Selecting a domain name for your local business website can be as simple as using your business name to a more time consuming task of keyword research. A domain name is going to be your virtual address, where people find you on the web — the www.yourdomainname.com. It is important to think about how you want to represent your address, as your brand or as the product or service you provide. After reading this post I hope you have more of an idea of choosing the best domain name for your business.
Brand vs. Keyword Domain Names
thomasandson.com? thomasandsonoil.com? framinghamoil.com?
There is conflicting information on the importance of keywords (descriptive phrases people use to search for your business) in a domain name. Some of you may have been told that your domain name needs to contain keyword(s) and location; it doesn’t need to though it may be helpful to contain keywords and/or location. It “may be helpful” but not necessarily so because search companies like Google keep us guessing about the factors that go into their search algorithm. Here are two pieces of information that demonstrate what I mean.
- Local businesses whose location and/or keywords are in their domain name tend do to better in Google’s local search results. They are not the most highest ranking factors but experts in local search have seen businesses that include one or both of these factors ranking better than their competitor. (For more detailed information, read Local Search Ranking Factors)
- Matt Cutts, an SEO specialist at Google, says that they plan to turn down the importance of keyword-rich domain names in their search algorithm meaning that it wouldn’t be as much of a factor as it is seen as now. Watch – How important is it to have keywords in a domain name? At the very end he speaks about turning down the importance a notch.
So I suggest using the above information as a guide to helping you choose a domain name. You don’t have to go strictly with your brand name nor with a location-keyword rich domain name only. There is a middle ground to explore which is your business name with some keywords or geographic words in the domain name as well. Your business name may be available as a domain name but it is worth doing a little more research. Some of you already have descriptive keywords in your business name, you still may want to do the following steps.
Keyword Research
- Select 5 keyword phrases that describe your business. If you need help, go to Google and type in your main keyword(s). At the bottom of the first search page will be “Searches Related to.” That should help you find more keyword phrases.
- Go to Keyword Tool – Google Adwords. Type in your keyword phrases.
- After your results are returned, click on the box next to Exact. Your new results will show with your exact phrases.
- Look at the Competition Column and the Global Monthly Searches (Local doesn’t mean local here). The best keyword phrases have high search numbers and low competition (more white than green in above screenshot). Underneath the search terms you entered are Keyword Ideas. These are good to look at to make sure you are not missing out on a keyword phrase that has a lot of searches and low competition.
Make a list of the best keyword phrases. Add to it your location specifics — town, state, regional area you cover. Now start playing with domain names. Put your business name with keyword phrases. Keyword phrases with location.
Finding Your Domain
Now take your list and consider the points below about a domain name.
- Shorter is better. You want a domain name that is easy to remember, print on business cards and brochures, and good for branding (think eBay, Amazon, elSue). Ideally keep your domain name under 10 characters plus the extension (.com). If you have a longer name, keep it under 20 characters.
- Easy to say. Say your domain name aloud. It should be easy to say or spell. Special characters like hyphens, using numbers for words or cute misspellings may make your domain name look prettier but harder to say. It’s easier to say hairsalonframingham.com than hairsalon-framingham.com (you have to say the word “hyphen” as part of your domain name).
- Popular extension. Go for .com extension (or .org or .edu depending on your business). Most people will type the .com extension before .net or .biz.
- Be descriptive. Make your domain name descriptive if possible. Some businesses already have descriptive words in their name, this is great. If your business is Ella’s however, when you show up in search results, people only see ellas.com. It might be better to have a keyword phrase in there — ellasbakery.com.
With all the above in mind it is time to start your search. First, check and see if your business name exists as a domain name. I like to use Godaddy’s domain search. Now, search to see if your different domain name combinations are available. Pick out your favorite(s). Go to Google. Type the different combinations in (with spaces in between the words). What comes up? Are these search results you want to be in?
Sleep on it, throw the different domain names around with people whose opinion you value. Type it out, write it down a few times and see what it looks like. Which one represents your business best?
Summary
Ideally, your domain name will have your business name and descriptive keywords/location. Think nickspizzaboston.com, hairsperfectframingham.com or even hairsperfect.com, maryjoesbakery.com, johnsonplumbing.com. But if you want that one word, catchy domain name or just your business name, don’t distress — other factors can help you rank right up there with your competition like a local search engine optimized website and optimized business listings on sites like Google Places and Bing Business Portal.
The next step is to chose a web host. Hold off on registering your domain name since some web hosts offer free domain names with their service and you don’t have to go through transferring the domain if you get it with your hosting account. Just remember, you want to be able to have access to managing your domain through a control panel or domain manager.
What are your thoughts? Brand, keywords or a mixture of both?
