Domain names are an important area to consider at the start of most affiliate marketing efforts. While you can build a brand name that includes your actual name as some very successful affiliate marketers have done, it is usually easier to make your selection around the affiliate content niche you plan to market.
When making your choice here a number of factors you should consider.
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Keep it simple
The length of the affiliate website domain name should be limited to no more than 16 characters and avoid hyphens. The longer the name the less likely people will remember it - though if you can get something like domainregistration.com or any other two-word domain that describes your niche that would be okay. Try to avoid hyphens as it tends to take away from the authority or credibility of the domain.
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Try and make the name selected memorable
Examples such as Amazon, Fanatics, Airbnb and Uber are easily remembered and have built a solid brand. This can be difficult as most 4 and 5 letter domains for .com domains are gone. There is the option of grabbing one of alternative TLDs (top level domains) if it can be combined in a catchy way, but the caveat there is people may add .com to the end of it anyway. See below, for other TLDs with best practices for their use. If it is hard to find a .com within your niche it generally reflects the competitive nature of the space and unless you are an authority in it you may want to look at an ancillary area.
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Try not to be too trendy
Those types of domains lose popularity quickly; choose clarity over whimsy. The domains that hold and build value are those that are self-explanatory. They are names that people may type when looking for those products and service you are offering.
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Avoid using brand names in the domain name, unless you own it
Adding a specific brand in the name usually ends in litigation. Mention of products that will be sold on your affiliate website, so long as they are not trademarked named, is a better choice - hotcapripants.com would be okay, but newdockersshorts.com would not be.
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Is location involved?
If you are generating leads for a local real estate company, or lawyer etc. then use of the location in your affiliate domain name selection should be checked - for example HarlemLawyers.com or HarlemRealEstate.com. This will also help your ranking in search results for the location.
The words to use in your domain can be influenced by a number of factors and the points above are a good starting point. Keep them in mind as you brainstorm possible domains. Make a list and look at synonyms for the terms. Remember you are looking for a name that will stick and be popular with the search engines.
Namecheap offers a number of generic TLDs that can be used as alternatives.
Many of them may compliment your industry. Examples such as .club, .bargains, .directory, .photography and .gift can work well in many niches. Other TLDs have a built-in association such as:
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.org - non-profits and non-commercial organizations
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.co - associated with companies
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.net - the popular alternative usually associated with tech
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.biz - for business and e-commerce sites
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.info - for informational websites
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.blog - for bloggers
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.design - for web design agencies and communities
Good affiliate websites can be well established informational sites with valued product and service reviews. They can be news sites that cover the latest news about a particular niche. They can also be educational sites showing visitors how to use various industry products. The list is endless.
When choosing a domain name for your affiliate marketing efforts you should first decide what niche would want to enter, and what aspect of that niche you plan to cover. It does not have to be a final decision but it should be a starting point. You do not have to limit yourself to one domain name, in fact, many people buy multiple domains and use some of them later to create more granular sites within a niche. They might also sell them for a profit because they bought them before a rush of interest came into that space.
Selecting your domain is the first step on the journey to affiliate success. If you need more information about the industry, try the Namecheap Guide to Building an Affiliate Website.
Namecheap offers a great affiliate program for people to sell domains, hosting, SSL certificates and other products. You can make use of the Namecheap Domain Search widget and have a domain search tool on your site that includes your affiliate code when someone using it on your site.