How do I choose my ideal domain name?

Coming up with the right website name (= domain name) is always very difficult.

Your business will be tied to that one name for years to come.

It is a name that appears everywhere: on business cards, posters, in your email signature, on social media. Basically everywhere you advertise.

You want a unique website name that stands out, is remembered and connects your name with your industry.

But what is the smart choice? Should you put your service or product in the name? Do you go for a combination of the most important keywords? Or do you just think of a fun, cool name and see where you end up?

Does your website name actually matter? Don't customers always remember your name automatically? And what about Google (SEO)? Can you just use any website name you like or not?

What are the big pitfalls you don't think of at first? What if you have already come up with a good website name, but someone else has already claimed it? Can you then simply take the .eu or .com version?

So yes, choosing the best domain name is difficult!

Fortunately, we are here to help. Below you will find answers to all your questions and more.

We have also put together lots of inspiration and domain name tips, so that with the help of this article you choose the best domain name, one that also scores well in Google.

What is a domain name?

To be completely clear: the domain name of a website is this: www.klikproces.nl.

To be more specific, it is the klikproces part of www.klikproces.nl in combination with the domain name extension (.nl). Together, those 2 elements form your domain name.

Why is a domain name so important?

The right domain name is crucial for your website for 2 reasons:

First of all, your domain name affects how quickly, how broadly and how easily you score in Google.
In addition, you take it with you in all your other marketing activities, because the name of the website appears everywhere.

Brochures, flyers, posters, social media, you name it. Your website always features. Even on your personal LinkedIn profile.

Important first

Before you dive straight into all 17 tips and start checking your domain name, something important:

Finding a perfect domain name is hard. Really hard.

There are 5.7 million .nl domain names registered. So the chance that your perfect name is already taken is considerable. Be prepared that you may have to settle for something a little less than perfect.

Having said that: below is a list of 17 considerations to help you decide whether your domain name is perfect.

What choices do you have when it comes to a domain name?

In fact, you can choose the 2 elements of your domain name yourself: the klikproces part and the .nl part.

The condition for every domain name is that nobody in the world may already be using it. Every domain name must be unique.

Similar to how everyone in the Netherlands has a unique citizen service number (BSN) and every business has its own VAT number.

So which choices do you have:

Domain name

The part before your extension (www.klikproces.nl) has only a few restrictions.

Any combination of letters and numbers is allowed. The only special character you may use is the “–“. No ! ? # @ or any other special character.

Domain name extensions

There are restrictions for the extension (.nl), however. These have been determined worldwide in advance.

Each country has its own extension: .nl for the Netherlands, .be for Belgium, and so on.

There are also extensions that do not belong to a country, but for example to the US government (.gov) or to educational institutions (.edu).

You can find a list of all the hundreds or thousands of possible extensions here: list of all possible domain name extensions, but it is not all that useful.

At the bottom of this article you will find a list of relevant extensions and the considerations that go with those choices. If you want to go there straight away: Found a domain name? Which extensions should you claim?

Now that this is clear:

17 crucial domain name tips:

What you should avoid

And then…

1. A .nl extension or something else?

Whether you should use a .nl extension depends on 2 strategic choices:

Do you want to rank in Google and sell internationally?

To score internationally in Google, a .nl extension is not the right choice. Not only does a .nl domain score less easily in languages other than Dutch, it can also put potential customers off making a purchase or enquiry on your website.

Are you only active in the Netherlands, and will that stay the case? Then choose a .nl domain. Do you want to sell in several countries? Then take a .com domain name.

How much do you want to use the name you came up with beforehand?

Suppose you have come up with the perfect business name, or have perhaps been using it for years. It may be that this domain name has already been claimed.

What you can do then is described at the bottom of this article.

2. Using numbers in a domain name?

If you want to use a number in your domain name, it is important to think it through carefully beforehand.

When someone hears your domain name (rather than sees it), they do not know whether you write the number out in full (nine) or as a digit (9).

blabla4you.com is a telling example of this. Is it blabla4you or blablaforyou?

With a sequence of numbers such as 123 this is often clear, but with a single number that is not always the case.

Sometimes numbers are also used creatively, for example by swapping an E for a 3 or a 1 for an I or L.

The most misleading number is 0, which looks extremely similar to the letter o. You can barely see the difference, and neither can potential customers.

Our advice: if you do not need to use a number, don't.

