7 Tips to Choosing the Domain Name that Will
Catapult Your Business into an Empire

Published on this site: November 25th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

Your domain name is your business name on the Internet. This is a decision that will affect search engine optimization as well as your return customer traffic. Your domain name will also affect anchor text of inbound links and your search engine rankings.

Some companies have chosen to brand themselves with names that have nothing to do with their business i.e. Yahoo, Google, Amazon, and eBay. It's not that they don't understand search engine rankings but that they have deep pockets for advertising to help their customers remember their name.

Here are 7 tips to help you choose a domain name making you more memorable to your customers and search engines alike.

1. Keep your name as short as possible.
   
   People remember names of their favorite websites. If your domain name is short and memorable you have a better chance of return traffic. Advertising your name offline becomes easier when it's something people can remember without writing down.
   
   
2. Be clear about the direction of your web business.
   
   When you start your business you may have an idea to sell widgets but as your business grows you may find that widgets, wickets and wonkets all sell well. Your domain name should be able to grow with your business.
   
   
3. Try to include 2 keywords in your domain name.
   
   When you design your domain name you should include at least one, if not two, keywords in the name. This helps to improve your search engine ranking and organic search traffic. Search engines will place a higher value to a site that sells widgets, has widgets in the name and has content that is optimized for widgets. The assumption is widgets will be the focus of your site and therefore provide valuable content to the searcher.
   
   
4. Include the location in the name if you are marketing and selling in only one specific location.
   
   Are you a realtor selling exclusively in Chicago? ChicagoExampleRealEstate.com, XYZExampleRealEstate-Chicago.com, YourExampleXYZRealEstateInChicago.com all have the keyword Real Estate and the location. However, if you sell widgets in Chicago but ship around the world you won't put Chicago in the domain name. People searching for widgets will pass over your site if they believe, from your name, that you sell only in Chicago.
   
   
5. Avoid trademarked names.
   
   You've heard the stories of the little guy who buys a name the big company wants. He sells the name and spends the rest of his days retired on a private island. Those days are gone. Now the big companies are calling their lawyers. TheBestOnEbay.com or MicrosoftRox.com are just not good ideas.
   
   
6. Look legitimate and buy the variations.
   
   Avoid purchasing .biz, .tv, or .ws as your main site. The most respect is given to sites on .com, .net, and .org. On the other hand once you have a .com that you intend to grow you should also buy the other extensions and potentially even the .biz, .tv and .ws. Redirect those sites to your primary site. This way if a customer can't remember theextension he'll get to your site anyway. The new kid on the block is .mobi. This is the extension used for mobile devices and sites providing services on the mobile web. Opened for general registration on September 26, 2006 and sponsored by a consortium of companies including Microsoft, Google and Nokia this extension has already sparked criticism.
   
   
7. Ask for advice.
   
   You'd be surprised at how many times a domain names sounds absolutely brilliant at 1 am when you purchase it. However, in the light of day, when you've asked some of your friends, it makes no sense at all. Ask your friends, relatives and head over to a webmaster forum. You'll get great advice, learn a few things you didn't know and see your business from a new set of eyes.

These simple tips will help you establish a solid foundation for your Internet business and send you targeted qualified customers.

Jo Han Mok - is a no.1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less! http://www.SuperFastProfit.com