RSSYour website domain name (also called URL) is one of the critical factors in gaining visibility for your web site. It is important for 2 primary reasons:
1. It is a key component in Search Engine Optimization—A relevant domain name is one of the primary ways search engines know how to find and index your site.
2. A unique and/or easily remembered domain name will enable your customers/clients to remember your site long after their initial visit.
How do you select an effective and memorable domain name? First, consider the name of your company. If you have a long company name such as Donatello’s Hydroelectric Philanthropic Acquisitions, you’ll probably need to abbreviate your company name with something like, www.DHPA.com.
It is ideal if you can use your company name as your domain name. People remember short names and often they will remember your company’s domain name even if it seems somewhat long. For example: Piper’s Pizza provides an excellent domain name that might seem long, but is easily remembered (www.PIPERSPIZZA.com).
Additionally, when customers fail to remember the domain name, and they will, they’re likely type the company name and hope it matches the domain name. Bingo. Piper’s Pizza will be forever remembered as the company name and the domain name. Another advantage is that the search engine robots know exactly how to index the site, because the domain name is relevant to the content of the site.
What do you do when your company name is not available for use as a domain name? Often, you can create a domain name with a slight variation such as, www.PIPERS-PIZZA.com, or www.PIPERSPIZZA.net, or www.PIPERSPIZZANIGHT.com. Even though these names may not be as ideal as your company name, you can still achieve the advantage of a domain name that is “search engine friendly.”
It’s important to remember, it is NOT essential to have a short domain name.
The domain name www.PPRS.com would NOT be a good domain name for Piper’s Pizza. It’s short, but it is not memorable, and not helpful to search engines.
Following are a couple links to sites where you can check on the availability of potential domain names:
Register.com
Yahoo Small Business
If you have questions or need assistance choosing or registering your domain name, contact us at email or call 423-779-7172.
Tags: Domain, Domain Name, site name, URL, website
