Naming your coaching website is a right of passage. It’s a decision every coach has to make and something many agonize over.
In this article, you’ll learn how to pick a memorable and meaningful name for your life coaching website that’ll scale with you as your business grows and evolves.
But first…
What is a website domain name?
A domain name is the URL that goes in the address bar at the top of the page (so in my case jennielakenan.com).
So, now that’s taken care of, let’s look at how to choose yours.
Choosing a memorable domain name for your coaching website
For many life coaches, picking a domain name can be a real struggle, so here are some of the best practices to think about when choosing yours:
1. Shorter is better
Shorter is better because a short domain is easier to remember. To that end, avoid using hyphens as this just complicates things when you tell people your website address.
2. Make it uncomplicated
Your domain name should be easy to type just from hearing it. This can be an issue if you have an uncommon last name that is hard to spell or pronounce (which I’ll come to next).
3. Choose between your name or a business name
The question I get asked the most by coaches is: Should I use my name or a business name?
My answer?
It doesn’t usually matter.
Now, you didn’t expect that, did you?
Honestly, unless you plan to sell your business anytime soon, it doesn’t matter much if you choose your name or a business name, just decide on one and go for it. But remember points one and two, make sure it’s fairly short and uncomplicated.
If in doubt, just use your name.
If you have a common name, let’s say, Jane Smith, and that domain is already taken, you could try:
- JaneSmithCoaching.com
- CoachJaneSmith.com
- CoachingwithJane.com
If your surname is complicated to spell, consider using just your first name, as per the final bullet point above.
4. Choose an appropriate Top Level Domain (TLD)
Okay, this might need some explaining.
A TLD pretty much means the part after the dot, like .com, or if you’re in the UK, for example, .co.uk.
I don’t mind alternative domain endings, like .coach, but I’d suggest sticking with .com.
Why?
Because it’s easy to remember and one that everyone is used to. Although .coach is okay, it can catch people out when typing it, and they might add .com afterward, resulting in them not being able to find your website.
To read more on this topic, check out my article, .COM vs .COACH – Is using an alternative domain ending a bad idea?
5. Don’t worry about keywords
It can feel important to include SEO keywords in your website domain – but it’s not. Google doesn’t rank your website any higher because it has a keyword in the title. They used to, but gone are those days.
So, don’t worry about squeezing them in.
Just go back to points one and two on this list:
- Shorter is better
- Make it uncomplicated
6. Put your domain on auto-renew
If you don’t put your domain name on auto-renew when it comes to paying again, it will expire – and somebody could buy your domain.
And there’s pretty much nothing you can do about it.
Some people specialize in lurking and purchasing domain names the moment they expire, and they can then ask you to pay an excessive amount to have it back (it doesn’t happen often, but it can).
So, when you decide on your domain and purchase it, choose the auto-renew option it’s yours for as long as you need it. Or, if you’ve already bought your domain name, you can usually edit it to be on auto-renew by logging into your domain registrar account.
Rookie mistakes
You shouldn’t do a few things when setting up a domain, mostly because they’ll cost you money you don’t need to spend.
These include:
1. Purchasing unnecessary add-ons
When you buy your domain name, whoever you register it with will try to sell you add-ons.
Most of these are a waste of money and things you don’t need.
The only add-on I’d recommend is the WHOIS privacy guard, which hides your name and contact details when somebody looks up who owns your domain.
Otherwise, anyone who looks up your domain name will be able to see your contact details! Again, you can make sure you have this add-on if you’ve already purchased your domain name by logging into your registrar account.
Got your website domain – what next?
Once you have your domain, you’re going to need to build your website. To help, watch my FREE 5-part Coaching Website Blueprint training video that will show you:
- The five key pages every coach website needs and exactly how to structure them.
- How to write the content for each of those key pages so every word connects with your ideal client.
- The one mistake most coaches make on their site and how to avoid it.
I hope this helps!
Jennie
