How to Choose a Membership Site Domain Name: The A to Z Guide
A good membership site domain name is short, easy to spell, tells people what your community is about and ends in a trusted extension, usually .com. Check that nobody holds a trademark on it, buy it from a reputable registrar, and pick a name you can keep as your membership grows.
This guide explains why your membership site domain name matters, how domains differ from hosting, which extensions to consider, seven tips for choosing a name, and how to register it and connect it to your site.
What Is a Membership Site Domain Name?
In short, a membership site domain name is the address of your website on the internet. It’s the “name” people will type in their browser’s address bar in order to visit your site.
For example, the domain name of this website is ultimatemembershippro.com, the domain name of Facebook is facebook.com, and the domain name of the American Heart Association is heart.org.
Why Your Membership Site Domain Name Matters
Your membership site domain name matters for four reasons.
It’s Part of Your Brand
The brand you build around your membership site and community is not related to one particular element, but to many. The colors you choose for your site design, your logo, the way you choose to communicate with your members, and even how you name the different membership levels can all have an influence on how your website is perceived, as a brand.
It Can Affect How Search Engines Target Your Site
Keywords in your domain name aren’t a meaningful ranking factor on their own. Naming your membership site “themembershipsiteforbookreaders” or something very close to your core keywords is unlikely to help it rank, and it can look spammy.
Your domain extension does send a signal, though. According to Google’s documentation, a country-code extension such as .it or .de tells search engines and users that your site is meant for a specific country. More on extensions below.
It’s the First Impression People Have of Your Site
Your membership site domain name is like your business name: it will give people an idea on what your site is all about, what membership on your site offers, as well as on your overall style.
For example, a website called “booksaremything” will probably be about books (surprise!), while a website called “ilovetocook” is likely to be about food, recipes, and cooking. If you’re still shaping your concept, these membership site ideas can help you find your angle before you pick a name.
Your domain name will also give people an idea of your style: are you more traditional, more on the creative side, or maybe more on the fun and quirky side?
It Can Help You Gain (or Lose) Members
Your ability to generate revenue from your membership site lies in your ability to attract the right kind of people to your site, people who are likely to be interested in what you have to offer and convert into paying members. Therefore, your membership site domain name is important when it comes to your ability to convert visitors and generate revenue on your site.
Domain Name vs. Hosting vs Content Management System
Before you dive deeper into how to choose your membership site domain name, it’s important to make a clear distinction between your domain name and your web hosting.
Your domain name is the address of your website, while your web hosting is where your site lives. To make a parallel, imagine your domain name is your home address, while your web hosting is the piece of land on which your home is built.
You can own several domain names that all point to the same website, and you can move your domain to a different host at any time. Keeping your domain at a registrar separate from your host makes that switch easier. For help with the hosting side, read this guide to WordPress hosting for membership sites.
It also helps to distinguish between domain names and content management systems. As mentioned before, your domain name is your website address. Your content management system is where you actually build and design your site.
For example, if you choose to use WordPress as the content management system for your membership website, you will still need to purchase a domain name and host your site on a web server. The WordPress software is just the foundation on which you will build your site, but it will still need a domain name.
It is important to note that you can just name your website as you wish and allow it to “live” on WordPress (e.g. “thisismymembershipsite.wordpress.com”). However, this is not recommended for a paid membership, because a free subdomain looks less professional and is harder to build a brand around.
Do You Need a New Domain for Your Membership Site?
Not always. If you already have a website with an audience, you can keep your current domain and add a members area to it, for example yoursite.com/members. Your membership then benefits from the traffic and trust your site already has. On WordPress, a plugin like Ultimate Membership Pro lets you keep your homepage and blog public and restrict content for members on the same domain.
A new domain makes more sense when your membership is a separate brand, targets a different audience, or you’re starting from scratch.
Understanding Domain Name Extensions
Domain extensions, or top-level domains (TLDs), are the letters that come after the dot in your domain name, such as .com, .net or .org. The IANA root zone database lists more than a thousand TLDs, but only a few are a good fit for most membership sites. Some of the most popular domain site extensions include:
- .com – The most popular and most used domain name extension in the world. If you’re starting a membership website, chances are you want a “.com” extension.
- .net – A popular alternative to “.com”, mostly used by tech-related websites or companies.
- .org – Primarily used by non-profit organizations, but it can be used for any type of website.
- .co – Officially the country code for Colombia, but widely marketed and used as a short alternative to .com for companies.
- .io – Originally used by websites belonging to the British Indian Ocean Territory, it has become a trendy domain name extension, mostly used by tech startups and companies.
- .club – A great option if your membership website is based around a club, community, or group of people with similar interests.
