Domain Name Length: Does It Really Matter?

• Jan 10 2023
• by Ilona K.

The question of how to choose a domain name is quite complex. We’ve already given you some simple tips that might help you with this difficult task. Now we want to talk in more detail about one of them. This is the length of the domain name.

At first glance, it may seem strange that the level of public recognition and prominence in search results that your site achieves depend on this factor. However, the length of the domain name is very important.

Experts Opinion

Marketing experts say that the length of a domain name shouldn’t exceed three words. One-word domains are considered “gold”, two-word domains are considered “good”, three-word domains are considered “average”, and anything longer than that is just a bad idea. The shorter and more concise your website name, the easier it will be to remember and find.

Back in 2015, the Alexa.com analytics service conducted a comparative analysis of the effect of domain name length on the popularity of websites. According to the results, none of the top 50 most famous websites have domains that are over six characters long. Among less popular sites, the number gradually increases to seven characters. Overall, among the first million most popular websites, the average length of a domain name is slightly above ten characters.

According to Alexa analysts, every extra character in a domain name depresses a website’s popularity tenfold.

Why Are Short and Concise Domain Names So Good?

We’ve identified three main reasons for the attractiveness of short and concise domain names:

• Firstly, it’s much easier and faster for users to enter a name of four to six characters into the address bar. Nobody likes to waste their time.
• Secondly, you can stand out from the competition with a catchy name that reflects your brand.
• Thirdly, short domain names are easier to remember.

Disadvantages to Short Domain Names

If, for example, in pursuit of brevity, you come up with a domain name in the form of an abbreviation, this may appear to users to be just a set of characters.In this case the name will never be remembered. It’s worth noting that a short but hard-to-remember name for a website is always worse than a longer but more memorable name.

Another significant drawback to short domain names is that, in popular domain zones like .com, they have all been taken long ago. This means you won’t be able to buy them for any money. However, this problem has a solution. You can always choose a third-level domain.

The Reason to Use a Third-Level Domain

Despite the widespread belief that websites with a third-level domain are less popular and have lower conversion rates, these domains are growing in popularity. The main thing to bear in mind when using a third-level domain is to choose the right second-level domain. That is, you should pay attention to what exactly will follow the name of your website. The second level should help you and not make finding your website more difficult.

The .it.com domain zone is perfect for IT businesses or those who operate in Italy. This zone is completely new, which means that you can easily pick up a short and concise domain name using it.

You can check if a domain name is available at it.com

We’ve compiled some efficient tips in our article ‘How to Choose a Domain Name’ so that you can easily and quickly choose the best domain for you.

FAQs

1. How long should a domain name be?

According to marketing experts, the ideal domain name should be no more than three words. One-word domains are considered the most valuable (the “gold standard”), two-word combinations are good, and three-word names are acceptable but less memorable. The shorter the domain, the easier it is for users to type, remember, and find your site.

2. Is 20 characters too long for a domain name?

Yes, 20 characters is usually too long for a domain name. Domain names that are too long (15 characters or more) can be difficult to remember and increase the likelihood of typing errors. They can also cause display issues on social media and mobile devices.

3. Does domain name length matter?

Yes. Back in 2015, the analytics service Alexa.com conducted a comparative analysis of the effect of domain name length on website popularity. According to the results, none of the top 50 websites have a domain name longer than six characters.

4. What is the longest domain name allowed?

Technically, domain names can contain up to 253 characters, all domain levels, including the domain extension. However, marketing experts do not recommend registering a domain that exceeds 15 characters.

5. What is the length of a valid domain name?

An acceptable domain name can contain from 1 to 63 characters (for each level). However, the optimal length of a domain name is from 4 to 12 characters.

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