Selection of a domain name can be an important part of your success for a variety of reasons.
Use the guidelines below to help make a determination.
Here are some options:
- Length
- Based on Keywords
- Based on Brand Name
Domain Name Length
Let's start first with the length of the domain name (because it actually plays a part with
the others). Here
are the pros and cons of domain name length. It has been my experience that most visitors to a web site come to the site via an internet
link. Whether this link is from a search engine, a link on another site, an e-mail signature link or
some other online advertising. In this case, it does not matter how long the link is (because people
are just going to click the link).
On the other hand, conventional wisdom says that with a short domain names, people
will have an easier time remembering it, and will have fewer chances for a type when typing in the
domain name.
Both of these points are valid. I personally have over 40 e-mail addresses (everything from
hotmail, to gmail, yahoo and a number from the domains I manage). Each of those e-mail addresses have
a different purpose (some are for friends and family, some are for business, some are for when I order
online). I also use the catch all email account. When I someone requests my email address via email,
it doesn't matter as much which account I use. But, when someone asks for my email address over the
phone, I normally give them the shortest one.
Keyword Selection in Domain Name
From a search engine point of view, having keywords in your domain name can be quite beneficial.
When it comes to search engine optimization, I have always used the basic guidelines of, "The
harder it is to change, the more important it is for search engines." In the case of a domain
name, that is one of the "hardest" things to change (I put hardest in parenthesis because
it is actually easy to change your domain name, but most people wouldn't do it for a variety of reasons).
So, the more keywords you can stuff into your domain name, the better. Since a lot of the sites I am
focusing on are for farmers and breeders, I will use those as examples. If a farm's primary stock is
Boer Goats, it would stand to reason that the term "Boer Goats" ought to be in the domain
name. I look at it like this,
"What search phrase do you expect people to type into a search engine to find your site?" If
you are selling Boer Goats in Tennessee, the best domain name would probably be www.BoerGoatsForSaleinTennessee.com.
If you are selling beagles that hunt rabbits, then www.RabbitHuntingBeagles.com would
be good.
On a similar note, if you are going to use a "run on" phrase (like above), when you
use the domain name online or in an email signature, I recommend capitalizing the domain in a TitleCase
(like above).
Also, there seems to be some debate in the Search Engine Optimization community about whether
or not to put dashes in the domain name. Frankly, I am still researching the benefits
of dashes. I have a couple of domain names that I did research on the other day. One has a dash and
the other doesn't. I have www.TuckerMountainBoerGoats.com and www.W2Kx-Web.com. I went to a couple
of search engines and did a search for TuckerMountain (as one word) and W2Kx. The TuckerMountain search
did not retrieve the domain name in question (which is registered in the search engines), but the W2Kx
did find W2Kx-Web.com. Of course, that was a very small sample (and I intend on doing more research),
it does suggest that having a dash is better than not having one. In another article, I will discuss
having dashes or underscores in the file names (and directory structure).
Branding in Domain Name
I read in one of the search engine optimization forums that keywords in domains is not as important
as they used to be. I still put my views on the keywords, but I do know that people like having the
brand name.
Among other things, having a brand name in the domain name is probably much easier to remember
(and might stand up to other basic marketing principles). If your farm already has print advertising
(like banners, a logo or a trailer), you might find it easier to incorporate a branded domain name
into the advertisement campaign
So what should you do?
Certainly, blended approaches are appropriate. Some of the sites I have designed have gone this
way. Ringwood Acres farm got the domain name www.RingwoodAcresBoerGoats.com. They combined their brand
with their keyword.
One of the problems that can occur with the keyword strategy is that you might change or expand
your business. WhistlingDixiePygmyGoats.com also has Boer Goats - so now she is considering a different
domain name which is more generic.
You can also consider domain aliases. With a domain alias, you might be able to get the best
of all worlds. You can get a long, keyword rich domain for the search engines, a branded domain for
print advertisement and a short domain name for telling people on the phone (or just for one that is
easier to remember). With a domain alias, each of the domains would return the exact same information
on the web (so if you go to www.eatgoatmeat.com and www.goatmeats.com you
get the exact same page).
A friend of mine just set up the domain name www.A2Z-Digital-Video-Service.com.
That is a good domain for his keywords (he offers digital video services), but it is a mouthful to
say and write, as well as remember. When he tells people about it, he has to say, www dot A 2 (like
the number) Z dash Digital dash Video dash Service dot com -- which really is a mouthful. I suggested
to him to get www.A2ZDVS.com also (which is a lot easier to say and remember - but has none of the
search engine phrases).
Ultimately, I recommend going to a domain name registrar that has tools for suggesting domain
names based off of keywords, and then build your branding off of that. Shorter might still be better,
but I wouldn't shy away from a longer keyword rich domain name if it targets your business.
And then, don't pay more than $10 a domain. |
