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Category: Articles » Internet & Online Businesses » Domain Names » Article » Article Code

Choosing Domain Names for Your Business

Let's say that you're creating a website for Barb's Specialty Pet Products. Should the domain name be barbsspecialtypetproducts.com? Perhaps -- but don't stop there. Having the right domain name, or domain names, can bring more traffic to your site. Why more than one domain name? One domain is all you need to set up a website. But with more domains directing to your site, you can have these additional benefits: - Bring site visitors who type variations of your domain name - Acquire traffic that might otherwise go to your competition ... read more

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Let's say that you're creating a website for Barb's Specialty Pet Products. 
 
Should the domain name be barbsspecialtypetproducts.com?

Perhaps -- but don't stop there. Having the right domain name, or domain 
 
names, can bring more traffic to your site.

Why more than one domain name?

One domain is all you need to set up a website. But with more domains 
 
directing to your site, you can have these additional benefits:

- Bring site visitors who type variations of your domain name

- Acquire traffic that might otherwise go to your competition

- Harness the marketing power of keyword domains

Your primary domain name

If it's feasible, use your business or brand name in your primary domain. 
 
People will remember it and associate it with your business. Also consider the 
 
following factors when choosing your primary domain.

Domain name extensions

Should your primary domain end with .com, .net, or .biz, or with a country-
 
specific extension such as .ca or .co.uk?

If your website is aimed at people in a specific country, having a country-
 
specific domain can help:

- Site visitors will recognize right away that the business has a presence in the 
 
country of the extension. They may therefore be more comfortable buying 
 
from you.

- Some country-specific search results include sites with the relevant country-
 
specific domain extension even if the site isn't hosted in that country.

On the other hand, if you're targeting an international audience, a country-
 
specific domain could work against you. People from outside the country of 
 
the extension may be less inclined to buy if the business looks foreign to them.

If you want to attract both people within your country and those in other 
 
countries, have both. Each domain could direct to the same site, with each 
 
audience seeing the domain intended for them. For country-specific search 
 
results, the primary domain should be the country-specific one.

Chances are that the .com domain you want is already taken. If you use the 
 
.net or .biz version, you risk having potential site visitors go to your .com 
 
competition instead. Be sure to use the full domain name on all promotional 
 
material to reduce this risk.

Domain name length

A short domain is easier to remember, it has less risk of being mistyped, and 
 
it'll fit easily on your business cards and correspondence.

Conversely, if a short name doesn't represent your business, it's more difficult 
 
for people to remember. The short names you like may already be taken 
 
anyway.

If your business name is up to three easy-to-spell words, it'll probably work as 
 
a domain name. For a longer business name, the initials or just one or two 
 
words may be easier than remembering a combination of words.

Secondary domain names

Secondary domains directing to your site are for online use:

- For people who type your primary domain name incorrectly

- For people who search for your products or services online

Typing and spelling variations

How many ways can people spell and type your business name?

barbsspecialtypetproducts.com

barbs-specialty-pet-products.com

barbspecialtypetproducts.com

barbsspecialitypetproducts.com

barbspecialtyproducts.com

barbspecialtyproduct.com

Hyphens aren't recommended for your primary domain. When people tell 
 
others about your site, they're likely to omit the hyphens. They may also forget 
 
to type them.

For secondary domains, hyphens make long domains easier to read. Each 
 
word stands out when people see your domain. However, domains such as 
 
buy-keyword-product-now.com make some people view hyphenated 
 
domains, especially those with more than one hyphen, as spam-like.

Having the words in domains separated may help some search engines 
 
recognize keywords. With Google, though, hyphens don't make any difference.

Consider all of these variations for secondary domain names:

- With and without hyphens

- Different ways of spelling some words

- Singular and plural versions of nouns

- Extensions with .com and .net as well as a country-specific extension if 
 
relevant

What people search for

If you want to find the website for Time magazine, you might do a search for it, 
 
or you might try typing in time.com. If you do the latter, you'll find yourself at the 
 
Time site.

This type of search behavior extends to generic words too. Searching for dog 
 
collars? Try dogcollar.com, for example, and you'll be redirected to 
 
dogidcollar.com. Do you want life insurance? Lifeinsurance.com redirects to 
 
nmfn.com (and so does northwesternmutualfinancialnetwork.com).

While having keyword domain names may not draw a lot of site visitors, using 
 
them is a technique to consider.

How to use more than one domain

Set up your website with your primary domain, and use that domain on your 
 
correspondence and with your customers.

Point secondary domains to your site using URL forwarding (also called 
 
domain forwarding, domain redirect, or URL redirect). To have the secondary 
 
domain appear in the browser, use domain masking. You can set up these 
 
features when you log in to your account with your domain registrar (if your 
 
registrar offers these services).

With domains that are simply variations of your primary domain, you can 
 
expect additional traffic just from having set up these domains. With domains 
 
that contain keywords, you can get more from them by using them to list your 
 
site in online directories. When these domains appear in search results, 
 
searchers will see the keywords.

The next step

Once you decide on the available domains that you want, register them 
 
immediately. They might not be available tomorrow.

If you don't already have a business name, you'll find it easier to market your 
 
business online if you choose a primary domain and a business name 
 
together. If your first choice for a business name doesn't work well with any 
 
available domains, consider a business name that you can easily market with 
 
an available domain. Once you've registered that domain name and your 
 
business name, register secondary domains and put them to use.

Is it worth registering multiple domains for one site? That depends on your 
 
site, but any variations that you don't register will be available for competitors 
 
to register and use. If a domain is valuable to a competitor, it's valuable to you.

Author Bio:

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