Choosing the right domain name can be an effective way to bring traffic to your site in addition to your healthy SEO and PPC efforts. When it’s all said and done, you want your domain name to be remembered, even if your name sounds flat-out strange. Word of mouth is powerful, so a good idea would be to choose a domain name that’s short, sweet and easy to type. Think: Google, Amazon, Yahoo! and Monster as the ultimate in unusual yet short and easy-to-remember domain names.
Of course, because those domains don’t tell you what the site is all about, they’ve required a boatload of marketing and branding to be on everyone’s lips, which is not possible for everyone. Thus, there are a number of suggestions we can offer for those who are launching a new online business or information site, and want to maximize their online presence – starting with their name.
• Make sure your domain name reflects the type of content that will be found on your website. Intuitive domain names like ProFlowers.com or BestPromDresses.com tell the whole story – users don’t have to wonder what they’ll find if they click on a link or type your domain name in the browser.
• Select your domain name according to your top keywords. Make a list of the terms/phrases that best describe your intended website. Say you’re launching a handbag site. Start with “handbags, designer handbags, fashion bags, purses” and so forth. Check availability, and if your top choices are already taken, play around with variations by adding words before and after. You’ll eventually find something strong that you can live with. Sometimes, the firm from which you’re purchasing your domain can make suggestions.
• Choose .com domains above all else even if they’re more expensive. It’s a fact – the average type-in user automatically uses this domain and you don’t want to lose these people. If you can purchase the .net, .org, etc. as well, great! 301 redirect them to your .com.
• Avoid using numbers, hyphens and other confusing or hard to remember additions/variations. This can cause your domain name to be lost in translation and send people to a competitor. For example, if your domain is Wool-Sweaters.com, people are likely to mistakenly type in WoolSweaters.com instead.
• Make sure your domain name is not a violation of someone else’s trademark.
We’ve got plenty of ideas up our sleeves for choosing a great domain name. We can also help you create a brilliant SEO and PPC campaign for your site to really get you noticed in the search engines.
