Monday, January 26, 2009
How to Pick the Right Domain Name for Your Website
It essentially acts as a summation of your company’s web identity, so making sure you pick one that accurately describes you is vital for your digital marketing strategy.
For this reason we recommend that you pick something that is memorable, distinct and original. One that stands out from the rest in your product niche, but also at the same time efficiently reflects your company’s products/service.
So how do you decide which is the right domain for you?
Well the first thing we recommend, especially if you are interested in incorporating SEO into your web design, is to pick a domain name that is SEO friendly.
But as with all things, this in itself can lead to more problems when it comes to choosing your domain. You see, you are just one of many companies online, who have undertaken the task of finding a URL that is SEO friendly.
So trying to find one that is distinct to your product niche and that has also been left untouched can be difficult. The competition is fierce.
But you can overcome this. You can offer your domain a uniqueness presence. Take the following details for example. Each can help make your decision easier.
Brand: as we said before your domain name is your websites identity. It represents who you are to the entire marketing sector and what you are trying to achieve as a company.
Saying this, your brand essence can also play an important factor in what domain you decide to choose.
All your brand is, is an extension of your company’s identity. It is another means of allowing your surfers to recognise who you are and what you do.
So if for example you are a property investment teaching company, within your domain name it needs to mention the phrases ‘property courses’ or ‘property investment.’
Length: which do you choose? A short domain name that is easy to remember and type into your browser or a long domain name that will enable you to incorporate SEO and explain your product?
Both of these have got their benefits. It is just a matter of deciding which one would best benefit your website.
One way you can have the best of both these worlds is to set a word restriction of up to 67 characters. By doing this, you can give your domain name just enough description length so that it is not obscured, but a clear cut off point.
Saying this, if you can keep your domain name to under 67 characters that will prevent surfers from making any errors when come to type in your domain name.
Hyphens: similar to the length of your domain names, hyphens can bring both its advantages and its disadvantages.
On the one hand, using hyphens can help you to get the domain you want whilst making your keywords more accessible to SEO e.g. propertyinvestment.com to property-investment.com.
But then on the opposite end of the scale, if surfers forget to include them, they could either be taken to another company’s website, or they won’t be able to find your website at all.
Domain name type: when picking your domain name you need to decide what you want your top level domain to be.
All a top level domain is, is your domain names extension for example .com, .net, .org, .us or .biz.
Now most companies choose to go for .com but there is nothing necessarily wrong with using any of the others we have mentioned above. In fact, with .com being such a popular domain source, it can be quite competitive to get your domain name with them so choosing one of the others could ensure you get the domain you want.
So take the time to decide what domain name best suits your website, and make sure you consider all the above pointers. Do that and you can offer your website the best in domain representation.
3 Reasons to Invest in a Premium Domain Name
It’s no secret that economic times are tight, and it’s quite possible that no group is more profoundly affected than small business owners. Every penny counts these days, and it’s important that every investment yield a significant return. So in this economic situation, why would you even consider paying top dollar for a premium domain name? The answer is that premium domain names, also called “simple domain names,” can make a huge difference for your business.
What is a premium domain name, you ask? A premium domain name is a domain name that was registered at one time but is now available again. Shrewd business owners bought up the most intuitively-named domains long ago such as pizza.com and flowers.com. But owners of these domain names are now willing to part with them for the right price. Some domain names have gone for as much as $7 million, but many are available for anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
Given the amount that a domain name can cost, why would you choose to pay for a premium domain name? Here are 3 reasons.
1. Instant Branding. When you use a premium domain name, you automatically brand yourself. Not only will your domain name be a breeze to remember, but people will instantly associate your product with your name. If your domain name is vodka.com, you won’t need to spend much time trying to educate your potential customers about the nature of your product.
2. Increase Search Engine Ranking. Search engines take into account the relevance of your domain name to your product or service, so the easier it is to associate your domain name to your product, the higher your search engine ranking will be.
3. Increased Traffic. Direct navigation occurs when an internet user types a search word directly into the browser address line rather than using a search engine. So if a person types “shoes.com” into the address line, comes up with your website, and clicks the link to your site, that user has navigated directly to your site. As you might imagine, having a premium domain name can make a huge difference in the amount of traffic that comes to your site via direct navigation. And you didn’t spend a single penny on marketing that would direct that user to your site!
When you consider the fact that 80% of adults in the United States use the internet regularly, it seems like a good investment to spend whatever it takes to purchase a premium domain name.
If you’re a small business owner, consider the possibility of purchasing a premium domain name and set some of your marketing budget aside to do so. Go to the website “register.com” to see if there is a domain name available that is relevant to your product or service, and then do some research to see what kind of return on your investment you might see if you purchase that domain name. If this kind of research seems overwhelming, consider consulting an internet marketing professional to help you determine whether a premium domain name is a worthwhile investment for your business. An internet marketing professional can also help you access search tools that will tell you which domain names will benefit you the most.
Although it seems like a big investment, purchasing a premium domain name can make a huge difference in the success of your business. A premium domain name will allow you to cut down on marketing spending in the long run, it will increase your search engine rankings, and it will help potential customers associate your business with your name. Consider the investment. It may be well worth it!
Choosing a Good Domain Name
How to Choose a Good Domain Name
Some people tell me that all the good domain names are taken, but that is not true. Follow these tips for when you search for a domain name and hopefully this will help you grab a good one.
Remember domain names are a couple of cheeseburgers and a coke a year to own, and you can really never own enough of them.
