Choosing a Domain for Your Dropshipping Store: Tips for Success

Choosing a Domain for Your Dropshipping Store: Tips for Success

Dropshipping is the process of selling goods direct to consumers via an ecommerce store. It means you sell lower-priced products (like clothing, accessories or electronics) instead of selling more expensive products from a physical retail location. To have the most successful experience with your dropshipping store, it’s important to choose the right domain name for your business. With the right domain name, you can easily brand and differentiate your business online so customers know exactly what they’re looking at when they type in your URL. Domain names are also relatively inexpensive to register and maintain, so every dollar you invest in them is a solid one whether you're new to retail or planning on continuing it as a full-time business. In this guide, we'll show you 5 essential tips for choosing a domain name that will ensure success with your dropshipping store.

Find a descriptive, brandable name for your dropshipping store

Choosing a domain name for your ecommerce store is crucial to success as is the name itself. You can’t just pick a generic word like “store” or “Shop” as that name won’t help you stand out in the crowded online retail market with hundreds, if not thousands, of competitors. Before you start searching for possible domain names, take some time to think about why you want to start an online retail business in the first place. Is it because you have a passion for fashion or are you simply looking to make some extra money? Find a domain name that reflects your reasons for starting a dropshipping business and use it as the brand for your business.

Register the .com domain name first

You can always add a second-level domain (such as a subdomain, like store.mydomain.com) or even a third-level domain (like shop.mydomain.com) to your store later, but why put the time and effort into finding a great name for your store if you don’t own the .com domain first? Before registering any domain names for your dropshipping business, make sure to purchase or secure the .com domain name for your store. If your chosen name is available, it’s important to secure the .com domain name first to ensure everything is set up properly before moving forward to other aspects of your ecommerce store.

Avoid typos in your domain name

Next, you want to make sure the name you choose is the right one for your ecommerce store. This is best accomplished by checking to see if the name you’ve chosen is available before you make any payments towards it. Even if the name isn’t available, you want to make sure it’s spelled correctly. It’s easy to miss a few letters or hyphenate a word incorrectly when you type it in. For example, if the name you plan on choosing is “CoolShirts,” make sure you choose the name “CoolShirts.com” and not “CoolShirts.com.” While the latter is correct, it sounds much worse and won’t help you stand out in the online retail market or boost sales.

Don’t register the same name as another business or trademark

The next thing you want to avoid is registering the same name as another business or trademark. For example, don’t register the name of a competitor as your domain name or try to trademark a name that is already owned by someone else. While this might seem like common sense, it’s surprising how many new businesses make this mistake. By registering the same name as another business or trademark, you are diluting its value and taking away from your brand. This can make it much harder for customers to find your online store, or even confuse your business with another one altogether.

Register the .net or .io extension for your dropshipping store

While registering the .com extension for your dropshipping store is important, there are other extensions you can register as well. The .net and .io extensions are the best alternatives for your Ecommerce store due to their increased domain authority in comparison to the .com extension. An extension like the .net domain name has a high domain authority, which means internet search engine spiders are more likely to rank your site higher in their search results.

Register a second-level domain for your dropshipping store

If you choose a generic name for your ecommerce store, such as “Shop,” it’s possible that no one will find you. While this isn’t always the case, it’s certainly a possibility. By registering a second-level domain name like “mystore.com” for your dropshipping store, you now have a longer and more specific name for your business. With your actual store operating under “mystore,” you now have a shorter and more descriptive name for your dropshipping store. This should help boost your visibility online and make it easier for customers to find your ecommerce store.

Use keywords in your domain name to improve search visibility and matching

Another important tip to keep in mind when choosing a domain name for your dropshipping store is to include keywords in your name. Again, this is best done with a check for spelling errors first, but you can also choose a name that includes keywords relevant to your business as well. Search engines use the keywords you include in your domain name to help rank your site higher in search results. By using the right keywords in your domain name, you can boost your search visibility and help potential customers find your ecommerce store.

Final Revision

Choosing a domain name for your dropshipping store can be a challenging process, but with these tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to choosing the best name for your business.