Best Practices For Choosing Ecommerce Domain Names for Shopify

By Giles Thomas Last updated Apr 2021

Get HUGE discounts on .STORE domain names with our coupon code: AQCONV

Just click here and checkout a non-premium domain name for 2,3 or 5 year licences and apply the coupon as seen below in the cart.

Whether you’re pivoting to ecommerce to stay in business during the ongoing global pandemic or looking to finally pursue your side gig and sell your handmade jewelry online, you must have explored the idea of starting a Shopify store.

This easy-to-use ecommerce platform has made setting up and running an online store accessible to several aspiring entrepreneurs all over the world. Even those with no website designing or coding experience can now become proud owners of an online store.

Shopify provides all the templates, plug-ins, and other technical requirements that you need to set up an online shop in no time. All you need to focus on is selecting the right products to sell and coming up with your store domain name ideas. While you may have already decided what you want to sell on your Shopify store, the latter demands a bit of thinking.

How important are Ecommerce domain names?

Before you narrow down on your top Shopify store domain name ideas, it is important to understand why ecommerce domain names are important in the first place. Your domain name is not just your web address. It is the very foundation on which you build your online brand.

Think about how your customers will find you online: They will type what they are looking for in Google’s search bar and then, hopefully, pick you from the hundreds of results Google will send their way.

Think of the search engine results page as the marketplace and the ecommerce domain names it displays as the different storefronts. In order to attract customers, you must capture their attention and indicate to them that your website is where they’ll find what they are looking for.

These are a few benefits that you can get out of just your domain name:

It showcases you as a professional, digitally-savvy business and boosts your credibility.
It increases your brand’s recall and maintains branding consistency.
It will hold you in good stead for the entire lifespan of your online business.
It gives your business greater online visibility.
It can be used to redirect people to your online store from social media and other content platforms as well as from offline media such as print ads, visiting cards, and banners.

5 best practices to follow to come up with the best Shopify store domain name

When coming up with a domain name for your Shopify store, you must evaluate your store domain name ideas against these two criteria:

How well they represent your brand; and
What they communicate to your potential customers.

Based on these two parameters, here are five practices you should follow when picking a domain name for your Shopify store.

1. Register a .store domain name

After all that hard work, you finally find a brand name for your Shopify store that you think really fits. Now all you need is an equally strong domain name that not only complements your brand name but also adds value to your business. For example, in the case of ecommerce, you could opt for a .store domain name because the word ‘store’ immediately establishes the purchase sentiment. You normally go to a store to buy something; therefore, a website on a .store domain name is most likely an online store that’s selling something.

That’s not it–there are many other amazing benefits of choosing a .store domain name:

Being relatively new, it is more easily available than domain names on traditional extensions. Not only do you get to pick your first preference as your domain name, but you also get to make it more meaningful.
It stands out because it is fresh and trendy, which is definitely a trait your new online business wants to embrace.
It is specially designed for businesses selling online such as yours. Coupled with your brand name or industry name, it makes for a relevant and brandable domain name.
The word “store” is universally recognized as a place where people can purchase things. With .store in your domain name, you don’t have to worry about its relevance when you expand to different locations or add more products to your Shopify store.

2. Make it relevant and meaningful

What should be the first thing you do to attract new customers to your Shopify store? You should be intuitive of their search intent and then highlight your relevance to what they are searching for. This is where a meaningful domain name comes into play.

When people come across your domain name in their search results, they should be able to clearly gauge what your website is about. Customers appreciate getting all the information easily so that they don’t have to waste time guessing or searching further. For instance, domain names such as www.vintagepicks.store and www.localgrocery.store clearly conveys the nature of your business.

When coming up with your Shopify store domain name ideas, try to find ones that are the same as your store’s name. This is important whether you’re a brand-new online business or a brick-and-mortar store now going online. In fact, your store name, domain name and social media accounts should all be consistent, leaving no scope for confusion.

3. Make it stand out

There are thousands of online stores competing for the attention of people. You may be selling the best product in the market at the most competitive price, but unless you pique the interest of your potential customers right on the search engine results page, they are most likely to glance over you and move on to the others.

There are so many parameters you must consider when finding your Shopify store domain name that it’s easy to look over something as crucial as a bit of creativity. This is where your business ingenuity is truly tested.

You need a domain name that is indicative, but also memorable. It should find that sweet spot between uniqueness and relevance. Domain names that highlight your brand name with a relevant domain extension can do the trick. For example, www.name.store where the ‘name’ can be your business name. This clearly establishes that you’re selling something online helping you stand out.

4. Go for short and simple

Memorability is not just about being unique but also about being simple. Words or phrases that are short and snappy are easier to remember as opposed to those with long, complicated spellings. The same rule applies to domain names. Crisp, clear, and concise ecommerce domain names have greater recall and are easier to communicate in words and verbally.

On the other hand, long, complicated, and cluttered domain names are not only prone to being forgotten or spelled incorrectly, but they also look unsightly and spammy and could bring down the credibility of your online store. For example, www.brandnamez-store.com is the perfect example of the kind of domain name that you should avoid.

When brainstorming about store domain name ideas, start by eliminating ones that have modified spellings, special characters, and numbers. All these elements have no brand value and only confuse those who come across them.

A true test of memorability is ensuring that your domain name passes the radio test. If you were to mention it to a person just once in a crowded restaurant, will they be able to recall and type it correctly later? If so, then congratulations! Your store’s domain name has passed the radio test. Here are two examples that would pass the test too: www.wonder.storeand www.futurefarms.store.

5. Don’t use a free domain name

Shopify gives you the option of using a free domain name, which looks like storename.myshopify.com. While this may seem like an appealing option when you’re setting up your new business and want to save money, it is not a valuable asset in the long run for the following reasons:

A domain name like this makes it rather obvious that you are using it for free. Your customers will notice that and may write you off as just another amateur online business.
It doesn’t do a good job promoting your brand because it includes another brand name.
It cannot be customized. If you’re serious about building a business, then you’ll have to buy the domain name at some point–so, why not now?

Choosing a memorable custom domain name should be your top priority because it is the first touchpoint between your business and potential customers. In order to make the right first impression, you should purchase your own domain name or integrate an existing one with your Shopify store.

Ecommerce domain names

Ecommerce domain names that are catchy, meaningful and brandable, go a long way in transforming Shopify stores such as yours into strong online brands destined for growth and success.

Just click here and register for 2, 3 or 5 years.