Saturday, February 24, 2007

Domain Name Strategies

By Paul McGillivary

What's in a name? Just ask Coke, Procter and Gamble, or Honda. And yet, many people simply choose a domain name that is available. That is a big mistake. This is especially the case if you are buying the domain name for a business. But it's also important if you are wanting to build traffic and gain presence on the internet.

Let's start with some basics about domain names. Once we have established the basics, we can move on to some more advanced topics around domain names. First, a domain name is your internet real estate. Would you just grab any piece of land to build your house or business on? Of course you wouldn't! Think carefully about the name. It's best if you can find a name that is memorable. I remember the first time I heard the name Google. I had to ask the person to repeat the name because it was so strange. That made the name stick in my head. Get the idea? And please don't select a long domain name. For example, if your web address is www.topfinancialbrokerslimited.com, people won't remember it.

Your domain name should contain your targeted keywords. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should step back and review your web strategy. Keywords mean everything on the internet. People find things on the internet by searching for them. And they search for them using keywords. Having a keyword in your name will help in the long term.

Now let's talk about extensions a little. Domain extensions are the end of the domain name, like .com, .net, or .biz. The premier and default names end in .com. You will be surprised to find that a ton of names are already taken. You may have to buy the name off a domain broker. Yes, folks actually buy and sell domain names now. If at all possible, buy a .com name. You may even want to consider buying the same name in other extensions like .net. Then you could forward that web address to your .com. This would capture any folks looking in the .net space. It may also be advantageous to get misspelled names. This can also capture more traffic.

One of the first things you will notice as you start to search for a domain name is that a lot of them are taken. The logical next step is to start utilizing hyphens in names. This retains keywords but makes them unique. For example, if redcorvettes.com is taken, you could try red-corvettes.com. The main problem with this approach is that it is harder for people to remember a hyphenated web address. Also, spammers have tended to utilize longer, hyphenated domain names in their web sites.

What's in a name? A whole lot! Take your time and settle on a domain name that is short, memorable, and keyword oriented. Remember that a .com domain is going to be a lot more effective. Don't back peddle after buying your domain name, start off on a good foot and choose well.

Paul McGillivary has been a technologist for 15 years. In that time, Paul has experienced thousands of technology problems, challenges, and products. He brings this experience to bear in the articles that he presents.

Paul is also the owner of Loud Sign Internet Services. Loud Sign provides domain name register services for individuals and businesses. If you need a domain for your website, LoudSign can help you cheaply and quickly hone in on a good domain name.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_McGillivary

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