SEO Shopify: Choosing the right domain name
As a Shopify SEO Agency, we make it a point of honor to carefully choose the domain name for the brands we support. Your domain name is your online presence, and it must meet certain criteria, especially to serve your Shopify SEO.
And even if you could call on an SEO agency, choosing your domain name is quite simple if you follow our guide;
You will discover what a domain name is and its usefulness, the importance of a good domain name for your Shopify SEO, how to choose your domain name, and some tips on maintaining and securing your domain name.
Summary
Shopify SEO: What is a domain name?
A domain name is a unique URL that allows access to your website or online store. It must be simple and easy to remember. Indeed, a domain name is a string of text corresponding to an IP address. Thus, to access your Shopify store, users must enter and validate this sequence of letters in the search bar.
Be careful not to confuse the domain name with a URL. In addition to the domain name, a URL contains additional information. Generally, domain names are read from left to right.
They are divided into two parts separated by a dot. The first part represents the domain name itself and the second part is an extension. Among the best-known extensions, we have: .fr, .com, .org, etc.
The importance of a good domain name for your Shopify SEO
A domain name should not be chosen in haste. It is a very valuable tool in digital marketing. Indeed, it attracts visitors to your store.
Given the importance of a strong domain name for your store, you must take all the time necessary to choose the best one. Because this could be the most important decision that will allow you to carve out the best market share for your store.
By choosing a strong domain name for your Shopify store, you will benefit from the following advantages:
• Your positions will quickly improve in search results as you develop your brand with quality content,
• You will enable your brand to be visible worldwide or you will benefit from good local visibility depending on your choice,
• A domain name is like a storefront that allows you to build your reputation and attract customers,
• The domain name creates the mobility of your online presence. Whether you want to change hosts or create your own hosting service, you won't need to change • your domain name.
How to choose the right domain name for your Shopify brand
Choosing a domain name for your Shopify store is not as complicated as it seems. However, making a bad choice risks having a negative impact on your brand's reputation.
So, how do you choose a winning domain name for your store? To do this, you must take into account many elements that we will develop in the next paragraph.
Elements to consider when choosing a domain name
If you want to choose a strong domain name, consider the 5 elements listed below:
1. Incorporate targeted keywords into the chosen domain name to optimize your Shopify SEO
Contrary to what many people may think, keywords are not just for content. A well-targeted keyword will allow potential customers to quickly find your online store.
2. Choose an easy-to-pronounce name
An easy-to-pronounce domain name will allow the customer to quickly find their way back to your store when they want to return.
3. Choose short domain names to favor and optimize your Shopify SEO
In addition to being easy to remember, short domain names can be typed quickly into search engines. This practicality is likely to support a good user experience.
4. It must be unique
A unique domain name will help you avoid legal problems and contribute to your marketing efforts.
5. Check the history of your domain name
This context applies if you acquire a domain name that has already been used. To avoid unpleasant surprises, you must check its history. Otherwise, the latter may affect your ranking in the SERPs.
What happens if you don't renew your domain name?
On the expiration date, if you do not renew your domain name, this could have serious consequences for your store. This is why, before your domain name expires, your registrar sends you a series of reminder emails.
When you ignore these emails and do not renew your domain name, they grant you a grace period. Generally, this grace period is 30 days. If you renew your domain name during this period, you will not have any additional fees to pay.
After this grace period, your store will be deactivated and replaced by a static page. However, after deactivation, all is not yet lost for your store. Your registrar still grants you a 30-day reprieve to recover your domain, subject to payment of additional fees.
After this reprieve period, your domain is put back on the market and your site is completely deactivated. Your domain name can then be recovered by anyone wishing to buy your domain name and reclaim its authority. This is a tactic often used by dropshipping.
Tips for securing your domain name
As we mentioned above, your domain is one of your Shopify store's most valuable assets. Thus, if you lose control of it, you will lose all your traffic and everything you have built over years. To avoid this, the only thing you have to do is secure it.
Here are some tips that will help you secure your domain:
• Take the time to lock your domain. By locking your domain in your control panel, you will prevent hackers from transferring it to another registrar;
• Do not disclose your domain details;
• Use two-factor authenticator to protect your domain;
• Choose a strong and difficult-to-use password;
• Register the domain with a reliable registrar like Hostinger, O2Switch, or others.
You can also get your domain name directly from Shopify in addition to your subscription. In this case, the domain name will be automatically renewed and integrated into your subscription.