3. Will you ever want to sell your website or shop?

It sometimes seems logical to claim a domain name containing your business name or personal name: jansentimmerwerken.nl, for example.

But if you ever want to sell the website, the chance that the buyer, whether a person or a company, is also called Jansen is not that great. This makes the domain less valuable.

If you already know you will want to sell the website one day, it is better not to include a personal name in it.

4. How do you want to come across?

Depending on your target group, you can add words such as biggest, best, competitor, expert or other additions that say something about your business.

When you think of …concurrent (for example Keukenconcurrent, “kitchen competitor”), you immediately think of sharp prices. That is not suitable for every type of business.

So think carefully about the image you want to project. Now and in the future.

5. Domain name with or without a hyphen?

A frequently asked question is: does it matter whether I use a hyphen in my domain name?

For SEO it makes no difference at all.

For users it does. If you hear about the business name Klik Proces, you will not automatically assume that it is written as www.klik-proces.nl.

If you can avoid a hyphen, do so.

6. How unique is the domain name?

Of course you want your business name, and therefore your domain name, to be unique. When you are thinking about a unique domain name, you can always quickly check in Google how many results you find for that name.

Google your name and look at the top 10 results.

Is anything similar? If so, it may be wise to keep looking. You can come up with another name or perhaps change your name slightly.

If not, that is a good sign!

7. Is the name memorable?

Besides wanting your business name to be unique, it also needs to be easy to remember. The paradox is that being memorable sometimes conflicts with the other tips we give here.

123gold.nl is a good example of this. Incredibly irritating adverts, but you do remember it.

herinneringenoplinnen.nl (“memories on linen”) is another nice example. An incredibly long name, hard to write (is it herinnering or herrinnering or herinneringen?). But once you have heard of it, you remember it quickly.

ikwilvanmijnautoaf.nl (“I want to get rid of my car”). The name says it all.

8. Order of words

If your domain name consists of several words, make sure they are in a logical order.

Suppose ikwilvanmijnautoaf.nl were called autovanikmijnwilaf.nl. Not so strong, is it?

That is also why words such as shop, center or winkel (shop) always come after the descriptive word.

pdashop
fietsenwinkel (bicycle shop)
bootcenter (boat centre)

The other way round just feels wrong

shoppda
winkelfietsen
centerboot

Always make sure the order is logical and flows well.

9. Is a descriptive domain name a good idea + what are EMDs and PMDs?

A frequently asked and crucial question. Whether this is the right choice depends on 3 considerations:

Do you want to be able to expand your range of products or services?
Do you want an advantage in Google from the start?
Do you also want your business name as your domain name?

Depending on your considerations, there are 3 choices:

Descriptive domain: Exact Match Domain (EMD)

Descriptive domain: Partial Match Domain (PMD)

Non-descriptive domain: Branded

Exact Match Domain (EMD)

An exact match domain is a domain name that consists exactly of the keywords you want to be found for. If your keyword is damesschoenen (women's shoes), your domain is www.damesschoenen.nl.

Partial Match Domain (PMD)

A partial match domain partly matches the keyword you are targeting. There are several types of PMDs.

Suppose the keyword is loodgieter Amsterdam (plumber Amsterdam).

You can include the keyword in the domain with additions. For example www.loodgietersamsterdam.nl or www.deloodgieteramsterdam.nl.

You can also include part of the keyword in the domain. For example www.loodgieterjansen.nl or www.jansenamsterdam.nl

You can also put the words in a different order or with a hyphen between them. For example www.amsterdamloodgieter.nl or www.loodgieter-amsterdam.nl

You can also include part of the word in your domain name, or an abbreviation. For example www.loodgieteradam.nl or www.lood-gieteramsterdam.nl or www.loodamsterdam.nl

Coolblue made extensive use of this tactic to grow big. They only had PMDs as websites, such as www.laptopshop.nl and www.wasmachinestore.nl

Advantages of EMDs and PMDs

For SEO this is an advantage for the following reason: an EMD or PMD scores more easily in Google. Especially when it comes to local findability, for example when you want to be found for a geographical location such as the city of Amsterdam or the province of South Holland. Registering an EMD or PMD can still help you score faster and more easily in Google.
By making a domain name (partly) descriptive, you can be much clearer to potential customers. fietsenwinkel.nl sells bicycles, keukenconcurrent.nl sells kitchens, hanshovenier.nl is a gardener. Without having seen your website, customers already know what to expect.
In addition, when people talk about your website or shop online or link to you, they are more likely to use relevant terms, because your keyword is already (partly) included in your domain name.

