Article Advise

submitted: Jun 21st 2008 | by: TheoMcLanahan | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 510 | |

In today's world, a website is one of the fastest ways of attracting attention to your business. And the first step to setting up a website is choosing a good domain name.

Unfortunately, many people overlook this important step. Let's look at a few tips for getting a domain that will attract the right customers to your site.

1. Choose A Name That Describes Your Website

What your website offers should be clear from the domain name. Don't make your potential visitors guess at what they'll find on your website.

For example, if your name is Veronica Smith and you own a hair salon, get a domain like veronicashairsalon.com instead of veronicasmith.com. Unless you're famous, or want to become that way, your own name isn't the best option as your domain.

Also, try to keep your domain name within a range of 13-15 characters, as shorter domain names tend to stick in people's minds. It also makes it easier for them to type out your web address in their browsers without too much head scratching.

2. Choose a Domain With Your Keywords in It

Most websites rely on the search engines to a certain degree for getting visitors. If you use your keywords in your domain name, it can help with getting ranked higher in the search results.

Spending the time to research your keywords and find a domain that uses them, while still meeting the first criteria (descriptive, short as possible) is well worth the time.

Of course, there are other SEO tactics to implement for better rankings, but getting a keyword-rich domain name is the first step towards ensuring your website will be search engine friendly. Avoid using any weird characters like apostrophes and even hyphens in your domain name as this will eventually affect rankings.

3. Can You Use A Different Extension Than .com?

In a word, 'No.' You could very well use .net, .biz, .org or .info as an extension and no one would complain, except that you'll likely regret that decision in the long run. Here's why. Websites ending with any other extension besides a .com usually requires extra marketing efforts to establish credibility because everybody assumes a .com extension to be the standard in domain name branding.

Another reason is when emailing, customers automatically assume every company ends with a .com extension and this can be devastating to your business if your customers' emails keep ending up in your competitors' database.

Unless you're intentionally targeting to brand your business as, let's say, a nonprofit organization, in which case the .org extension is highly recommended, then sticking to the instantly recognizable .com extension is the best way to go.

So, don't rush headlong into purchasing a domain name without first taking the time to research keyword phrases that would be a perfect match for your product or service. You can perform this much needed research at websites such as www.wordtracker.com, www.keywordtumbler.com and www.goodkeywords.com. It requires some effort, but acquiring the keyword phrases that are used by prospects and incorporating them into your domain name will pay off handsomely for years to come.

About the Author

Struggling to get your internet business started but feel adrift in a sea of gurus and products promising the world? Visit the Internet Marketing Chaos site for a hype-free look at how to start and run your business, at http://www.netmarketingchaos.com

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