Domain Names 101
- By WebAct Web Design
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- 14 Jul, 2016
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Welcome to the first WebAct blog! Today’s topic is going to be about website domain names! If you are a business owner who sells any type of product or service you know that the name of these products or services is not just a name, and it is the same for website domain names. Here are four lessons on domain names that you need to know when choosing your next website domain name.
Lesson #1: All Domains are not created equal.
Choosing the right website domain name for your business is key for your long-term marketing goals. You definitely want to choose something that is relevant to your company, however the name might not always be the best choice. For example say you own a Bundt Cake Company, while BobsBundtCakes.com would make sense using something like bundtcakes.com is more memorable. Short, generic, and descriptive domain names are typically the ones that are the most successful on the web. A good domain name is equivalent to owning a store in a popular location, it brings people to your business. You wouldn’t change where your business is located without some serious thought, so why would you do it for your website domain name?
Lesson #2: Create Premium Domain Names
There are many characteristics to creating a premium domain name for your website. First, it should include a keyword. This helps people searching the web quickly find your website in their search results. Your domain name should also be short so that it is easier for your users to type it into the search bar. Generic domain names are typically more successful because when people search for things online it is usually not as specific. That does not mean your domain name should not be descriptive, try to be as descriptive as possible. When creating a premium domain name, you want to make sure that you are using proper names, spelling, and grammar. If you only offer products or services to a specific location, including the geographic information in your domain name could be very helpful. Premium domain names are industry-wide so that everyone looking for something in your industry will find your website. The most important aspect of premium domain names is that they are memorable and brandable so that it is easier for your customers to come back to your website again and again. It also helps to have a top-level domain type which include .com, .net, and .org as well as the country codes .ca, .in, and .eu. It’s not a bad idea to own your website in all of the top-level domain types.
Lesson #3: Location, Location, Location!
Good locations on the web are at a premium, out of the 138 million domain names, only between 5 and 10% of them are meaningful generic websites. This means that the owners of these meaningful, generic websites are selling the names for millions of dollars. Last year, Social.com sold for over $2.5 million! Domain names are basically virtual real estate and the market is hot right now!
Lesson #4: Domain Names are an investment in your brand.
The website domain that your choose is 100% unique to your business. Once you own it, no one else can, and if you don’t own it, someone else can. The difference between a great domain name and other marketing expenses is that you are investing in a permanent, valuable, and potentially resalable brand which helps future customers define you.
For better or worse, anyone can write a blog post about anything they want. Everyone has a voice and the best voices will rise to the top.
The writer can show their personality:
In blog posts, the writer has more leeway to add in their voice and personality than other types of writing.
Blogs are a great form of mass communication:
You can help people, learn new things, entertain your audience—the possibilities are endless and amazing. Blogging opens up all of these to a very wide audience.
You can make money:
Get the right blog going and you can make a lot of money through advertising and sponsored posts.
It allows people to craft better thoughts:
Instead of reading haphazard, uneducated Facebook statuses, it’s much better to see people’s thought process in a well-written blog post.
You can establish a community:
Blogging allows you to connect with other individuals who share the same interests. Sharing ideas and opinions within your community helps establish yourself as a thought leader.
Good for SEO:
Keeping content on your site fresh and relevant, you can use your blog to boost the search engine ranking (SEO) of your site and your business.
It brings people back to your site:
If your blog is strong enough and updated regularly, people will come back looking for more and bring traffic back to your site as well.
It’s free:
It costs you a grand total of zero dollars to post to the blog, so if you have something to say, there’s nothing to stop you.
You can establish yourself as a thought leader:
A blog is a great place for your original thoughts, and it can be a wonderful way to show off your individuality. If people like your ideas, you can become a thought leader in your industry!
What else do you love about blogs? Let me know!