Disadvantages of EMDs and PMDs

There are certainly disadvantages too:

The most important one is that you limit your website or shop. If you use the name of a city in your domain name, it becomes difficult when you start providing services in other cities. Or you have to start a website for each city, which is often not smart for several reasons.
If you mention your product or service in your domain name, you limit yourself in the products or services you can offer. It is hard to understand that www.hanshovenier.nl has grown to the point where they also build walls. A logical extension could be that they now also design gardens and sell garden tools. Your strength can become a weakness as your website or shop expands. It is up to you and your vision to decide what you do and do not foresee in the future.

Branded

When you use a branded term, your domain name is completely separate from the keywords you want to score for. Such as www.hema.nl or www.bol.com.

The disadvantage of a branded domain name is that you have to make much more effort to ‘explain’ to Google what your website is about. However, you are never limited in the services or products you offer.

Singular or plural?

Does it matter for SEO whether you use your keyword in the plural or singular?

No, not really. Not enough to worry about. People often search for keywords in the singular, such as fiets (bicycle), but in most cases a domain name looks better in the plural. An example of this is Fietsenwinkel.nl instead of fietswinkel.nl

Mix of branded and EMD or branded and PMD

You can also have a mix of these 2 types of domain name. That is usually perfect. One of the better examples of this is www.backlinko.com. This is a PMD for the word backlink (an important keyword in our industry), but at the same time it is also a branded term. After all, a “backlinko” is nothing.

But these domain names are often hard to come up with.

10. How many characters in the domain name?

When it comes to the number of characters in a domain name, with a few exceptions, the rule is always: the shorter, the better.

A short domain name is usually easier to remember, easier to promote and takes up less space in advertising.

So keep it short.

11. Using jargon in the domain name?

Generally, it is not very smart to use jargon in a domain name. A few exceptions are:

When all your potential customers are 100% sure to know the word. A customer will then recognise the word and the domain more quickly and know they are in the right place. However, do not underestimate how much companies use internal jargon that customers never talk about.
If you are building a (micro) website about 1 very specific subject and it stays that way. For example, a website specifically about dog toys for Labradors.

12. Domain name suggestion tools for inspiration

Below are 3 very popular tools that, with a little input, help you arrive at a strong domain name and (usually) also check whether the name is still available.

Name Mesh Checks the keywords you type for EMDs and PMDs.
Dot-o-mator Here you can combine several words to check which combination of words is still available.
Instant Domain Search and IWantMyName both search dozens of types of extensions instantly to see whether your domain name is still available. You also get dozens of suggestions.

13. Check social websites for availability

Once you have found a good potential domain name, it is also advisable to check whether all the social media accounts are still available.

You can do this quickly and easily via this website: Namechk

14. Synonyms

Synonyms are great. We love them, users love them and Google increasingly does too.

Why not use something that means (almost) the same, but is much more unique? Instead of constantly seeing the same names on the internet.

Not shop, store or centre, but another word, such as: warehouse, trading, emporium.

Not expert or specialist, but authority, professional, connoisseur or craftsman.

It always helps to stand out from your competitors in a positive way.

15. One word or several words?

Is it better to have a domain name that consists of 1 word or several words?

It does not matter. Not for customers and not for SEO. As long as it meets all the other tips, it is fine. Even if it is 3 words or longer.

Here again, the telling example: ikwilvanmijnautoaf.nl

16. Buying an expired domain name

Not everyone knows this, but there is a huge market in expired domain names. These are domain names that someone once bought but, for whatever reason, did not renew.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an old expired domain? A fair question. Because what if your ideal domain is already taken, but you can buy it? Or what if a competitor has gone bankrupt and you want to take over their domain name?

Advantages of an expired domain

In most cases the domain has already built up a certain authority. By this we mean the backlinks that point to the expired domain.

Imagine an expired domain that already has backlinks from various newspapers, such as nu.nl and the Algemeen Dagblad. Or from universities, blogs or other relevant websites. This can give the website you want to put on the domain name a boost from the start, because your website has more authority than a new ‘empty’ domain.

A good example of this is huren.nl (“renting”). This website currently lists all kinds of rental companies that rent out practically every type of product. Previously the website focused on rental homes, probably under a different owner.

