One of the first things a client will see is your domain name, when they are referring your work to others they’ll mention it, and when people think of your firm one of the first things that comes to mind? Your domain name and the website that follows. Choosing the right domain name is crucial, because making changes later down the line can be confusing to both current and potential future clients.
As legal firms enter the early stages of online marketing it’s incredibly important to make sure you are creating a consistent, reliable image that clients can relate to. Not only does it play a large role in your client relationship but builds the foundation for how you brand your legal practice to the general public.
How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Law Firm
There are a few tips and tricks below that you can use to curate a domain name. Helping to bring the principles and reputation from your physical practice into the online space.
Don’t Use Hyphens Or Word Separators
The first tip is to avoid using hyphens or word separators. Often the nature of law firms is that they are inclined to hyphenate partners titles in the domain name, yet this can signal as spam to the search engine. In order to improve your search engine optimization, or SEO it could be better to consider avoiding word separators and instead focus on creating a more cohesive domain name. By doing this you are likely to ensure better search engine placement, which can always be boosted by the content of the site itself. However, always bear in mind the brand you are trying to build, and if you believe a hyphenated domain name is best for you then that’s great! That kind of decision likely means you have a clear understanding of the character your law practice is hoping to show off on your website.
Choose A Name That Reflects What Your Law Firm Represents
The second tip, which goes to the heart of forming a domain name, is if you don’t already have a title or legal practice name that you intend to work with then we begin brainstorming. Write up any targeted keywords you can think of that you would associate with your practice.
You could ask your team questions like what is the most valuable service that we offer? How would you describe our legal team in a few words? What goals do we have for the practice? Where do we intend to be in ten years? Choosing a name that reflects what you stand for sends an important message to everyone who uses your website.
Avoid Using Acronyms Or Abbreviations Of Your Firm’s Name
While your firm may have a super fun acronym that can make life easier for those who know what it stands for, to people outside of your firm or the legal profession the abbreviation is meaningless. Unless you have driven a large portion of your branding behind an acronym of your firm’s name, it is much simpler and user friendly to choose something that is commonly understood. You don’t need to pick something that is incredibly clever and witty, just something that is recognizable and can be easily associated with your firm.
Choose A Name That Is Flexible
Pick a domain name that is flexible. Make sure that there is room for growth in the future. If your law firm solely practices within the tax law field that’s great, but don’t box yourself in and choose a domain name taxfirm.com. If you do, you’ll likely have some very hard decisions to make in the future and will have to rethink a whole new domain name if you make any changes to the services your firm provides.
Avoid Domain Names That Are Difficult To Spell
Avoid domain names that are difficult for non-lawyers to spell. Words like jurisdiction and habeas corpus are fun to throw around, and I know for a fact that the one way to get any law student or lawyer talking is to open a discussion about the use of Latin in the law. But if you start throwing sub judice into your domain name because it’s fun and you’re a lawyer who just can’t stay away from Latin (everyone knows one), just remember that everyday lay people must be able to type that into google. And if people can’t locate your site, they’ll likely land on one of your competitors’ sites, which is ideal for everyone except you.
Try Using A Name Generator For Ideas
This can be helpful to get the ball rolling. Sometimes you might come up with a name but it’s not available, so you could use a domain name generator to get a spin on the name you already have. Or you could use it as a launchpad to begin coming up with inspiration alongside your brainstorming. It’s a useful tool, and if you’d like to try it out you can use a domain name generator like Domain Wheel, a generator that uses AI to give you instant ideas.
Once you have the first part of the domain name, you need to move on to choosing the extension. The most popular Top-Level Domain (TLD) extensions are ones that you probably see every day. They look like .com, .org, .net.
We highly recommend that you choose a domain name that ends with .com since most people assume that is the ending of the domain name if they are unsure.
Check Social Media Handles
Before moving in on a name, it’s also important to research social media handles. If you intend on using your domain name as a handle for apps like Instagram or Twitter, it’s a good idea to check and make sure that they are available before settling on a domain.
Conclusion
Choosing a domain name can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! Take your time, and always bear in mind that whatever you choose must be able to evolve and reflect your firm and its values as you grow. When the domain name rush began it was an all-out war to see who could get to the best name first, but that is long over. There’s no point in rushing something that is going to be a huge part of your image for a very long time. Focus on the things you know are at the heart of your firm, and you’ll be able to come up with the perfect domain name.