Rob

Picking the right domain name is an extremely important part of your website success from both a search engine optimization and visitor standpoint.  Don’t fall victim to the thinking I hear a lot which says, “All the good domain names are taken!” It reminds me of Terri (my business partner) who can be heard saying, “All the good men are married”. 

It’s not so in love or domain names.  But very much like love, you are stuck with that domain for the long haul, so pick carefully.

The following tutorial will give you a pathway to a great domain name.

First, let’s discuss what NOT to do when picking a domain name. Below is a list of things to steer clear of when choosing your domain.

  1. Don’t choose your company name…unless your company is already famous.
  1. Don’t use a .net, .org, or .biz extension if you can help it…and most times you can.  Boy, what I’d give for our mortgage consumer site to have the .com extension!
  1. Don’t use a hyphenated, keyword stuffed domain name like mortgage-marketing.com.  That will kill you with Google.
  1. Don’t buy your domain name for less than 5 years…10 would be better.  I know its more money, but you’re serious about your online success, right?  So prove it to Google and your visitors by investing a whopping $50 instead of the spammers and dabblers who buy domains a year at a time.
  1. Don’t hide your registration contact information. Clients and customers want to see your name, address and phone number in the whois information.  Don’t be so afraid of spammers you forget the customer’s need to know and trust you.

Now let’s move on to what you MUST do to get a great domain name. Below is a list of things to get a great domain name that will last.

  1. Think of your “brand”.   Branding is not that difficult but truly important in name retention and recognition. What do you really do?  What do you really sell?  Why do your site visitors come back to your site over and over?

When it comes to our consumer site (themortgageinsider.net) that’s exactly what I did.  Who am I?  I’m a veteran mortgage broker…yea, yea, but from a visitor perspective…who am I?  The visitor would think a mortgage guy is somebody familiar with the industry.  But what would give them an immediate mental “stamp” of Rob K. Blake?  The “Mortgage Insider” that’s what.

Branding is very important because it not only develops the domain name but it also sets the tone for your web site and your business.  It also help narrow the focus when it comes to writing content for your site.

For example, now I think to myself when I sit down to write, “Give them something only an industry “insider” would have privy to…” 

Visitors come to learn and the main thing they learn in the subtext of everything on your website is more about you…your brand.  

I could write all day on “branding” (I won’t) and it’s significance to your online and offline success.  If you’ve never given any thought to what really separates you from your competition or what kind of client you really want, this it the time to do it.  Go somewhere peaceful.  Sit down….and think.

  1. Use only .com domain names if at all possible since that’s what most people think of when they type in an address…and believe me that’s what you want.  The extension of .net is the only other possibility.  Never .tv or .biz, they look too amateurish.
  2. Shorter is better…always.  Need I say more?  Typed in traffic needs a short domain so give them one.

A domain name is a big deal.  You didn’t pick your spouse in 5 minutes so don’t pick your domain quickly either.  Give it the reverence it deserves.  The perfect domain name is pivotal for your success.

Tagged with: •

Filed under: Search Engine Optimization

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!