Recently I published content about domain flipping a business where you can earn money online by selling a domain name, you can check this article to learn more Beginner guides in domain flipping.
This article is also good when you are planning to build a website but doesn’t know where to start, as a domain investor and a publisher I will teach you how to choose a high-quality domain name that you can use to start a new website, I will also teach you some ways on how you can rank faster by choosing a high-quality domain name.
Disclaimer: This tutorial is based on my own experience, choosing a high-quality domain name will help you rank faster but doesn’t guarantee that you will rank number 1 on google by just choosing a domain good domain name, your ranking will still depend on how optimized is your website for Google search.
How to choose a good domain name?
When choosing a high-quality domain name, there are a couple of characteristics that you should look for a domain name whether you are a domain investor or a webmaster that wants to start a website.
Choose a short domain name
The first thing that you should keep in mind is that the domain name must be short as possible, why? Cuz here’s the thing first, a long domain name is ugly, and the second reasons are shorter domain name ranks better in SERP according to some experts.
Think about this, most experts recommend that every page URL should be less or equal to 75 characters, for example, if you want to have an online store for laptops and android phones then you choose a domain name like “laptopandandroidonlinestore.com”.
Then when you publish content on that domain, the category, the HTTPS, and the title will be added to that kind of domain name and your URL will surely be very long which is not SEO friendly.
In choosing a short domain name choose two to three words only, one word is better of course but it’s pretty rare to find a one-word domain name these days, but if you really want to get one for your brand, you must prepare your wallet or even your bank accounts because I’m pretty sure that it will be costly.
Domain Name relevancy
The second thing that you should take note of is domain relevancy, yes a short domain name is catchy and search engine friendly, but you should always keep in mind that when choosing a domain name it is not just short but also relevant to your business or niche.
For example, if you want to start a website about cars, then you buy a domain name like laptop.com which is indeed a very high-quality domain name since it was short, one word, and a generic domain name.
The problem is that your website is all about cars, and a domain name like that will not make any sense, sure it will rank if you keep on optimizing your website for Google, and prove to Google that you have a topical authority about that topic, but still it will take time.
But if you choose a domain name that is short and relevant to your topic, Google will trust your site faster, and a domain name that is relevant to the niche of the website will get topical authority at a faster rate.
One example is my website Mirageportal.com and my main topic is about games, tech, domain names, and earning money online. But if you notice there is no relevancy to my domain right?
It is one of my mistakes when I was new in publishing, so I did a lot of effort in SEO just to prove to Google that this website is a reliable source for the main topics that I published on this website, and it takes me about 3 years to rank well in Google.
Choose a keyword on a domain
When Choosing a high-quality domain name, you also need to consider choosing the right keywords for your domain name.
I have mentioned that a domain name must be short, and relevant, but there is one more thing you can add to that recipe, and that’s keywords.
Keywords are so important in SEO since they will tell Google what your topic is all about especially when you are publishing a blog post, so in other words, when your domain name is short, relevant, and has valuable keywords on it, it will be a plus point on SERP (Search engine results page).
One example of this is one of my domain names “Moneyletsearn.com” three words domain name, is not that short, that’s why a lot of domain name investor doesn’t have an interest in this domain they only want those that are two to one-word domain names.
In their eyes, these domain names don’t have much value, but for me as a publisher, and a webmaster that knows SEO I know that these domain name has value and will help a lot in search engine optimization.
It has two strong and valuable keywords, “Money and Earns” two keywords that are widely used and this domain name is good when you want to start a website about how to earn money online, or how to earn money.
It is a kind of niche that is considered one of the most profitable niches on the internet, so when choosing a high-quality domain name make sure that it was short, relevant, and has a strong keyword if possible.
Now that you know how to find and choose a high-quality domain name, what is the best place to buy domain names? Dont worry since I list all of the best places to buy domain names.
Best Place to buy a domain name
Namecheap
First is Namecheap, this is the best place if you are looking to register and buy a new domain name, why? Because it’s cheap, based on their website name they really deliver domain name prices based on your expectation.
Namecheap has a lot of promos for a first-time buyer like getting a . COM domain name for only $5.98, they also have some limited promos where you can buy an a.COM domain for only $0.90.
Managing domain in Namecheap is also very easy, you dont need to have the technical knowledge to manage all your domains in Namecheap.
The dashboard is also user friendly, you can easily find all the features that you need, and in case you can’t find the features that you’re looking for, you can easily find tutorials on Youtube since a lot of content creator uses Namecheap for their videos.
Aside from cheap domain pricing, and a user-friendly dashboard, Namecheap also gives free domain privacy protection a feature that is good for publishers or webmasters, but if you are into a domain flipping business you don’t need this feature.
Expireddomains.net
Next, is a website called “expireddomains.net” based on its name you can find a lot of expired domains on this website where you can reregister the expired domains and use them for yourself, I think I know what you thinking, you might be wondering on why would you buy and use an expired domain?
