The domain name of your website can help or hinder people from getting to your website. In this article, we’re going to share some key tips for choosing a good domain name (and mistakes to avoid).
The domain name is the website address for your church website.
Unfortunately, too many churches make one of the following mistakes when selecting a domain name for their website.
- Domain name is too long: If the name is church name is First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota Beach, there may be a desire to select the domain name www.FirstPresbyterianChurchSarasotaBeach.com but that name is very long an will likely be misspelled if someone tries to manually type it into their browser.
- Domain name doesn’t have a clear connection to the church: Some churches try to be cute or memorable in their domain name, so they will use something like www.GodRocksHere.com or www.AllWelcomAtChurch.com but there isn’t an easily understandable connection between the church and the domain name.
Keep it short but identifiable
When choosing a domain name, try to keep it short but make it identifiable and memorable. Also think about how you will use it on things like shirts, outdoor signage, business cards, etc.
Keeping with the example of First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota Beach, using FirstPresChurchSB.com or 1stPresChurchSB.com would be good options.
Also, when using your domain name on any visible media (where the domain name will be read), always capitalize the first letter of each part of domain name. If we use the above examples, look at the difference:
- firstpreschurchsb.com vs. FirstPresChurchSB.com
- 1stpreschurchsb.com vs. 1stPresChurchSB.com
Which of each example is more easily understood and recognizable? The second option because it breaks up the domain name in easily identifiable sections.
Choose a domain name that is short, identifiable, and memorable. – Mark Steinbrueck
Do you have a domain name that is long, confusing, or not identifiable? You can always add an additional domain name to your website and slowly transition from using your old domain name to a new, more effective domain name.
If you would like to talk with one of our specialists about your website’s domain name or church website design, please complete the consultation request form below.
Comment and Discuss
- What’s the domain name of your website?
- What led you to choose that domain name?
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