You have decided to open an eCommerce site?
Before you purchase your domain name hosting excellent as Serverplan and SiteGround , you must choose the name of your new online store.
This will be one of the most important decisions you will have to make in this context.
It is important to choose a name that can become a real brand.
But it must also be easy to find on search engines and to remember.
Before you start I want to remind you that you can entrust the total creation of your eCommerce site to our service eCommerce website creation simply by clicking the button below.
Find the right name for your eCommerce site
Today I want to offer you some useful tips for choosing an effective name for your new eCommerce site . Let’s start!
Branding or keywords?
Many people have a doubt: better my name, my brand or a keyword?
The benefits of a name or brand relate to your online identity, while the use of keywords can be more effective for gaining positions.
In fact, choosing a name that contains keywords and exactly describes the offer of your store could, of course, help attract clicks from search engines.
But I advise you to reflect in the long term: will this name allow you to create a real brand?
Will it continue to be appropriate for whatever development you have in mind for your business?
Can it differentiate itself from other sites operating in the same industry and using keywords in their name?
Let’s take a look at the big names in the sector.
You will certainly notice that some of the most famous eCommerce sites have names without any meaning in themselves, but certainly memorable: some examples, are Yoox And Amazon.
On the other hand, let’s imagine that you run an offline business that has already started and now want to expand online by creating an eCommerce site.
Unfortunately, however, your name is no longer available as a web domain.
In this case it can be useful to incorporate a keyword to allow users to find you more easily online.
In this case, of course, be sure to choose an accurate name for the services you offer.
Registering something like rossiprodottidagiardino.it as a domain for a site that sells kitchen utensils doesn’t make much sense.
Think about the strategy you have decided to adopt
The decision to incorporate keywords or not will also depend on the strategy you have decided to adopt to attract traffic to your site.
If you expect to receive visits primarily from search engine results, the use of keywords is the most suitable choice.
In this case, I recommend that you do a search volume analysis for the keywords you have in mind.
Among those with high numbers, choose one that is not already used by another site.
If, on the other hand, your strategy includes the use of Google Ads advertising, banners and social media promotion , the creation of a unique and memorable brand, through the use of a original and innovative name, is the direction you want to follow.
Having made these basic initial considerations, here are some guidelines that I recommend you always follow when choosing the name for your eCommerce site.
Short and simple name
Whether you choose a name with a meaning or not, it must be short And easy to remember.
Try to use a maximum of 3 words and keep the URL as short as possible.
The ideal would be to stay under 18 characters.
This will make it easier for users to type and remember.
You don’t want to be forced to dictate your website address to your customers letter by letter!
Make sure the name is also enjoyable to read by avoiding putting two similar words one after the other.
For example, try using a combination of short words, or a variation of a term related to your industry.
Consider the example of eBay .
In this case, the name itself has no meaning, but it is short, refers to online commerce and is certainly easy to remember.
Acronyms
Another solution is to use acronyms; a very well known and interesting example is undoubtedly that of ASOS, a famous online clothing store, whose name is an acronym for As Seen On Screen .
As you can see, the name has a valid meaning in the context of online commerce.
However, the “ASOS” brand has since established itself in such a way that it is now recognized by the majority of online users even without the link to its original meaning.
If you choose the acronym, make sure it’s easy to pronounce.
Avoid long sequences of consonants, they can be very difficult to remember.
Personal name
Alternatively, you might choose to include a personal name, therefore closely linked to your business, albeit not descriptive.
If you choose to represent your brand in the first person, you may even embed your name in that of your site.
This way, your users will identify your products not only with your brand, but also with the person behind it.
Domain extensions for your eCommerce site
Having found the perfect name , I recommend that you check if it comes with.com extension (or .it, if you are addressing only the Italian public).
The main reason why it is better to choose one of these two extensions is that, if a user does not remember the one used by your site, they will probably try to type one of these two as they are the most popular ones.
Valid alternatives are those of the new domains .shop and .store, created especially for online stores.
Domains offer a permanent address for those looking for your online business.
Even if your business evolves over the years, your web address shouldn’t change.
If you were to migrate to another hosting service or redesign the site, there are ways to keep the domain unchanged or redirect to the new address , in order not to lose traffic and SEO links.
Often free hosting services do not allow you to use a registered domain, but only a second level domain for your site.
Let’s take yourbusiness.it and yourbusiness.wordpress.com (second level domain) as an example.
Saving on the costs of creating your eCommerce from this point of view is not a winning move, quite the contrary.
As you can see, the registered domain is easier to remember and only highlights your brand name.
Consider spending a few dollars a year to register one, as it can be an investment for your brand.
It is a sign of credibility for visitors and potential partners, who will have more confidence in making purchases and recommending you.
Google searches and originality
Of course, being able to stand out from the competition is extremely important.
Created a list of the names you like for your eCommerce site, so be sure to take the time to do Google searches to make sure there aren’t any sites with similar names already.
Probably, at this stage you will find yourself eliminating several of the options you thought of.
Don’t be discouraged: originality is a determining factor in your success as an online business.
Investing time in choosing the right name will contribute to the success of your eCommerce site.
Most single word domains are now occupied.
You may have to create a word or phrase to use yourself.
Try joining two or more words (like they did for Youtube), combine them (Microsoft), change the spelling (Flickr), or add a prefix (Grammarly, Shopify).
Word games can be particularly easy to remember.
Think about who your users are (and will be)
A final important consideration is that of language of your name.
If you plan to address only an Italian clientele, an Italian name will surely be more than suitable.
However, if you want to expand your business to other countries , be careful to choose a name that is easy to pronounce and spell out even for users who speak other languages.
Conclusion
Today I presented you with some fundamental aspects to take into consideration when choosing the name for your new eCommerce site.
However, the tips that will help you are:
- Avoid choosing a name that is too generic;
- Thinking long-term, choose whether to emphasize your brand or keywords;
- Prefer simplicity;
- Choose a domain with the extension .com, .it (if you only sell in Italy) or .shop;
- Avoid confusion with similar names;
- Look for originality to be memorable.
