|
|
|
 |
 |
Choosing An Effective Domain Name
Contributed By Boris Mordkovich, Director of Operations at MordComm, Inc. Domain names are no longer merely a Web address these days. Many profitable companies have been built around their domain name, making it the brand and the company. Choosing the right domain should be as important as naming your product or entire company. Given that status, here are some pointers how to find a name that will see you through it all. Keywords vs. Branding Probably the most difficult to determine, branding vs. keywords should be one of your first considerations. There are two schools of thought: one maintains you should have your keywords in your domain name so that search engines pick up on the keywords and rank you better. However, there is no conclusive evidence about the extent to which keyword-laden domain names affect your search engine ranking. Another school of thought is that your domain name should be based on your brand. Most successful companies start off with a brand, to make their products memorable, create differentiation and encourage loyalty. In the early days of the Internet, everyone wanted a generic domain like searchengine.com, books.com, auctions.com, etc. Today, very few of those generic sites are truly successful sites that rival Google, Amazon and eBay. A branded domain also ensures consistency throughout your marketing efforts. What's Your Plan?
Whether you use keywords or brand names for your domain depends on your business plans. If you plan to build a Web site that is going to have staying power, branded domains are a better choice. A brand name made up of keywords could be best, and provides the best of both worlds—literally. If you are building a resource Web site, a Web site for affiliate programs or a site that’s temporary in nature, keyword rich and generic domains are a better choice. Finally, there is no harm in buying both branded and keyword domains that point to the same site. Just make sure you only use one domain name for submissions, directory listings, link exchanges and promotion to maximize your link popularity. You should also make sure the site title or name matches your domain. If your domain is ExtremeBiking.com and your site name is Smith Brothers Biking Tours you risk confusing visitors and directory editors. If you have yet to establish a company name or a site name, it might be a good idea to name it after you find a domain name. This is sensible, consistent marketing. Company Name It’s most common to use your company name as your domain name, especially since many small businesses tend to have creative and catchy names. On the other hand, if your business name is very nondescript such as The Smith Brothers, you might want to take the approach that combines part of your company name and a keyword. Non-descriptive company names aren’t particularly helpful to audiences. Someone looking for your company would find it difficult to differentiate it from others with similar names. Domain Length Short domains are supposed to be best but it’s increasingly difficult to find one without paying someone a lot of money to take over the domain. Just because a domain is a little longer doesn’t necessarily make it bad. For example, TrashToTreasure.com is meaningful, to the point, and memorable, even though it is rather long. On the other hand, ThisIsAnExampleOfAVeryLongDomain.com is too long, difficult to remember, and prone to errors. The other extreme is needless abbreviation. TTT.com is meaningless because it can stand for too many different things. Aim for balance while taking into account ease. .Com, .Net, .Info Most people will agree a .com top-level domain name is best. If there aren’t any effective .com alternatives, start with .net or .org first. Also, be sure to consistently promote your Web site as a .net or .org when you do register it. Hyphens Hyphens aren’t necessarily the kiss of death, especially if they are part of your brand name or the correct way to write a word. However, they are difficult to remember, type and prone to user input mistakes. Avoid them as much as you can. Suffixes and Prefixes Suffixes and prefixes are i’s, e’s, the’s and numbers usually suggested by domain search tools when your desired domain is unavailable. If you choose such a domain, be very consistent in your promotion. Promote the domain as a whole; do not leave out the suffix or prefix. Similarly, make every attempt to register a domain name that is singular. For example, if petfood.com is taken, resist the temptation to opt for petfoods.com because people tend to leave out the ‘s’. Can You Say It?
Copyrights and Trademarks In this day and age, many companies, particularly those with strong brand names are increasingly protective of their trademarks. Avoid the trouble and expense of a lawsuit by spending some time to research your chosen name. Start by looking up the name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov/) and your state’s trademark database. Expired Domains
Anyone who has looked for a domain name finds out soon enough more than half of the desired names are already taken. If you cannot find a suitable name, despite numerous searches, explore expired domains instead. There are many services that allow you to monitor expired and soon to expire domains for a fee. Before you sign up for them, a good place to start researching for free is DeletedDomains.com (http://www.deleteddomains.com). Some believe recently expired domains with good traffic and rankings allow you to benefit from someone else’s hard work and give your site a head start. Theoretically, that may be true. Realistically, you shouldn’t expect that previous traffic to last. People consistently return to a Web site for a reason. If your company is very different from the original site, visitors will stop coming back. If you assume such a domain and want to convert as many visitors as possible, make sure your content is closely related or similar to the old site. You should also ensure that the old site has completely ceased operations. If it still exists under a different domain, loyalists eventually find their way back there; Word gets around among them and could create a negative image on the old domain that’s now yours. Finally, when you do find the best available domain, get it immediately. Any delays, no matter how minor, may cost you. Finding the right domain is not easy. It takes a lot of brainstorming, patience and creativity. Once you find it, don’t let it slip. Boris Mordkovich is the Director of Operations for MordComm, Inc., a New York-based firm that develops and operates online ventures that help small to mid-size businesses succeed in their online ventures. Their properties include: AdWatcher: Ad Monitoring & Tracking and PayPerClickUniverse: Pay Per Click Search Engines Guide. Print This Page | Email This Page |
|
|||||||||
