Domain Names – Be Flexible and Ceative: By John LaRosa, Marketdata

Domain Names – Be Flexible and Ceative: By John LaRosa, Marketdata

2018 – The first step in creating an online presence and website is to come up with a domain name–the URL or name for your website. This is an important step and should be given a lot of careful thought and analysis. It will determine how your venture is thought of by visitors, how much traffic you get, and ultimately, your revenue. Traffic is everything online. Traffic leads to clicks by visitors, which turn into leads or prospects, which hopefully you convert into closed sales.

It’s generally agreed that the best domain name to have is a .com, rather than .net, .org, .biz, .co, or something else. These are the most commonly used domain names and the ones that will get the most traffic. All other factors considered, a website with a domain name such as  tattoos.com will get more traffic than tattoos.net or tattoos.biz. Domain names ending in .org are usually reserved for non-profit organizations and trade associations.

You should come up with multiple possible domain name variations in order to increase your chances of obtaining a good .com. Do this brainstorming before trying to purchase your domain through Go Daddy.com, Network Solutions, or other domain registration service. You also should follow these guidelines in creating a good domain name:

  • make the name catchy and easily remembered
  • don’t make it too long
  • make it directly related to the business you are in
  • avoid using hyphens and numbers
  • avoid a name that can be easily copied by competitors by just making it plural or adding a number

For example, if you have a service that can be delivered virtually nationwide, such as a life coaching company, consider variations like this:

lifecoach.com, lifecoaching.com, lifecoaches.com, bestlifecoach.com (or plural), toplifecoach.com (or plural), premierlifecoach.com (or plural), USAlifecoach.com (or plural), lifecoachJohn.com, lifeplanning.com, lifecoachforyou.com, ABClifecoaching.com, lifecoachcentral.com.

All of the above names may already be taken. Don’t  give up. Keep searching. A dot com is always better than a dot net or other ending.

If you have a business that just operates locally, such as a florist in Atlanta, use that city’s name in the domain name, like this:

atlantaflorist.com, altantaflorists.com, flowersatlanta.com, flowersrusatlanta.com.

Website like GoDaddy will provide other variations for you to consider once you enter your domain name in the search box. Use it.

Most .com domain names only cost about $10 to purchase, so you should by all means get a few variations to protect against others registering similar names. Don’t just buy the .com version, but the .net too.  GoDaddy and Network Solutions and others will host the domain name for you on their server, and offer website builder services too, with ready-made templates, SEO, and more. Annual renewals can be automated, charged to your credit card.

Some people even INVEST in domain names, in the hope of flipping a good, catchy domain name for a profit later on. If this interests you, GoDaddy has an auction service where you can put your in-demand domain up for sale. they will handle the transfer and take a fee.

 

Note: To view ongoing business posts by Marketdata’s President and Research Director, John LaRosa, and to learn about our various market & industry reports, and to obtain free Press Releases, visit marketdataenterprises.com, or email: john@marketdataenterprises.com.