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Overview
Selecting your domain name is one of the most
important tasks to complete for your online
business. It represents a major part of your
branding efforts and it is imperative that it
properly represents your niche. Your domain name’s
role is
to act like a headline to drive targeted traffic to
your website.
I’ve seen authors use their full name or the name of
their book, with and without hyphens. The question
to ask yourself is how many people using the major
search engines would type either your name, or the
name of your book, to locate your Website? I’ll give
you an example to illustrate this point. Let’s say
you’re a dad, or know one who is having difficulty
with his daughter. He asks you for help and you
decide to search Google about the topic. Which would
you type in?
“V. Michael Santoro” (Author’s name)
“Realizing the Power of Love” (Book Title)
“Dads and daughters” (Associated keyword phrase)
Chances are you have never heard of either me or my
book. That is why we selected the URL
http://www.dads-daughters.com – It is
keyword-based upon the niche market that we
selected. This choice has helped us to receive “top
ten” placement in the search engines, an excellent
amount of targeted traffic and several calls from
reporters and producers.
As the “.com” and “.net”
domains
have become
saturated, and ".org" may not be appropriate, it can
be difficult to find a URL to fit your theme. Since
then, a variety of others have become available,
such as “.biz, “.tv,” “.info,” “.us” and “.ws.”
It is recommended that you try to find an acceptable
“.com” URL. From a marketing standpoint, most people
think “Dot Com” when they surf the net. It is also
more credible for an online business.
What Makes a Good Domain Name?
You need to try and find a domain name that is:
·
Relatively short and catchy without being “cutesy”
·
Simple to remember
·
Easy to spell
The best is when the name is memorable, fits your
niche and rolls off the tongue.
You should avoid using a domain name that:
·
Is too long and easy to misspell resulting in potential
visitors not finding your Website
·
Uses too many keywords and gets penalized by the search
engines for spamming
·
Makes your e-mail address too long
Remember, simpler is better, so try to use only one
or two keywords in your domain name. Avoid using a
number if at all possible. For example if
ProAuthors.com is taken, you instead register
ProAuthors101.com. However, if using a number is
necessary, ensure that you register both the written
and numerical versions of your domain name, e.g. (4
and four).
Using a Hyphen
Most Marketers advise against using hyphens. Originally, a
hyphen was recommended to help the search engines to
read and distinguish the words comprising the domain
name. Since they have evolved and can now read URLs
without the hyphens, they are no longer considered
valuable.
I used hyphens for my first two Websites when they
were considered valuable and today still place in
the “top ten” for some of my keywords. My advice is
to try and register a “.com” domain name using
keywords without any hyphens. However, if you can
obtain an outstanding URL by using hyphens, then do
so. Just do not exceed one or two keywords.
Domain Name Construction
The following are the rules that govern what is
allowable for use in a domain name:
·
Only letters, numbers and a hyphen can be used.
·
Characters like the underscore ( _ ) or an exclamation mark
( ! ) are not allowed.
·
URLs cannot contain spaces, or begin or end with a hyphen.
·
Additional invalid characters that cannot be used are: - ! @
# $ % ^ & * + = ; :
·
Length can be up to 67 characters long including the .com,
net, etc.
·
URLs are not case sensitive. 'MyDomain.com' is the same as 'mydomain.com.'
NOTE: Some spam
filters will automatically flag any emails from a
".biz" domain name email address. So first exhaust
every effort to obtain a “.com” URL.
How to Search for a Good Domain Name
Refer to your list of keywords and select the ones
that best fit your Website’s theme. As you search,
it will seem like most of the good domain names are
already registered.
However, many domain names have expired or will be
in the near future. You can also use an online
service to back order a domain name and if it
expires, the system will automatically register it
in your name.
TIP:
If you see a domain name that you like and
it is taken, visit the site to see if it is still a
functional Website. Many people register a domain
name and park it for future use and never build the
site. Go to
http://www.domaintools.com/ and type in
the URL. You will be provided with the name and
contact information for the person who registered
the domain name. You can then contact them about
purchasing it.
Domain Name Resources
While many of the following Websites provide similar
services, you should visit each to see which is best
suited to help you with your domain name research:
http://www.expireddomains.com - Use this
site to search for “soon to expire” and expired
domain names. Information about rank popularity is
also provided. You may find an expired domain name
that is still placing in the search engines and
receiving targeted traffic.
http://www.deleteddomains.com - This
Website provides a search by keywords feature to
locate “on-hold” and expiring domain names.
http://www.whois-search.com - Provides a
list of the best domain names that are pending
deletion. Also shows which sites are successfully
catching which expired domain names on a daily
basis.
http://www.domainname-search.com – Offers
page rank predictor tools and other essential domain
tools.
http://www.cheaphostingdirectory.com/expireddomainswithtraffic.html
- Provides a list of expiring domain names with
associated traffic, popularity links and Alexa
rankings.
http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/index.jhtml
- You can make a “whois” search for any domain name.
This site also provides a list of similar names that
are still available for registration.
Still Having Problems Finding a
Domain Name - Use a Thesaurus
http://www.thesaurus.com - If you are
having a difficult time finding a URL, use a
thesaurus to find alternative words.
Registering Your Domain Name
Prices vary for domain name registration. One of the
least expensive is GoDaddy,
http://www.godaddy.com – Domain names are
just US$8.95 per year and they also offer good
support and other services. They’ll even “park” your
domain name until you are ready to use it.
TIP: DO NOT use a
service that offers a free domain name if you host
with them. But if you choose to, ensure that it will
be registered in your name. Also check to see if you
will be able to transfer it, and if it will be
costly for you to do so. Remember, the cost of
registration will be built into your hosting charge
anyway, so paying to register your domain name and
owning it makes better business sense.
NOTE: There are
countries that offer free domain name registration.
For example:
http://www.dot.tk/
- While this is a free domain name, is it worth
saving US$8.95 to give up using “.com?” Which looks
more like a business that you would buy from?
www.myniche.com
or www.myniche.tk
Once you register your domain name, the Web hosting
company will activate it or instruct you on how to
transfer it from your current registrar to the new
hosting provider.
TIP: If you are
currently using your name or book title as a domain
name or using either a free or sub-domain hosting
service, you can register a good “.com” URL and then
have it automatically forward visitors to your
current URL. For
example, say your URL is:
http://www.geocities.com/mybooksgeo/index.html.
Ask yourself how many visitors would
remember or spell it correctly? If your book was
about gardening, you can conduct a keyword search on
gardening at one of the sites listed above. I found
justplant.com after a quick search. You would
then register it and have it forward traffic to
http://www.geocities.com/mybooksgeo/index.html.
You would then use the justplant.com URL for your
marketing efforts.
Conclusion
Take as much time as required to research a domain
name. Enter a list of related keywords associated
with your niche to see which URLs are available.
Make a list of as many “.com” names as you can find.
Then have friends interested in your niche topic
review the list. Ask them, “If you saw this list of
Websites, which one would you click on first if you
were interested in learning more about
_____________?” Look for the impulsive answer.
Usually the correct one just “feels” right.
By the way, when you do become a
famous author, having your name as your Website's
URL may end up being a good thing!
The Authorpreneur Program provides you with the
tools and step-by-step instructions on how to
conduct your keyword research. It also provides
other resources to help you to research your URL.
Click here to become an Authorpreneur today!
Click
here to return to the "Book Excerpts" Web page.
Authorpreneur is a
registered trademark of V. Michael Santoro. Swiss Army Knife
and image are trademarked by the Victorinox Corporation.
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