What Makes a Great Domain Name in 2025?
Choosing the right domain name is crucial for your online success. In 2025, with evolving SEO algorithms and user behavior patterns, domain selection requires strategic thinking beyond just availability.
I. Choose the Right Domain Extension
The domain extension you choose can significantly impact your website's credibility and SEO performance. Here's what you need to know about different extensions:
.com Domain - Highly Recommended
We recommend that foreign trade companies prioritize .com as their official website domain suffix. Here's why:
- It's the most universal, trusted, and widely recognized website suffix globally
- Research shows that approximately 38% of websites worldwide use .com
- Users are most accustomed to adding .com when typing website addresses
- Using a .com domain makes your brand image more professional and increases international customers' trust in your website
.net Domain
Originally used for network service websites. If .com is already registered, .net can serve as a "protective registration" to prevent brand misuse.
However, we generally don't recommend using .net as your primary official website domain.
.org Domain
This is a domain suffix for non-profit organizations.
We strongly advise against foreign trade companies using .org domains.
Industry-Specific Extensions
If your company specializes in a particular industry, consider registering the corresponding industry suffix for brand differentiation.
For example, tech companies can use .tech, AI companies can use .ai. However, note that while these suffixes are novel, they generally have lower customer recognition than .com.
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD)
If you're targeting a specific country market, consider registering that country's top-level domain.
For example, use .de for the German market, .uk for the UK. This is more beneficial for local customer brand recognition and SEO optimization.
II. Keep it Short, Prioritize Brand Names
When choosing a domain name, we should strive to keep it as short as possible, easy to spell, and memorable.
Most Recommended: Use Your Brand Name
The most recommended method is to use your own brand name for your domain. A good brand name, like a good image, can instantly capture users' attention and help them remember you.
Examples:
- • Amazon
- • Tesla
- • Bytedance
Include Business Keywords
Another highly recommended method is to include keywords related to your business in the domain name, using a combination of brand name + main product keyword (or vice versa).
Example (Solar Panel Business):
- • solarsense.com
- • solareo.com
- • solergy.com
- • ecogrow.com
Not Recommended: Geographic Name + Business
Non-recommended method: Naming with a geographical name + related business, for example:
- • cngzlighting.com
- • shenzhenhongdaclothing.com
Although this type of domain name clearly indicates where the business is located and is easy to remember, such chosen domain names are too generic, lack brand uniqueness, and this combination often results in longer domain names, which users may easily mistype when entering the URL.
III. Avoid Special Characters
Avoid Hyphens (-)
Try to avoid using hyphens (-) in your domain name, as these elements can lead to misunderstandings or input errors.
Using hyphens can easily lead to losing brand traffic to domains without hyphens. When customers search for your brand name on Google, it's very likely that both the hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the website will appear on the first page. This can confuse searchers, and most people will naturally assume that the hyphenated website is a counterfeit site, putting your brand at a disadvantage.
Be Cautious with Numbers
Try not to use numbers as domain names, but it can be acceptable in some cases. However, one point to consider is that some numbers have special meanings in different cultures.
For example, 8 is considered a lucky number in China, meaning "to get rich," but it is not in India.
Good Examples:
- • 1688.com
- • 163.com
IV. Choose Easily Pronounceable Domain Names
Although we usually access websites by directly typing or clicking links, the pronunciation of a domain name is also very important. Domain names that are simple to pronounce and easy to remember can enhance memorability and facilitate brand communication.
A well-pronounced domain name is easily remembered by customers; whether heard or seen, it can quickly bring your brand to mind. When customers discuss your brand in meetings, on calls, or in social settings, if the domain name is pronounced smoothly and naturally, they are more willing to share it.
When a domain name has too many syllables, it is difficult for people to remember. Domain names that are hard to pronounce are also difficult to retain in people's minds.
V. Check Domain History
If our foreign trade enterprise's official website needs to do SEO in the future, then it also needs to additionally check the domain's history.
Use Wayback Machine to Check History
First step, we need to use the Wayback Machine to check if the website has a 'black history' in the past. Here, I will use my own website seocheckkit.com as an example.
Open the Wayback Machine, enter our website address seocheckkit.com, and press Enter.
Then we can see that my website had corresponding records in September 2024, and opening it will show the content of the webpage at that time. The styles might be partially messed up, just focus on the text content.
Check for Problematic History
When we first register a domain name, we can use the Wayback Machine to check if it has ever been used for adult, casino, or replica websites. If so, it may affect your website's SEO performance.
Issues such as slow content indexing in the early stages and difficulty in improving rankings compared to brand new domains may arise.
Recovery is Possible
Newbies are advised to avoid such domain names. If you are experienced, or if this domain name is very good for your brand, a slightly 'dirty' history can be acceptable.
Through legitimate operations during website operation, this domain name can be 'whitewashed'.
