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What's in a
name.
Ask most
webmasters
how they
picked their
domain name
and they
will tell
you they
just used
the
name of
their
company.
Sorry I
forgot. What
is a domain
you say?
Some people
call it a
url, others
call it your
website
address, and
yet some
call it your
www. What
every you
choose to
call it a
domain is
what people
type into a
browser to
get to your
home
page.
A good
domain does
not
necessarily
have to be
the name of
your
business. I
think this
is the
first
mistake
people make
when
starting a
website. You
can go to
1stadvantagesolutions.com
to
check on
available
domains.
You see,
your company
name means
nothing on
the
internet.
Just think
about it for
a second.
Lets say you
own a carpet
cleaning
business
called GC
Enterprises.
Just ask
yourself who
on the
internet
would know
this name"?
That's
exactly what
I thought. A
big fat
ZERO. Don't
take it
personal.
Until you
build a
business
online no
one will
know your
name.
Something
else you
should think
about. When
trying to
build brand,
you should
always pick
a
name that
people will
remember.
Second you
should pick
a name that
sells
itself. When
it comes
to online
marketing
the name of
the game
does not
change.
If someone
sees your
web address
on a
business
card, they
should be
able to tell
what your
website is
about before
even going
there.
Using my
business
name from
above lets
take the
domain
identity
test. Here
is what I
want you to
do. Take out
two pieces
of paper. On
one sheet
write down
www.gcenterprise.com.
On the other
paper write
down
www.freecarpetcleaning.com
The next
thing you
must do is
pretend you
are moving
next week
and need
your carpets
cleaned.
Next pretend
you are
driving down
the street
in your
Lexus. You
come across
a billboard
that
reads
www.gcenterprise.com.
Do you slam
on the
brakes, whip
out a piece
of paper and
then run
home to your
computer and
look up this
site, or do
you just
keep on
driving
minding your
own
business.
Now lets
pretend this
time you
came across
a billboard
that read
www.freecarpetcleaning.com.
Remember you
are moving
next week
and need
your carpets
cleaned.
Guess what
you will do
soon as
you walk
through your
doors. You
will look up
the web site
to find out
what they
are
offering.
A domain
that
describes
your
business is
more
important
then a
domain that
is the name
of your
business.
Think of the
most
descriptive
keyword
people will
type to find
you in a
search
engine.
What you
come up with
is what you
should use
as a domain.
If you're a
plumber in
New Haven
then choose
www.newhavenplumbing.com,
if you're a
limousine
company in
New York then pick
nylimousine.com.
Try to avoid
words that
people
misspell. If
it can be
misspelled,
people will
misspell it.
Make it
easy for
people to
find. Don't
make them
work to get
to your
website.
Anytime
people have
to
work to find
you, they
will give
up.
Also
remember you
will rank
better in
the search
engines if
your domain
has your
keywords in
it.
For example
if I did a
search for
carpet
cleaning in
a search
engine,
www.freecarpetcleaning.com
will rank
better then
gcenterprise
even though
both
companies do
the same
thing.
Don't fret.
If you
really want
to use your
business
name as a
domain, you
can do so.
What most
people do is
get two
domains. One
is a
descriptive
domain, the
other is the
name of the
business. A
good hosting
companies
will let you
point both
names to the
same site.
Take a look
at
www.1stadvantagesolutions.com/hosting.
You might
have to pay
for this
service, but
it is well
worth it.
This is
called
domain
parking.
www.freecarpetcleaning
is a lot
easier to
remember
then
www.gcenterprise.com.
So having a
good
domain makes
it easier
for people
to come back
and visit
your site.
The number
one question
I get
regarding
domain names
is "should I
get a .com,
.net, or
.org.
Remember
your domain
is just the
web address
people type
in. There is
no laws that
state a non
profit
cannot get a
.com, or
that a
commercial
business
cannot get a
.org. Its
simply up to
you.
There is
nothing
wrong with
getting a
.net address
either. When
available,
your first
choice
should be a
.com. The
reason is
that's what
people
remember
first. You
might give
someone your
address of
freecarpetcleaning.net.
When they
get home
they will
remember
freecarpetcleaning.com
Sometimes
they forget
the .net and
put in .com
so they go
to another
persons
site.
This brings
me to my
next point.
Whenever
possible,
you should
get the
.com, .net
and .org of
a
domain. When
you have a
successful
web site,
people will
notice. So
will your
competition.
Some
of them will
go so far as
to register
the .net
version of
your domain
if its
available,
then
start
competing
against you
with a very
similar
name.
Protect
yourself by
getting all
available
versions of
the
domain.
It is also a
good idea to
grab the
common
misspelling
for a
domain. Lets
say your
domain is
www.modelairplanes.com.
I would also
register
modelairplains.com
and point it
to the same
site. A
certain
percentage
of people
will type in
that second
domain.
Go to
www.domains4cheap.com.
You can get
domains for
less then
what most
sites
charge. How
is
www.domains4cheap.com
as a domain
name. Do you
need a
description
of the
company or
do you know
what they
do? Oh by
the way. Did
you pass the
domain test
or did you
fail?
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