Photography Domain Names Worth Capturing!
To all you photographers out there, you’re in luck: right now is the best time in history to have a photography website. Not only are graphics on computers and mobile devices better than they have ever been before (meaning consumers can see every single detail of your photographs in stunning quality), but creating a website has never been simpler. The web is yours for the taking!
We’ve put together a quick guide on selecting the best domain extension for your photography website. Whether you’re a beginner looking for some startup tips or a seasoned pro wanting to take your business to the next level, there’s something for everyone.
Which domain extension is best for my photos?
When you are choosing your domain name, you will also need to choose what extension to use. You can either opt for the common .com extension, or go for a specialized extension like .camera, .gallery, .photo, .pics, .photos, .graphics, .media, or .photography. There are pluses and minuses to both.
Has the .com gone out of fashion?
The .com extension is definitely the most popular and is the default when consumers go to type a URL into the address bar; however it is saturated, meaning that your website address is more likely to already be registered with a .com extension. And although it’s the go-to when creating a website, it doesn’t offer much specificity in defining what type of website you’re offering.
Specific gTLDs, on the other hand, instantly tell the viewer what you’re about – you’re defining your site as a photography website before the page has even started to load. That means you can get a bit more creative with your website address; or you can really go for it and get super specific by having separate sites for different types of photographic mediums that you capture. You could have one photography website for landscape and nature stills, one for print and editorial work, and another for lifestyle shots. And you’ll be much more likely to get your domain of choice when using the gTLDs as they are still majorly underutilized.
Have an idea for a brilliant domain? Pop it in here to see if it’s still available.
gTLDs Get You Noticed
Another great thing about using photo-specific gTLDs is that they are more likely to catch the eye. If you addressed a letter to a person on Main Street, you’d soon forget their address; but if you are writing to your pen pal at 007 Secret Agent Drive, you will definitely take notice! The same goes for domain names. While .com is popular, it’s not going to catch anyone’s eye. But use an extension like .photo or .gallery and you are sure to stand out from the crowd.
Minimize site address length
Until now, many photographers have had to squeeze their photographer identity into their domain name by adding “[name]photography.com” to their site address, making it longer, more cumbersome to type, and difficult to fit onto business cards. With the .photography gTLD (and any of its buddies listed above), you can take out the “photography” from your website address, swap it out for .photo, and move it to the other side of the period. Now you have a shorter site address that still tells what you’re all about, and stands out more than a .com would have. Winning!
Keyword rich gTLDs
You will likely have heard all about SEO and how important keywords are, so you may have tried packing them into all the important parts of your website. But have you thought about including them in your domain name? If you use one of the photography-specific gTLDs, you’re automatically using a keyword in your website – that will score major points for SEO. Look into using meta tags when you post your photos, too – for more tips on gTLDs, check out this article!
And there you have it, snap-happy friends!
So get out there and register your stunning new photography website – and don’t forget to say cheese!