When huren.nl started, the website immediately got a considerable boost. And now, years later, there are still dozens of backlinks from the time when it offered rental homes. In addition, the anchor texts used by that previous owner can help you even further.

Disadvantages of an expired domain

The advantage of an expired domain can also be a disadvantage, namely that the website already has backlinks. But having backlinks is not necessarily positive.

For example, when the domain name receives backlinks:

from spammy websites such as porn sites or common spam industries such as consumer credit
with spammy anchor texts, such as Michael Kors or payday loans
in large quantities that do not match your type of website. For example, hundreds or thousands of links from real estate, while your website is about SEO.
and the ratio between the number of referring domains and total backlinks is off. If a domain receives 1,000 links from 50 websites, that is fine. If it is 100,000 from 50 websites, this may indicate a (spam) problem.

And of course any combination of these 5 points.

Here you can use 2 simple checklists to check whether your backlinks are of good quality.

17. Domain name additions

Have you found your ideal domain name, but it is already taken? Then you can choose to put 1 or more words before or after your name.

Below is a list of commonly used and recommended words (Dutch words with their meaning in brackets).

shop
online
center / centre
de / het (the)
winkel (shop)
city
expert / specialist
hq
online
webshop
discounter
concurrent (competitor)
English translation
stunt / stunter (bargain / bargain seller)
kopen / bestellen (buy / order)
vergelijken / vergelijker (compare / comparison site)
123
depot
voordeel / voordelig (value / good value)
goedkoop / goedkope (cheap)
aanbieding / aanbiedingen (offer / offers)
korting / kortingen (discount / discounts)
prijs / prijzen / kosten (price / prices / costs)
mr / miss
beste / goede / mooiste / leukste / grootste / laagste (best / good / most beautiful / nicest / biggest / lowest)
bespaar / besparen (save / saving)
webwinkel (online shop)
plein (square)
mijn / jouw (my / your)
deal / deals
gigant (giant)
xl / xxl
review / reviews
fabriek (factory)
centrum (centre)
speciaal / speciaalzaak (special / specialist shop)
verantwoord (responsible)
nieuw / nieuwe / nieuwste (new / newest)
mannen / heren / boys / vrouwen / dames /girls (men / gents / boys / women / ladies / girls)
outlet
tip / tips
budget
your
coach
deal /deals
blog
design
club
pro / professional
stad / dorp (town / village)
direct
reis / reizen (trip / travel)
health / wellness
aanbieder / aanbieders (provider / providers)
forum
team
service
nederland / nl

What to avoid

Besides a number of tips, there are also a number of things you really should avoid when it comes to a domain name.

Silent letters

It regularly happens that a domain name contains letters you do not pronounce. This can lead to confusion.

For example girav.nl. That is why their radio advert specifically says “girav with a v”. This only leads to confusion for potential customers.

You run the risk of your customer going to a competitor or not being able to find your website.

Words that are hard to spell

Every language has words that people chronically misspell. In Dutch, for example, because of confusion between d and t at the end of verbs. Or because letters are left out or added.

Examples of such words:

professioneel (often written as proffesioneel)
abonnee (often written as abbonee)
accessoires (lots of versions of this)
vacature (often written as vakature)

For a complete overview of common language errors in Dutch, see taalfouten.nl

English terms can also cause confusion:

Gracious
Definitely
Beautiful
Behance
Creative

It can also happen with business names: for example Burggraaff with a double g and a double f.

You also cannot clearly hear these letters when you say it out loud.

klikproces.nl is a painful example of this. Not because letters are hidden, but because everyone thinks it is spelt with ck.

Replacing a letter with a number is not recommended either.

For example an e with a 3, an L or i with a 1 and succes (Dutch for success) with suc6.

Creative spellings often seem fun, funny or cool too.

The problem, however, is that customers do not always want this. It can be confusing or, even worse, come across as unprofessional.

Always make sure a domain name is pronounced the same way as it is written. Say the domain name out loud. If you stumble over it or it does not flow, that is a red flag.

For example, ask colleagues whether they can pronounce the domain name and ask them to spell it.

We should have done this with Klik Proces too…

Because there are always problems with pronunciation (and spelling), such as:

clickproces
clickprocces
clickprocess
qlikproces
klikprocces
klikprocess

Another example is the fictional company Design 4 You.

Which domain name do you make of that:

design 4 you
design for you
design for u
dezign 4 you
dezign for you
dezign for u

Very confusing for potential customers.

