Domain Disasters – 5 Things You Need To Know Before You Purchase Your Next Domain

When you set out to claim your domain name out in cyber space, there are some important things to consider before you commit. A commitment to a domain name followed by the commitment of a website isn’t one that should be taken lightly, it really is a long term decision and should be well thought out.  Use these tips to keep from making a huge mistake with your next domain purchase.

1. NEVER…EVER…EVER allow someone else to purchase a domain name for you.  All domain name properties are just that…they are properties and should be treated as such.  The best way I can explain the importance is to compare owning a domain name to owning a home. They are both properties and a successful website with significant traffic can become significantly more valuable than a home.  Would you ever consider purchasing a home and not having the title in your name? What about the car, would you purchase a car and put the title in the name of someone else? Domain name properties should be treated the same and are equally as important when you consider the potential value of a web property.

2. Keep it short: Generally speaking people are in a hurry, have way too much on their minds and are always looking for a shortcut. Long domain names slow people down, are hard to remember, are very frustrating and even cause people to simply not visit your site.  Think of the times you’ve had to email someone with a difficult name, domain name or one you were unsure of how to spell.  Keep hunting until you find something easy to spell, easy to remember and as short as possible.

3. Choose your words carefully: Stay clear of words like “to, two and too” or “their and there”, as well as words that are not easy to spell, have silent letters or cause the person typing it in the search engine to even have to think about how to spell it.  One of my clients is a company called “Thigh Slydz”, which obviously isn’t the common spelling for the word “Slides”.  The client owns two web addresses, www.thighslides.com and www.thighslydz.com.  One site forwards to the other to make sure there aren’t any lost customers out there who can’t find it due to spelling.  If part of your branding is to have a unique spelling, that’s fine, just make sure you figure out a way for people to find your site no matter how they spell it.

4. Do some keyword research: Use Google’s keyword tool to learn what people are searching for in the Google Search Engine.  Knowing very specifically what people are typing in the search engines in invaluable!  The keyword tool provides search volumes for any keyword you’re curious about and makes suggestions of other relevant keywords to consider targeting.  It’s fascinating to have this sort of insight as well as well as a wealth of information that provides great direction. Knowing all of this information ahead of time will help you determine a good domain name that matches what people are actually searching for.

5. Stay clear of anything trendy: Trends don’t last, which is why they are called “trends” and nor do web properties with trendy domain names once the trend passes. Good example: Real estate agents registering and building websites dedicated to REO properties will soon have websites that are obsolete. A website should be branded to a company and be specific to the business, not a person or a fad. Those aspects can be built in to the site with landing pages, product pages, blog posts, etc.

This is a subject very near and dear to my heart, do let me know if you have questions or by visiting the PrinterBees blog where there is a wealth of information for any small business owner looking for great tips on how market and grow a business.