Picking a domain name should be easy, right? Why, I’ll just use my business name. Not so fast, Sparky. A good bit of thought should be given to selecting a domain name.
A Cautionary Note
Picking a domain name is like getting married. You are going to have to stick with it till the bitter end. People that use your site will come to know it by the domain name. Repeat visitors will often simply type in the domain name to get to the site, better known as “type in traffic”. As an example, do you search for “Amazon” when you want to buy a book or do simply type in amazon.com? If Amazon were to change its domain name to Desert, there would be a lot of confusion. The same goes with your domain. Once you pick something, stick with it.
Your Choices
Well, the obvious choice is your business name, but it may not be the best. There are four significant issues to consider.
First, is there something about your business name that makes using it as a domain an unwise choice? This situation typically arises if you have a long business name or have plural words. “Halstatt’s Rip’n Marketing Campaigns, Inc.” is going to be a horrible domain name. Clients are going to find it difficult to type in such a domain name.
Double letter problems are a second issue that is entirely unique to the Internet. What if Sams Salon wants to use its business name as a domain? The “s” at the end of first word and beginning of the second can cause confusion. Is the domain name Samssalon.com or Samsalon.com? Confusing your users is a bad way to run a site.
The third issue concerns the nature of your site and search engine optimization. If you are shooting for a particular keyword phrase, you may be better off using that keyword phrase in your domain name. Google, for instance, looks at the domain name when evaluating a site. If the words in your domain name are spaced with dashes, many believe it will help in the ranking process. This is why you see so many xxx-xxxx-xxx.com domain names on the net. If your business focuses on a very specific area, strong consideration should be given to using relevant keywords in your domain name.
Finally, your domain name should end in “.com” and I don’t want to hear any argument or see any rolling of the eyes. The simple fact is that when people think of sites, they always type in .com. Yes, there are other extensions and .us, .net, .biz, etc., may seem unique, but it kills your traffic. Pavlov and his dog experiments had it right. People have been mentally conditioned to type in .com, so don’t select any other ending. If you do, a smart competitor will register the .com version of your name to get some free traffic. If you are really lucky, a porn site will do it!
Take a breath before you select a domain name. Like a spouse, it can be either a good or bad choice.
Posted by Saleem at 1:24 AM 0 comments
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Labels: I’ll just use my business name. Not so fast, Picking a domain name should be easy,right? Why, Sparky. A good bit of thought should be given to selecting a domain name.
Cyber Land Rush
It's like a "Land Rush!"
As a real estate broker for years, I had always dreamed of having the perfect properties to sell ~ and at the right prices. I spent a small fortune attempting to attract sellers, acquiring licenses, recruiting competent agents, maintaining nice offices, and then ~ to bring in the buyers ~ on advertising.
After being forced to retire from real estate by MS (Multiple Sclerosis), I finally stumbled upon the easiest properties in the world to sell that I'd ever seen: "Domains" in "Cyberspace." Actually, a respected friend, who had never been in real estate, turned me on to it. Best of all, it didn't cost me anything to set up my new business.
Okay, after a week I invested $10.00, but I got a domain name property to sell if I ever decide to. Like a land rush, people all over the planet are scrambling to stake their claims on the cyber landscape. I get a picture of homesteaders, in covered wagons stirring up dust, rushing to stake their claims for 160 acres. Everyone it seems wants their own website and once their personal names are gone, they can come up with other great domains, properties which will only appreciate ~ just like real estate.
I guess, some of us have to have been in other businesses to appreciate how really good a business that offering website domains is. Like in any legitimate enterprise, a good business owner should do everything that is possible to see that their customers are satisfied with the product. I can even let my buyers "Move in" for seven days Free to see if they like their new property. I could never do that in the real estate business.
No wonder that customers want to buy up some more "Cyberproperties." It's like a land rush except the homesteaders can stake their claims all over the world without leaving their computers. Click on the Hot Ride link provided in "Remarks" to find out more~without going to Russ' website. Your access code is russmiles.
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