Other creative spellings can also be confusing, such as www.gratiz.nl.

Avoid domain names that are not easy to pronounce and creative spellings that cause problems in practice!

Unfortunate combinations

Your company is called IT Scrap. So you claim the domain name itscrap.com. But what do you read: IT’s Crap. Not quite what you intended!

If you fancy a laugh, I recommend having a look here: 30 worst domain names ever

Suppose you are a beekeeper and want to start a website. You sell beehives, bees and honey, so you claim the name bijenenhoning.nl (meant as “bijen en honing”, bees and honey, but easy to misread).

Not exactly a winner, is it?

The moral of this story: check and double-check your domain name.

Have someone outside the company read it through to make sure it cannot be read in an unintended way.

Are you infringing a trademark?

Also useful to check. And by useful we mean: essential.

If someone in your industry is active with a similar name, you may be infringing their trademark. That is why it is strongly recommended to Google your term before you register it, and to check in a trademark register whether your name is already taken.

You can do this here, for example: BOIP Register

No hype or slang

Trendy language, buzzwords or street slang. It is usually not a good idea to include these in your domain name. Words and language change quickly in that respect. So after 1 or 2 years your domain name may no longer mean anything.

In fact, it can even become negative. Which serious company uses words that were ‘hip’ years ago? There are bound to be exceptions, but normally you want a name that will last for years to come. After all, you also want to keep earning money in the years to come.

It can only be useful if you want to jump on 1 specific trend or ‘buzz’ right now, and if you are prepared to accept that you may have to throw the domain name away after a short time or 301 redirect it to something new.

And then…

Suppose you have found your favourite domain name. What then?

Then there are 2 more important questions:

What if my favourite domain name is already taken?

If your domain name is already taken, that is a real disappointment. A big one.

Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do, assuming you are not infringing a trademark:

Contact the company to ask whether you can buy the domain name from them.

You never know whether the company is willing to sell the domain name. Especially if a website has not been updated for a long time or the design looks old-fashioned.

Add a word before or after the domain name.

Words such as: Nederland, HQ, de, het, shop, center, internationaal. That way you can keep your name and your domain name still fits it well. Do always check that you are not infringing a trademark.

Use a hyphen if your domain name consists of several words.

For example www.klikproces.nl as www.klik-proces.nl.

Use an extension other than .nl.

For example

.nu
.eu
.info
.nu
.net
.io
.co

These extensions can score just as well in Google Netherlands, but they usually look slightly less attractive. That is of course a matter of taste.

Then there are other kinds of extensions too. These are extensions you do not (yet) come across very often, but which you can use. Little testing has been done on their findability and there are hardly any case studies or examples.

We therefore assume that these extensions are just as findable as a .nl domain.

.amsterdam
.online
.logo
.design
.me
.store
.app
.pro
.tv
.coach
.expert
.club
.tips
.support
.events
.media
.taxi
.email
.agency
.website
.management
.school
.marketing
.studio
.community
.gratis
.guru
.live
.cafe
.sex
The rest of the hundreds of extensions can be found here

You can also choose a domain name that reflects the products or services you provide, but is not your business name.

For example, Guus the locksmith using the domain name www.slotenmaker-utrecht.nl or www.guusutrecht.nl.

If you do not want this, it is not possible or it is not allowed, then unfortunately you will have to choose another domain name.

Have you found your ideal domain name? Which extension should you claim now?

A question that is often asked is the following:

I can see that all extensions are still available for my website. Should I claim them all? The .eu, .nu, .info, .com? And should I also claim all domain names that are the same as mine, but with a hyphen in between? And with words such as ‘de’ in front or ‘expert’ after it?

There is no clear-cut answer to this. What you should consider is the following:

1. Is my brand protected?

If so, nobody else may operate in the same industry under the same (or a very similar) name. So you run little risk of a competitor potentially misusing a name.

2. Do I ever want to go international?

If you think you might expand internationally one day, it is wise to claim other extensions such as .com or .eu. For 10 euros a year you can then be sure this will not cause problems in the future.

3. When you are afraid someone will misuse it.

In some industries and markets, names and websites are misused a lot. For example by copying your website and luring customers to a competitor, or to steal sensitive information. Examples are the locksmith and debt collection industries, which unfortunately have a bad reputation when it comes to dishonest practices.

Source: this article was written by Bart van der Meer, klikproces.nl

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