/domain-selection

name: domain-selection
description: When the user wants to choose an SEO-friendly domain for a new site—brand vs keyword domain, TLD selection, or domain best practices. Also use when the user mentions "domain choice," "pick domain," "SEO-friendly domain," "brand domain," "EMD," "PMD," "exact match domain," "partial match domain," "TLD," ".ai domain," ".com vs .io," "domain length," "domain history," or "defensive domain registration." For migration, use rebranding-strategy.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1

Strategy: Domain Selection

Guides initial domain choice for a single site: Brand vs Partial Match vs Exact Match domains, TLD selection (.ai, .com, .io), length, readability, history check, and defensive registration. A good domain affects SEO, brand perception, and UX. See **domain-architecture** when planning for multiple products; **rebranding-strategy** when changing domain.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

**Reference**: [Alignify: Domain SEO – How to Choose SEO-Friendly Domains](https://alignify.co/zh/seo/domain) — detailed guide, AI brand naming, TLD recommendations, rebrand cases.

Initial Assessment

**Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read Sections 2 (Positioning), 3 (Target Audience), 8 (Brand & Voice).

Identify: 1. **Product type**: Tool, content, e-commerce, AI product, etc. 2. **Brand stage**: New brand vs established; solo vs team 3. **Goals**: Quick SEO traffic vs long-term brand building

Domain Type: Brand vs PMD vs EMD

| Type | Description | SEO | Brand | Best For | |------|-------------|-----|-------|----------| | **Branded Domain** | Domain = brand; no functional keywords (Notion, Canva, Perplexity) | Long-term; Google favors brands | High | Teams; long-term brand building | | **Partial Match (PMD)** | Part of domain relates to function (FlowGPT, Dify, Reportify) | Balance; signals topic | Medium | AI tools; balance SEO + brand | | **Exact Match (EMD)** | Domain = search query (png2jpg.com, aiartgenerator.cc) | Fast early traffic; ceiling lower | Low | Solo devs; tool sites; site networks |

**Google stance**: Keywords in domain no longer directly affect ranking; domain still matters for UX and brand. EMDs work when paired with quality content; branded domains with entity recognition matter more long-term.

**Recommendation**:

• **Brand building** → Branded or PMD; plan for months
• **Quick SEO traffic** → EMD or PMD; good for tool sites, converters, generators
• **AI products** → PMD (xxxGPT, xxxify) or Branded; avoid generic names that cause search confusion (e.g., multiple "Speak AI" products)

TLD Selection

| TLD | Use Case | Notes | |-----|----------|-------| | **.com** | Default choice; highest trust | Most preferred; often expensive | | **.ai** | AI products | ccTLD (Anguilla); auto-hyperlinks in Excel/Sheets/Feishu → natural backlinks; signals AI | | **.io** | Tech, SaaS | Popular; geopolitical risk (Chagos Islands) | | **.co, .app, .pro** | Alternatives | If .com taken | | **.new** | Instant-create tools | For bolt.new, claude.new style; see Alignify .new guide |

**AI products**: Prefer **.ai**, **.com**, or **.io**. Avoid niche TLDs (.im, .xyz, .inc, .art, .dev)—higher risk of resolution issues (e.g., Notion .so outage).

Domain Best Practices

| Rule | Purpose | |------|---------| | **Short & memorable** | Easier to type, share, recall | | **Avoid hyphens** | Looks unprofessional; can signal low quality | | **Check history** | Use Archive.org; avoid previously penalized domains | | **Defensive registration** | Register .net, .org, variants; redirect to main; do not deploy on multiple domains | | **Impersonation variants** | For AI products: register brand+ai, brand+app, brand+official; see **brand-protection** for impersonation response | | **Accurate WHOIS; renew on time** | Avoid loss or hijacking |

.ai Domain Natural Backlinks

When brand name includes `.ai` (e.g., Character.ai, Leonardo.Ai), the full string auto-hyperlinks in Excel, Google Sheets, Feishu, and some IM apps. Each mention = potential backlink. Useful for AI products where the generic name alone (e.g., "Character") is a common noun.

Output Format

• **Domain type** recommendation (Brand / PMD / EMD) with rationale
• **TLD** recommendation
• **Checklist** (length, readability, history, defensive registration)
• **Related** next steps (website-structure, rebranding-strategy)

Related Skills

• **branding**: Brand strategy; domain selection implements brand positioning
• **website-structure**: Plan pages after domain choice; single-domain structure
• **domain-architecture**: Subfolder vs subdomain vs independent when multiple products
• **rebranding-strategy**: Domain change, 301 redirects; use when rebranding
• **brand-protection**: Defensive registration for impersonation prevention; fake site response
• **link-building**: Build authority after domain is chosen