Choosing the Right Domain

Intermediate Level

We get asked this question all the time:

“Our company is launching a new website, do you have any advice about choosing a domain name?”

As a matter of fact we do….so here’s our advice (take it for what it’s worth)!

Keywords in the URL
We are big fans of having keywords (brand AND product/service specific) in the domain name. Just take our domain name for example, FortuneWebMarketing.com. Not only does it promote our brand, but a very important keyword phrase we want to be identified with is right there in the URL (web marketing). We like this strategy because it allows the website to get a jump on organic rankings simply by having keywords in the URL. More importantly, it tells the searcher /user what type of products or services might be found on the site itself. Of course, this is not a full proof way of gaining high SEO rank. Like it or not SEO is a science, and there are many factors to be taken into consideration for obtaining great SEO presence. For our clients whose brand and domain name are not keyword specific, we simply put keywords into the URL string, like so: www.mycompany.com/things-we-sell.aspx. You get the idea...and yes, it works.

Geographic Targeting
Loco for local online marketing – that’s what we are! We absolutely love working with clients that have geographically targeted audiences. It’s cost effective and brings terrific results in our online marketing strategies. Not only are search engines personalizing search results based on your geographic location, but a trend for doing business locally is on the rise. Our advice is that if you are specifically targeting a geographic audience, put that location in your domain name.

What if your ideal domain is taken?
Don’t cry. Don’t panic. Try alternatives such as a plural version, using hyphens to separate keywords or switch up the order of the words in the domain. Once you do find your perfect domain corner the market by purchasing all the extensions (.com, .info, .us, etc….). This will secure your brand and keep anyone else out there from getting their grubby little hands on it.

Changing domains?
If you are redesigning an existing site and placing it behind a new domain name, do yourself a favor and implement 301 redirects. Else, you will lose the link equity built into your previous website and engines will have a heck of a time crawling the content behind the new domain.

Integrated Marketing Strategy

You need to have an integrated marketing mix defined in your marketing plan. There is no one sure- fire way to market your site and make big bucks. Cover your bases with a solid mix of on and offline marketing strategies.

By no means do having keywords in the domain name, or having the world’s most robust marketing mix determine the success of your website. There are many facets involved in building your brand on and offline to successfully grow your company and website traffic (DESIGN and EASE OF USE do come to mind)! You should also focus on very important factors like price, customer service and customer engagement. We have had great success in the online marketing arena by adhering to these strategies, especially for clients who are starting a brand new company or have very little budget to work with – and that’s all we are trying to say!

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