In the last article, we talked a little bit about why you might want a website. Let’s explore that a little more and then discuss domain names.
Have you decided on your objective? It’s a good time to get that clear and sharp in your mind. If you will be paying someone to develop your website, this is important information to have available. It will be hard to create a website for you without this decision!
Domain name selection is very important to your success with search engines. While it is obvious that you will probably want to use your business name, there are other considerations. First, does your domain name use keywords that describe your business? Second, does it describe your business in some other way?
Chances are that if you are just starting a website, your name is not quite as well known as the products already on the web. Take for instance a new restaurant called Green Pines Cafe. Although it’s not a bad name, it hardly says it’s a restaurant specializing in southern comfort food in downtown New York. While I suggest purchasing the actual name of the business if possible, I would also suggest adding a couple more to maximize your chances of success. How about southerncomfortfoodnyc.com? Maybe newyorksouthernfood.com? The idea is to add domains that use the keywords visitors are likely to use in their search for your services. A displaced southerner, staying in New York is dying for a plate of bacon, eggs, grits and biscuits covered in gravy. He might type in those ingredients, he might use ‘country breakfast’ and ‘New York’. A website with the domain newyorkcountrybreakfast.com might just be the best trail to find the restaurant.
Do a little research on your own: type in your keywords. What sites come up? Are the sites that come up your competition? Makes some notes for next time and we will talk about what you need to look for in keywords. Also notice the pros and cons about some of those websites.