyword-stuffed domains is not a good idea and instead, it should be broad enough so that you never run out of topics to write blog posts.
And although you can take it casually and choose whatever domain name you like and find what is available. But it is always good to think about it properly before you actually purchase it. Keep reading to find out tips for choosing the best domain name for affiliate marketing.
Before starting I would also like to let you know that each of the tips can have exceptions so take these tips just as guidelines and try to come up with your own unique domain name as per your requirements.
#1. Keep The Domain Name Short
You can keep your domain names very long but just think like this. Would you like to click on an affiliate website that appears on the search result page of Google and the domain name is like this: “hereyouwillgetinformationaboutpetslikedogcataquariumfishetc.com”? I guess you definitely wouldn’t, right?
So what’s the reason behind it? Well, whenever the searcher is looking for some query, looking for some answers to their question, they almost always want to get their problem solved quickly and instantly.
Who would like to unnecessarily spend time reading those long domain names and think about whether or not their problem will be solved by visiting the website?
Importance of Having Short Domain Name
Not only does it take too long to read a long domain but also:
- It doesn’t grab the searchers attention
- It is hard to read long domain names since domain names don’t have spaces
- It doesn’t show the authority of the blog over the topic searched
- Sometimes it may also look spammy because usually good and trusted websites don’t have very long domain names except some specific or rare cases
So here’s an important point to remember: A domain name is like a doorway to your website or blog to a completely new visitor who searches the query on google.
“The shorter, to the point your domain name is, the more likely the new visitor is going to click on your blog.”
I know that some of you might argue that content is the king so why should I even bother about the domain names. You might think that let’s just go to some random domain name generator website, find the available domain names and go to websites like GoDaddy or Namecheap and purchase it.
But the thing is selecting the right domain won’t harm you but instead, it will benefit you and give you better chances to grab the attention of the first time visitor to your blog, leave a good impression about your blog, make them feel that you are authoritative about the topic, and so on…So that’s why you need to select the best domain name.
For example, if you are going to start an affiliate website about pets. Then, instead of choosing a very long domain that I talked about earlier, you can select the domain names like this:
- PetsFuse.com
- PetsRise.com
- PetsGap.com
- PetsRally.com
Note that the above-mentioned domain names might be already taken or will be taken. So make sure to check before you purchase somewhat similar.
The main thing is to share with you the examples so that you can come up with a better domain name for your blog.
As per moz.com, due to the growing reliance of search engines on accessibility and usability as a ranking factor, the easier a domain name is to read for humans, the better it is for search engines as well.
So when you are choosing the domain name for your affiliate blog or website please always try to Think from the perspective of the searcher.
#2. Keep The Domain Name Catchy
Apart from keeping the domain name short, it is also important to select a catchy domain name.
Your goal should be to use every opportunity that you get in order to make your blog and website as much as memorable as you can for your first-time visitor. (Remember the saying, the first impression is last, and it somewhat holds true here as well.)
Let’s discuss the examples of some catchy domain names:
- YouTube
- Inc
- Forbes
- WireCutter
Aren’t all these domain names catchy? So what’s the basically the thing that we can learn from just the examples I share with you.
They are very brandable domain names, short, two-word domains, and make some sense.
Here are some things that make your domain name catchy:
The Domain Name Is Usually Short
The shorter the domain name is the easier it will be for the visitor of your blog to remember your domain name. It’s that simple!
For example, Inc, Google, Instagram, Forbes, etc. all have very short domain names. And all of them are quite catchy to remember, isn’t it?
But the reality is when you would go looking for domain names that are shorter, either they will be already taken and registered or you would have to pay a huge amount to get that domain. Right?
So what’s the solution? Well, you have to go for two or more words (but not too long though), rather than keep searching for the one-word domains.
The Domain Should Make Some Sense
It is always easy for our brain to remember something when it actually makes sense, and it is logical.
Just think if I told you to memorize a random domain name like “cjgfj.com”. (I don’t know whether it exists or not!) But would you be able to do remember it? Obviously no (in most cases). Right?
And in fact, though being too short (if you carefully look ‘cjgfj’ is just 5 alphabets long but even though since it doesn’t make sense, it will be harder for the brain to remember.
Hence, not just a shorter domain name but you should also choose it in such a way that it makes sense in order to be memorable.
And even if you look for two-word domain names make sure that you do not cut the words to make them shorter.
For example, let’s say that you want to start a music-related blog and you want to keep its domain name like this musicenthusiasts.com, and let’s suppose the domain name is already available.
