How important is SEO to my domain name search?

Less than 1% of users will scroll to page two of Google search results. If you want a successful online brand, you need to be on the first. And search engine optimization (SEO) is the key. 

Optimizing sites for better ranking is a must for brand visibility. If you do it right, you’ll increase traffic, generate more leads, and ultimately build your business higher. 

But SEO isn’t simple. Adjusting content, optimizing page speeds, managing backlink profiles — growth takes time. And if the goal really is online success, then you’ll need the right domain first. 

Let’s break it down, so you can check domain name availability and choose the best domain name for your brand.

Understanding domain names and SEO

It’s not just a case of choosing a domain that sounds ‘cool’ and building your brand from there. To get the best outcome from domain names and SEO, you need to understand them first. 

More than a domain

Okay, sure, domains are addresses you type to access sites. You probably know this. You might also know that domains are made up of two parts. Take Google.com. ‘Google’ is the second-level domain (SLD), and ‘.com’ is the top-level domain (TLD).

What domains do isn’t necessarily important, it’s what they say that makes them powerful. When you see the word Google, you don’t think ‘second-level domain.’ You think of one of the most influential companies to exist, a brand that’s synonymous with the Internet itself. 

And it’s all down to digital identity. Domains are key to forming this. They convey your worth, your values, and your message. All of which are essential to competing online. But if you want the online world to really listen, then you need to understand what it wants. 

SEO explained

Search engines crawl your site and understand your content. That’s the essence here. A search engine like Google takes queries — ‘How do I build a quality brand?’ or ‘What does my business need to succeed?’ — and uses different metrics to assess the best sites to match.

Search engine algorithms measure everything from keyword ranking to bounce rates, impressions to site speeds, giving searchers quality answers online. But it’s not just search engines you need to impress. 

The way that users interact with your brand is essential to SEO. Higher click-through rates (CTRs), longer visit times, and more searches all look good to engines — and they’ll reward you for it. 

So, how do you reap those rewards for a better ranking?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a formula. SEO is a constant game of upkeep across all your digital estate and for an ever-changing algorithm. But, there’s good news — while you might need to optimize your site to death, the right domain now could set you up for life. 

The relationship between domain names and SEO

According to Forbes, 45.1% of desktop clicks in 2022 were organic. Nearly 50% of a year’s worth of clicks came from search results. Not paid ads, not backlinks — organic search results. 

Clearly, people trust search engines to return quality sites. Funnily enough, domain names play a major role here. If your domain is one of the first signs of your value online, then every character you choose needs to be chosen wisely. 

Keywords in your domain

Years ago, domains looked different. They tended to be longer and featured more keywords. This has changed. Keywords, or popular search terms, don’t give you the same SEO boost they did.

Sure, if a user searches ‘buy cheap clothes’, then having the domain buycheapclothes.com makes sense. Users are more likely to click on a domain that’s relevant to their search. 

But as people discovered that you could fly up the rankings with this alone, domains with irrelevant content cropped up everywhere, and keyword stuffing became an issue. 

Now, Google praises user experience more than ever. And a huge component of user experience is brand quality — does buycheapclothes.com sound quality to you? 

Just because you can’t keyword stuff anymore, doesn't mean a healthy balance between brand and relevance isn’t possible. 

Take clothesworld.com. If you want cheap clothes, clothesworld.com probably sells them. But because it sounds more official, users are more likely to trust it. And more likely to visit the site.

Naturally, this is better for SEO. 

Backlinks broken down

A backlink is an external link to your site. Simple. If you write a gripping piece on AI scheduling, then quality brands might link to it. That would be a quality backlink. And it tells Google that you could be a quality brand. 

So, where do domain names come in? 

If you want to be referenced, you have to look good. Take AI14-jjj.biz. It looks unreliable, untrustworthy, and lacks context. If it looks ugly on-page, it won’t be linked to. 

Again, this comes down to digital identity. So, how can you strengthen that identity, add context to your domain, and climb up search engine results pages (SERPs)? 

Top-level domains

The .com TLD is one of the most trusted in the world. It’s been around since the dawn of the web, and more than 44.1% of the online world uses it. But a TLD signs more than trust, and the best domain extensions for SEO are relative to your brand. 

Essentially, everything to the right of the dot enhances your image. A .org shows worldly impact. A .net has a classic web look. And a .xyz extension can give a modern edge.

There are over 450 TLDs at Spaceship, for example. And you can use them all differently. Every impression, be it quality or niche, will impact your SEO potential.  

While the right TLD is down to you, the principles are the same — good branding reflects purpose and quality. This creates trust, which leads to visits, which fuels your growth.

Choosing SEO-friendly domain names

You should have an idea of what your domain name needs to be. But certain things are easier said than done, so let’s break it down. 

Keywords made practical

You know that keywords are relevant search terms. You also know that stuffing them in your domain is a red flag for SEO. So, how do you actually find the right ones for you? 

Firstly, you might not need keywords in your domain at all. A brand new crypto coin is probably searching for a unique term. But certain brands will thrive from keyword succinctness. 

Let’s say you’re a local bakery. Sure, being edgy and original may be stronger. But appealing to your audience’s wants and reflecting searches as simply as possible is obvious for SEO. 

You’re a bakery in Nantucket? Then nantucketbakers.com could get you more visitors.

To see if keywords are right for you and your brand, take these steps:

• Define your product, service, or content.
• Break down your target audience's interests. 
• Pick words that relate to both points above.

Then, use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find related terms to explore. Use the same tools to assess search popularity and competitor usage. 

Unique brands 

Think of Apple, Uber, or Google. Notice any keywords? If you want to use domains for unique brands with no keywords at all, you can. 