Country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) matter if your membership site serves one country. Google treats a ccTLD as a strong signal that a site is meant for that country. For instance, if you’re building a membership site for book readers in Italy, a .it extension tells both Google and Italian visitors that the site is for them. If you want members from around the world, a generic extension such as .com is the safer choice.
Top 7 Tips on How to Choose the Right Membership Site Domain Name
Now it’s time to focus on how to choose the best domain name for your membership website. Here are seven tips:
Choose a Short and Memorable Domain Name
The best domain names are short, sweet, and to the point. They’re easy to remember and easy to type in. They roll off the tongue and some of them are even catchy.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Your Business Name
Your domain name doesn’t have to be one and the same with your business or organization’s name. As in one of the examples given above, the American Heart Association could have just picked the “americanheartassociation.org” domain name. Instead, they went for something shorter, more memorable, and more brandable: “heart.org”.
Don’t Use Hyphens or Numbers
While numbers and hyphens can help you create a shorter domain name, they’re not always the best idea. First of all, they can make it harder for people to remember your domain name. Secondly, they can give off an unprofessional vibe. Finally, they’re often associated with spammy websites.
Avoid Trademark Conflicts
Make sure your domain name doesn’t use a name or brand that someone else has trademarked. A domain that copies or closely imitates a trademark can lead to legal disputes and even the loss of the domain. Before you buy, search the trademark database in your country (in the US, the USPTO’s trademark search) and do a quick web search for businesses with the same name. If in doubt, ask a lawyer.
Be Careful with Country-Code Puns
It might be tempting to use a country code to make a pun, such as “join.it”. Remember that most ccTLDs tell Google your site targets that country, so join.it would signal Italy. Google treats a few ccTLDs, such as .io, .co and .me, as generic, but its documentation notes that this list may change. Unless you target that country, a generic extension is the safer choice.
Buy Your Domain Name from a Trustworthy Vendor
There are a lot of domain name vendors out there, but not all of them are created equal. When you’re ready to buy your domain, make sure you do it from a trustworthy vendor. Some of the most popular ones include GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Hover. Be mindful of the fact that some of these vendors will sell domains for very low prices in the first year, but they will bump up the pricing above market value in the following years.
Think Long-Term
Your membership site domain name will be with you for a long time, so treat it as a long-term investment. Avoid names tied to a trend, a year or a single product you might drop later. Your domain is a reflection of your brand, and you want your brand to stand the test of time.
How to Register Your Membership Site Domain Name
Once you’ve picked a name, registering it only takes a few minutes:
- Check availability. Search for the name at a registrar. If the .com is taken, consider a small change to the name rather than a less familiar extension.
- Compare renewal prices. Look at the price you’ll pay from the second year on, not only the first-year offer.
- Turn on privacy protection and auto-renew. Privacy protection hides your personal contact details from public lookups, and auto-renew stops your domain from expiring by accident.
- Consider common variations. If your budget allows, register frequent misspellings or other extensions and redirect them to your main domain.
- Connect it to your hosting. Point the domain to your host by updating its nameservers or DNS records, then install an SSL certificate so your site loads over HTTPS.
With your domain and hosting in place, you can set up the rest of your site. This guide to building a simple membership site walks you through the next steps.
How to Choose Your Membership Site Domain Name: Conclusion
Choosing the right domain name for your members-only website is an important decision, but it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. Keep it short, memorable and brandable, choose a trusted extension, avoid trademark conflicts and think long-term. A domain name won’t guarantee your success, but it helps people find, remember and trust your membership site. When you’re ready to build it, see how Ultimate Membership Pro handles sign-ups, payments and member access on its features page.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good membership site domain name?
A good membership site domain name is short, easy to spell and say, and hints at what your community offers. It avoids hyphens and numbers, does not copy someone else’s trademark, and uses a trusted extension such as .com. Most of all, it should still fit your brand as your membership grows.
Should I use .com for my membership site?
.com is the most familiar extension and the safest choice for a membership site with members in many countries. If your community serves one country, a country-code extension such as .it or .de can help, because Google treats it as a signal that the site targets that country. Niche extensions such as .club can work for communities.
Do keywords in a domain name help SEO?
Not in any meaningful way. A keyword-stuffed domain is unlikely to rank better and can look spammy to visitors. What matters far more is useful content, a good experience and links from other sites. Choose a brandable name people will remember instead of a long exact-match phrase.
Can I change my membership site domain name later?
Yes, but it takes work. You need to move your site to the new domain, set up 301 redirects from every old URL, update links and payment settings, and tell your members. You can lose some search traffic during the switch, so it is better to choose a name you can keep from the start.
Should my domain name and hosting be with the same company?
They can be, and it is simpler to manage. Many site owners keep the domain at a separate registrar, so they can switch hosts without moving the domain at the same time. Either way, turn on auto-renew and privacy protection, and keep your registrar login safe.
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