But let’s say you want a shorter domain and so if you think about choosing the domain as musicenthu.com. Now just tell me, which will be more memorable to you?
Yes, the musicenthusiasts.com because it makes sense even though it is a bit longer compared to the other. So selecting the domain that makes sense is crucial while choosing the catchy domain name.
The Domain Name Should Be Pronounceable
If the domain name is easy to pronounce then also it will be catchier and easy to remember. Although most of your visitors aren’t likely to read your domain name loud. But still, pronounceability is important because there’s something called processing fluency.
As per researchgate.net, processing fluency is the experienced ease with which a mental operation is performed.
So it is good that your visitor can process your domain name in their brain without giving too much effort.
If your domain is quite often misspelled then it is not a good sign because your visitor might lose interest and later on might even stop searching for your website on google. This way you would lose the opportunity of getting those direct visitors, right?
Use Your Creativity As Well As Modify The Domain Name If Needed
Sometimes it is also good to be creative to make catchy domain names. And sometimes it may also happen that you had just got a great domain name of two words but that is not available.
In that case, you can use the prefix or suffix behind that domain name. For example, let’s say that you want to start a golf-related website.
Then you might come across domains like ProGolfer, ExpertGolfer, SmartGolfer, GeniusGolfer, etc. But they might even be unavailable at times. So you can then choose domain names like ProGolfersHub, ExpertGolfersCircle, SmartGolfersPark, GeniusGolferCity, and so on as long as they are catchy enough and short.
#3. Make Sure The Domain Name Is Brandable
Having the brandable domain name is also important. Remember you are setting up your online business. And for the long term growth of your business it would be really helpful if you can establish your blog as a brand in your niche.
As you might already know, blogging is not something like a get rich quick scheme. It takes time to bring traffic, grow the blogger bigger, so why not just establish a brand right from the beginning!
You can stand out from others. Your brand is your blog’s own unique identity and so it can help your blog stand out from the crowd.
To select the brandable domain name you can either select your personal name and build a brand on it or select any other domain name that can be branded.
NeilPatel.com is the example where Neil Patel has branded himself and made his blog. On the other hand, there is ShoutMeLoud.com, etc like websites which are not branded on any personal name but a established as unique brand.
Branding is important because it will not only help you to make your blog stand out from others, but also it can let you to get established as a brand in your niche.
If you create good content along with that if you have portrayed a good brand image of your blog then people will more likely link to your website.
Everyone likes to talk about people and blogs that have some kind of authority in the niche, are branded and reputed within the niche. I hope you got my point!
#4. Make Sure That The Domain Name Tells About The Topic Of The Blog
Now this tip can have exceptions. For example, it is fine to select your blog’s domain name based on your personal name or any random brandable name.
However, if you are creating an affiliate blog based on certain specific topic then it is good to have the name or some kind of clue of it in the domain name as well.
This will allow the first time visitor on when they search some keywords and see your website and think whether they should click or not.
Your domain name if it is relevant then the searcher will be obviously more likely to click on your website first compared to the others, isn’t it? So you can choose that kind of domain name.
#5. Avoid Too Much Keyword Stuffing In The Domain Name
Adding keywords in the domain name to tell the visitor that they would land on the right websites that they are actually looking for is good. But it doesn’t mean that you keep doing just keyword stuffing.
Google is quite smart and even if you have overly keyword stuffed domain name you won’t rank well unless and until your content is of high quality!
#6. Select .com as the domain name extension
It is important to select the .com as the domain name is really important. Just tell me how many websites you encounter on daily basis of google search that don’t have .com? Probably very less, right?
So people have sort of familiarity with the .com domain name so it is recommended to go with that only whenever you are selecting domain for your affiliate blog.
#7. Make Sure That The Domain Is Broad Enough
Finally, this is actually the most important tip and that is to select as much as broad domain name as you can while staying within your niche.
You don’t want to setup a whole website from scratch, spend time writing articles probably 100-150 and then run out of topics.
Your domain name should be such that you can expand on other topics of your niche as well later on. Instead of just sticking and limiting yourself with one specific topic!
Before we conclude , here is a great YouTube video about how to pick the right domain name for you…
Conclusion
If you consider your blog as your online business then you should note that your domain name is actually the name of your business, right? So it is very important that you select the right domain name for your affiliate marketing blog or website.
To summarise everything make sure that your domain name is short, catchy, brandable, tells about the blog topic, not keyword-stuffed, has.com extension and is broad enough. These are just a few tips but I think they will help you a lot in finding the best domain name for your affiliate blog. That’s it, thanks!