Use Google's Site Command
Finally, use the 'site' command in Google to check if there are any bad records left in the search engine. Directly enter into the Google search engine:
site:google.comClick search to see if there are any bad records. What do domain names with bad records look like?
Warning Signs of Compromised Domains
One characteristic is that this website was originally an English-language site for studying abroad. However, using Google's site: command revealed many irrelevant indexed pages with content in other languages. These are typically pages generated after a website has been hacked.
If a domain you're considering registering shows this kind of activity, you should be cautious.
VI. Avoid Trademark Infringement
While encountering trademark infringement when registering a domain name is a very, very small probability, avoiding trademark infringement is also something we need to consider when registering an official website domain.
Understanding Trademark Risks
Some domain names were previously registered by others and simultaneously registered as trademarks and applied for trademark protection in the United States. If, for some reason, these domain names were abandoned and then happened to be registered by us, the situation would become quite troublesome.
This scenario, while rare, can lead to legal complications and potential domain disputes that could disrupt your business operations.
Check Trademark Protection
You can go to the USPTO Trademark Search to inquire whether your domain name has trademark protection.
This official database allows you to search for existing trademarks and helps you avoid potential conflicts before registering your domain name.
DMCA Infringement Consequences
If you 'luckily' registered a domain name that is still under trademark protection, and the trademark owner reports you, your domain registrar or hosting provider will send you a DMCA infringement warning, informing you to take down the website or a certain webpage.
Potential Consequences:
- Forced website takedown or content removal
- Domain suspension or transfer
- Legal action and potential financial penalties
- Damage to your brand reputation
- Loss of SEO rankings and organic traffic
Recommended Domain Registrars
After choosing the perfect domain name, the next crucial step is selecting a reliable domain registrar. Here are the domain registrars I have personally used and recommend:
Domain Registrars I Have Used:
Pricing Comparison
There isn't much difference among these domain registrars, only the prices for domain purchase and renewal vary. General domain registration fees are around $12-18 USD/year (approximately 80-120 RMB/year).
For some premium domain names, the cost can go up to tens of thousands of dollars (first-time registration only, subsequent annual renewal is still around $15 USD).
More Affordable Options:
Free Domain Privacy Protection
Namecheap, NameSilo, Namebright, and Dynadot all offer free domain privacy protection, which can hide user information publicly displayed in the domain WHOIS database.GoDaddy charges for this feature, so pay attention to that.
What is Domain Privacy Protection?
Domain privacy protection is a service that prevents your personal information (name, phone, email, company, address) from being publicly disclosed in the WHOIS database. Without this protection, your information can be easily accessed by anyone, leading to spam calls, emails, or even fraud attempts.
When domain privacy protection is enabled, only the registrar's proxy information is shown in the WHOIS database, keeping your personal details secure and private.
Why Choose These Registrars?
Free Privacy Protection
Keep your personal information secure at no extra cost
Competitive Pricing
Affordable registration and renewal fees
Reliable Service
Established registrars with good reputation
Easy Management
User-friendly control panels and DNS management
How to Register a Domain Name? (Using Namecheap as an Example)
Now that you've chosen your perfect domain name and selected a reliable registrar, let's walk through the actual registration process step by step using Namecheap as an example.
Search for Your Domain
Go to Namecheap's official website and directly enter the domain name you have in mind into the search box.
Check Availability and Add to Cart
Then click 'Search' or directly press Enter. Namecheap will help us check if our domain name has been registered. If not, then we click 'Add to Cart' to add it to the shopping cart.
Review Pricing and Check Out
Normally, Namecheap domain names cost around $18 for the first year, and renewals are around $15. The price displayed here is relatively cheaper because there's a discount available.
Then click "Check Out" to proceed to the next step.
Configure Registration Options
Then we come to the interface below. We can see there's an ICANN fee of $0.2/year here. This is a mandatory annual fee stipulated by the international domain name management organization ICANN, and it cannot be avoided. Here, we check based on the actual situation:
Registration Options to Consider:
Automatic Renewal
Whether automatic renewal is needed upon expiration
Domain Privacy Protection
Whether to enable domain privacy protection (recommended to enable)
Confirm Order and Manage Account
Then click "Confirm Order" to proceed with your purchase.
Account Management:
New Users
If you haven't used a Namecheap account before, you'll need to enter your information on the right side to register a new Namecheap account. Make sure the email address can genuinely receive information.
Existing Users
If you already have an account, you can log in to the payment page by entering your account password on the left side.
Important Notes
- Always use a valid email address that you can access regularly for account notifications
- The ICANN fee is mandatory and cannot be avoided - it's a standard industry requirement
- Domain privacy protection is highly recommended to keep your personal information secure
- Consider enabling auto-renewal to prevent accidental domain expiration