Tips for Avoiding Poor Domain Names
*Avoid using domains that are deliberately misspelled.
Ex: SellURHome2Us vs. SellYourHomeToUs
* Avoid using domains with hyphens.
Ex: WeBuyPrettyHouses vs. We-Buy-Pretty-Houses
*Avoid using domains that are way too long.
Ex: WeSaveHomesFromForeclosure.com
*Avoid using domains that are meaningful only to you.
Ex: ABCFinancialGroup.com (investor or bank?)
*Avoid using .org unless you want people to think you're a non-profit organization.
Ex: HomeSolutions.org (non-profit?)
*Avoid using unpopular domain extensions such as
.info, .tv, .cc, .ws, .name, etc. for your Primary Domain.
Tips for Choosing Good Domain Names
*Choose a domain that is short as possible.
*Choose a domain that is easy to spell and remember.
*Choose a value laden domain that says what you do.
*Try to purchase a .com or a .net if possible. If you are really set on a certain domain name, settle for a .biz or .us if necessary.
*Purchase YourCompanyName.com so that no one else will.
*Purchase the .net, .biz, .us and all others too if you can.
*If your company name is taken, try adding an “Inc” or “LLC” to the end of the name and see if that is available.
*Anytime you get a good .com domain, tie up the .net, .biz, .us and any other variations of the name so others can't.
*If you find a really good domain name, purchase it for more than one year. Tie it up for as long as you can.
*When purchasing domain names, be sure to set them to automatically renew so you don't forget to renew.
*Don't use YourCompanyName.com on your marketing material if your company name is vague or ambiguous.
*Make your domains private or unlisted for anonymity.
*Private domains also keep your email and fax off the public WHOIS database and help prevent SPAM and junk faxes.
*Make a list of all the words you would like to use in your domain name.
Ex: We + Buy + Houses + Fast
*If your name is taken, rearrange the words or insert new words in between them.
Ex: We + Buy + Atlanta + Houses or Homes
*Make a complete list of all the domains you want to purchase.
Tips and Tricks
*Domains that are mapped to your websites are “attached” to your sites.*Domains that are forwarded, are not attached to your site, but are simply redirected to your site.
*Mapped domains get picked up by the search engines. Forwarded domains don't.
Art of List Building
The true art of quality lead capture requires the prospect to be presented with a form and that the prospect takes action and fills out the form, directly requesting information from you. Right away, that prospect becomes an opted in lead, is no longer considered a "cold call" prospect and has already taken an active interest in your products, service or opportunity.
The true art of lead capture takes place on the capture page and on the form. For more detail go to: www.mailing-lists-manager.com. You must be careful to ask the right questions, not ask too many questions and give a good reason for the prospect the answer the questions honestly. Each of your web pages should have capture page that is easily found and clearly defined. The copy for your web pages needs to have a clear and motivational call to action. This call to action will drive the prospects to fill out your capture form. This call to action can take the form of a free gift incentive, such as an e-book download, or an emotional call to action. Emotional calls to action are harder to achieve, and while they may connect with one audience viewing your website you may end up loosing the interested of another viewer. If you are able to creatively create a generic emotional call to action that can appeal to almost anyone and still appear to connect only to the viewer, you will be well ahead of other capture pages out there. This takes time, experience and experimentation.
The second ingredient in being a true List Building Master is in the follow-up. Once they have filled out the form, you should have a system in place that can immediately follow up with them through auto responders and that will notify you of their interest. You need to be able to take action with them as soon as possible, so this automated follow up and immediate notification is very important. With out follow up action, you can and will loose a prospect's interest. Prospects are constant movers and may fill out five or more inquiry forms a day! For more detail go to: www.freelist-pro.com.You need to make sure they remember you, that they no longer have a reason to fill out other people's forms and that they feel you will be the answer they are looking for.
Prospects fill out capture forms because they have a need. Once you can define what that need is and give them a solution, you can truly call yourself a Master
The Future of Creative Website Designing
Creative website designing emerged from the advent of Internet. The first page on a web server was just a plain document with text in black. This was created by Tim Burners Lee, the Internet founder. Since then, websites have become more effective with the combination of design and code. By 1990s end, websites were developed with colors and font effects. These designs of web pages looked like brochures.
The Internet popularity and the opportunity of on line business has completely changed the way websites look and appeal. People wanted to tap on line market. They developed visually compelling websites to attract more visitors and for more sales. The websites were filled with lot of information and were made colorful in one page. These websites did well for some period. The colors over lapped, with large size fonts and some text effects were used. It had too many bright color with gaudy text.
Then Internet recession arrived, this was the best time for creative website designing. Learning lessons from past mistakes people began to design attractive websites that made the visitors to look at the main product/service that were offered. But people who used Internet were still learning and simple websites were designed cheaply. Most big companies changed the design of their website with flash movies that were interactive and that appealed visitors because of its uniqueness and flexibility.
The latest website design trend is the result of a one and a half decade of experiments that were step wise. Today website designs are more creative and they are more
content-centric; Layouts are highly creative. Creative website designers make layouts that entices visitor's notice its content and not the graphics. The website designs are creatively developed to please the eyes of the visitor and hold them.
The creative website designing future is very bright. Dynamic content such as images and videos will be used in future to attract more visitors. As Internet is marching towards to become the only platform for business for major businesses, the design of website will be given less importance. Content is king and therefore it will rule and design will just complement it.
