Post by PickyChicky on Feb 20, 2014 9:17:06 GMT -6
While it is known that a site's design and ease of use are key factors to attracting customers, many business owners don't realize that choosing the right domain name is equally as important. As a matter of fact, it's also one of the hardest parts of putting a site together, particularly since the .COM domains we want are difficult to come by.
As of June 2013, there are 110 million .COM, 15 million .NET and 10 million .ORG domains on the web. The fact that people are still accustomed to .COM being the typical extension to a site, it's the better option since it will be easier to remember. However, using dashes in your domain name in order to get the one you want is not recommended, which I'll discuss more below.
If you're having trouble coming up with a good domain, here are 12 Excellent Tools for Picking a Domain Name. I personally used Dot-o-mator and found it quite helpful because it gave synonyms for keywords entered. That's not to say the others aren't just as good, it's just the one I chose to use and was happy with because it took me less than a minute to come up with a good .COM domain.
As of June 2013, there are 110 million .COM, 15 million .NET and 10 million .ORG domains on the web. The fact that people are still accustomed to .COM being the typical extension to a site, it's the better option since it will be easier to remember. However, using dashes in your domain name in order to get the one you want is not recommended, which I'll discuss more below.
- Develop Your Brand and Tie it to Your Domain Name. The first thing you should do is research your top five or ten brand names to better ensure you're creating one that has a .COM URL available:
(a) What URLs are available;
(b) Who else is using that brand name;
(c) Are they in competition with you or is their site about something you don't want associated with yours; and
(d) Are there any old backlinks existing in Google?
To check existing backlinks in Google, simply type "link:www.yoursite.com" in the search bar, replacing "yoursite" with your domain name. Also, Wayback Machine is great to ensure clean domain names. Considering the lack of .COM options, it's best to start by seeing what URLs are available and develop your brand name from there.
When deciding on a domain name, be creative, original, exciting and innovative, ensuring that the result will be short and memorable as well as relate to your brand and peak the interest of shoppers. While branding is essential to distinguishing your product or service from others, it should also convey an emotion, feeling, or attitude to reflect your business's personality. - Keyword-Rich Domain Names are No Longer Key to Search Ranking. Yes, keywords are good to use in your domain name simply because they offer a description of your site. However, they are no longer of SEO importance because today's search algorithms have devalued the domain name in search ranking.
Refer to Duane Forrester's, Bing's Sr. Product Manager, January 15th blog for more information on the subject: Domain Name Importance in Ranking. - Keep It Simple. Don't try to be clever when creating a domain name. Using anything too complex, like hard to spell, long, or clever words, will only prove to be a detriment to your business. Using cutesy names or numbers simply isn't a good idea because it will be harder for customers to remember. Again, keeping it as short as possible and memorable is key.
- Steer Clear of Using Dashes. While it has become increasingly difficult to find the URLs we want, using dashes to ensure you can still have a .COM site with your chosen brand name is not a good idea. That's why it's suggested in the first tip to brand your business by doing a search for available .COMs and researching them.
The problem with using dashes is that many people forget to plug them in, so that means the matching domains without the dashes will be getting your traffic. Just think how difficult it would be for you to tell them what your domain name is and for them to remember it. "You can visit my site at John dash Does dash Lost dash and dash Found dot com." Can you image the look on their face when you tell them?
Furthermore, search algorithms seem to favor domain names without dashes. Just do a search on Google, Bing, or Yahoo, and see how many URLs on the first page actually have dashes. That's not to say they can't make it up there, but the lack of them speaks to how little they get visited because people forget to include the dashes. Somebody's getting that traffic, but it's most likely the site with no dashes -- even if they were looking for you. - Consider Your Choice of Domain Name as Part of a Good Marketing Plan. When deciding on a domain, consider all of the above and think about where your customers will come from and how they will find you. You could have the best site with the greatest products, but it won't matter if no one can find you. So, choose one that will help grow your business and attract new customers, keeping in mind that it's part of a good marketing plan.
If you're having trouble coming up with a good domain, here are 12 Excellent Tools for Picking a Domain Name. I personally used Dot-o-mator and found it quite helpful because it gave synonyms for keywords entered. That's not to say the others aren't just as good, it's just the one I chose to use and was happy with because it took me less than a minute to come up with a good .COM domain.