Well did you know that using an expired domain has some benefits? One of the benefits is the cost, when you try to register a new domain on Namecheap or another platform you will notice that some domain names have a high price and are labeled as premium domains why?.
Because those domains are already been registered but are for sale, it was registered by a domainer and listed on the domain name marketplace, and since the domain name marketplace has a lot of partners all the domains that are listed for sale by a domainer will appear in some domain marketplace like Namecheap or Godaddy.
When you choose a domain name and you accidentally choose a domain name that is listed in some domain name marketplace it will appear as a premium domain, but if you choose to register an expired domain name you will ensure that the domains are not owned by anyone and you will not gonna pay an extra, only the renewal payment of the expired domain that you choose, it is the same price that you will usually pay to renew any domain name that is around $10-$17 for a . COM domains.
Another good thing about buying expired domains is the domain authority or the backlink that the expired domain has.
In SEO, one of the most important ranking factors is the backlink, the higher the quality the backlink has the more ranking boost it will give to your website, it is one way to telling to Google how reliable your website is.
A domain name whether it is expired some of its backlink and domain authority will still remain, not unless the domain name is inactive for about a year or two, on building a new website from new domains, you will not get any links, you will work hard to let website link into your content for a backlink, but in an expired domain when you find a domain that has a high-quality backlink it will instantly boost your SEO score if done right.
What are the things that you need to look for in expired domains?
First is relevancy, find expired domains that are relevant to the website niche that you are planning to create especially if you are planning to start a blog.
Next is the spam score, remember that domain names in expireddomains.net are expired, which means someone use them in the past, it is highly recommended that you should not choose an expired domain that has a high spam score to avoid any issue on your website.
Next is the domain authority and backlink, not all expired domain names have a high-quality backlink and domain authority that’s why you need to search for them using the search bar of expireddomains.net or have an advanced search by using its filter to find the domain name of your choice.
You should also use some SEO tools like Ahref to look for the domain backlinks and its domain authority, after you find one with a good spam score, backlink, and domain authority dont forget to check the domain in archive.org, it is a Wayback machine where you can take a preview on how the domain name looks like in the past.
What we try to avoid here is a domain name that has been penalized by Google in the past, stay away from domain names that have been used as spammy websites, Pornsite, or PBNs in the past.
When your finish checking the domain names and you confirm that it is a clean domain name, you can proceed with renewing the domain names, just click it and choose where you want to renew them.
Go Daddy Auction
The next place that I recommend for buying domain names is the GoDaddy auction, it is one of the places where you can find high-quality domain names, unlike expireddomains.net where you will find domain names manually in a huge archive of domain names.
In the Godaddy auction, you will find a lot of high-quality domain names, those that are picked by domainers (people who buy and sell domains) and listed for sale on the GoDaddy auction.
But you must be prepared to spend since good and high-quality domain names that are listed in the domain name marketplace are much higher compared to when you buy a new domain name in some domain registrar like Namecheap.
Sedo
Next is Sedo, this place is also a domain name marketplace, but usually domains that are listed here are premium, those that have a price range of about a thousand dollars.
I only recommend spending domain names for a thousand dollars if you are planning to create a brand, and if you think that a certain domain name can help your business to grow, spending thousands of dollars is really worth it if it will help to drive a lot of costumers into your website.
I only recommend spending thousands of dollars on domain names if you are planning to sell physical or digital items on the internet through your websites, like SEO tools for example, or selling electronic items, or start a website with a profitable niche like insurance, loans, or make money online.
Namepros
Next is Namepros, this one is a place that I recommend when you want to buy domain names that are high quality but cheaper compared to some domain name marketplaces.
Namepros is a forum site for domainers and if you are looking for a certain domain for your business, you can create a thread and describe what kind of domain that are you looking for and the budget that you are willing to spend for that kind of domain.
The last place to buy domain names is Twitter, I bet you didnt expect this but yeah, you can also find a high-quality domain name on Twitter because there are a lot of domainers that are looking for a buyer on their domains on Twitter.
All you need to do is to create a tweet and state the details of what kind of domain names you’re looking for and your budget for the domain, and want someone to send you a message or comment about a domain that matches a domain that you’re looking for.
Bottom Line
That’s it for this tutorial, I hope that this article helps you with deciding, choosing, and buying a domain name for your business or your blog. Always remember that the domain name isn’t just a name but the face of your website, keep it short, easy to remember, and SEO-friendly to get a better chance to rank well on search results.
More Related Content Below:
Buying a Domain Names Frequently Ask Questions
Is buying a domain name a good investment?
How do I permanently buy a domain name?
Can you make profit selling domains?
How do I buy a domain without a broker?
The only thing that you need a broker for is when a domain name that you want to buy is not for sale, you’ll need a broker to negotiate on your behalf.