Choosing the right domain is down to your brand’s direction, your audience, and your industry. Yes, you need a memorable domain, but if you’re a tech startup or finance brand then being distinct is important too — easybank.com might not get people investing. 

A memorable, attractive, and powerful term can do a lot for SEO potential. But context is key. Adding specific TLDs can ground that uniqueness and signal your intent.

Adding a geo-TLD like .london will signal to your audience that you’re there for them. Or, if you’re a crypto brand on Web3, and you want to use a brandable term like legacy, you could use a .crypto extension to show your industry. 

Again, it’s down to you. While keywords can be invaluable, don’t forget about digital identity. 

Domain length

Length is simple. Direct traffic, backlink potential, general site recommendations — shorter domains are easier to share, remember, and type. This is better for your SEO.

Does bestcookingrecipesforyourhealthykitchen.com sound good to you? 

Or is bestrecipes.com a better fit?

Domain age 

Not all domains are fresh off the factory line. Some have histories. And not all of them are good. Domains can be misused and mistreated over decades. Bad backlink profiles, associated content, inconsistent activity — you need to know whether a domain’s SEO is bad from the start. 

Good registrars know this and give you a domain’s history when you search, but services like Wayback Machine can give a more in-depth look, covering everything from historic screenshots to redirects. 

Domain simplicity

Keep it simple. You know that complicated domains are harder to remember, trickier to understand, and generally put people off. This will negatively impact your SEO. Choose a domain that’s reflective of you, in the simplest way possible. 

Take distributed-cloudnativemicroservices.com. 

Now cloudsolutions.com?

Domain name SEO examples

Case in point — booking.com. Sure, it might not sound like a unique brand name, but because it’s relevant, memorable, and has a lot of marketing power, it's grown to be a household name.

Think of it like this — you’re unlikely to mistake booking.com for another brand, which makes it what? Unique. Clearly, you can be simple with your branding, perform over time, and still look good to search engines. 

But you can’t have the good without the bad. 

In 2011, Netflix split its DVD and streaming services into two separate brands. The DVD service was qwikster.com. Heard of it? Didn’t think so. Not only was it tricky to spell, but it lacked any clear connection to movies, DVDs, streaming, or Netflix. 

With poor keyword alignment, ineffective relevance, and poor brand connection, qwikster.com went very quickly wrong. 

Avoiding SEO pitfalls in domain name selection

We all make mistakes, but most of them don’t cost our entire future online. And there are many mistakes to avoid with domain names and SEO. 

No numbers, no hyphens 

You might be tired of the word simplicity, so, simply, don’t clog up your domain with weird characters. Both users and search engines need to understand you — hitting them with a word puzzle is not conducive to growth. 

Top5-Marketing-Gurus.com illustrates this well. 

• ‘Where do the hyphens go again?’
• ‘How many gurus are on the list?’ 

Users need to remember your site to visit it. If it isn't on the first page of search engine results, they’ll probably fail to find it again. 

Don’t sound like someone else

There are only so many words in every language. And just like musicians getting sued for ‘accidentally’ copying other songs, you could register a domain that’s too similar to someone else's. 

Take utube.com. Sure, YouTube took the brand to court. Money was lost. But users accessing the wrong brand, reputation being affected from the off, and eventually having to change the name was naturally an SEO disaster. 

Do your research, be unique.  

Your future with SEO

So, what is the future of SEO? The short answer is that nobody knows. Most SEO considerations will come from on-page performance and content, but that doesn’t mean your domain name won't help. And getting the right one now is vital

Changing domain names impacts SEO. So, you need to pick one that evolves with your brand, adapts to your growth, and fits with your future. 

Let’s see what can help along the way. 

Domain Authority

Measuring your domain’s overall effectiveness isn’t just a Google affair. Sure, other search engines do it too, but some decided on a metric of their own.

Created by Moz, Domain Authority (DA) assesses your site’s performance in SERPs. It’s not a direct ranking factor used by Google or other search engines, but it’s still valuable. Use it to assess your website's health, monitor ranking trends over time, and easily guide future marketing and branding strategies.

Okay, it doesn’t give you an exact measurement of SEO, but we do know that a higher DA usually results in higher SEO score. So learn more about DA for better brand insights.

Domain name SEO trends

According to Backlinko, latest algorithm updates now focus on ‘‘author entities.’’ Google is recognizing authors behind content. But while most of that comes from content, quality links are essential to this. So, your domain needs to be link-worthy now more than ever.

With Google’s algorithms focusing more on the human touch (AI is responsible for this), its ability to measure human signals is growing. SEO is shifting towards optimizing for user engagement and satisfaction. 

Google is now better at understanding how your users feel over what your content’s about. Clearly, a strong impression is key. And a strong domain name with good branding qualities is going to be more important going forward.

Adapting domain names to evolving algorithms 

SEO algorithms are evolving constantly, and companies like Google aren’t going to tell you how. The name of the game is adaptability. And a lot of these ‘future considerations’, well, you should be practicing them anyway. 

Let’s take a look: 

• Branding – algorithms now prioritize brand authority over keyword-heavy domains, so choose a domain that enhances brand identity instead.
• Future proofing – algorithms reward content relevance and site evolution. Choose a domain that can grow with your business and keep you relevant.
• Brand safety – search engines penalize legal issues or confusion. A unique, legally sound domain protects your SEO efforts.

All things considered 

If your domain is one of the first things users see, then it should be one of the first things you consider. SEO is transformative to competing online. And your brand could seriously suffer if you don't get on board from the start.

Keywords aren’t just for content. Memorability, relevance, trust, simplicity — these are some keywords for your own thinking. Want a memorable brand that’s trusted? Then you’ll need the best domain name for SEO growth.

Get in touch 

Pieces like this are written for you, so your thoughts are important. Share your experience or ask questions on SEO strategy, whenever you like.