SEO Part 5 of 6
In SEO Part 4 you learned how to add SEO rich keywords to your images so search engine robots don’t skip over and ignore your site relevant pictures. The article below was written in response to a question from my client: how to choose a good domain name at a time when it seems that everything has already been taken.
Avoid hyphens when choosing a domain name
I had just finished an on-line training session, How to Choose a Domain Name (link: http://www.wordtracker.com/academy), when my client, Jane, e-mailed to say she bought a domain name for her new on-line business, and asked if it was a ‘good’ name?
Jane is a theatre director. For over 20 years she’s worked with actors and amateurs, helping them improve their diction, delivery, and believability. I’m in the process of helping her launch and build her new website so that she can use these same skills to help small business owners improve their delivery, message and overall quality of their online videos presentations.
Jane had been struggling for weeks to find just the right name. When she told me she chose “be-reel.com,” I hesitated to break the bad news.
Of Wordtracker’s (link: http://www.wordtracker.com/academy) eight tips on how to choose a great domain name, “avoid hyphens” is right in the middle of the pack:
Make it memorable: Because many people shop around before buying, so remembering your name is important
Make it short: (1) Short names are easy to type and easy to remember and share. (2) Short names fit into search results before being cut off after 69 characters (3) Short names fit more easily on a business card
Make it easy to spell: Avoids mistyping your name
Avoid hyphens and numbers: See below
Include keywords: Keywords can help improve your click-through rate: more people clicking through your site instead of landing on one page and exiting
Avoid trademark names: Once you’ve decided upon a name check it to make certain it’s not copyrighted
Choose a top level domain: (1) .com (2) .net (3) .org
Support your Marketing: Making sure your name helps people know, like and trust you
Avoid hyphens in your domain name
“Be-reel” is short and easy to spell, but the big problem is the hyphen. Hyphens make website names less memorable and more difficult to spell, causing you to loose traffic.
Write about what makes you unique
Instead of racking her brain to find one unique and clever word, Jane took my suggestion to write about her business and describe her services. Soon “onlinevideodirection” emerged which accurately describes what she does (it supports her marketing), is keyword rich, avoids hyphens, is not trademarked, contains a top level domain, and it’s memorable:
• online
• video
• direction
In the process, Jane also created a business name that is a long-tail keyword: long-tail refers to search terms that are 3 or more, very targeted words people would likely use when searching for your product or service.
Take away: When in doubt go for the obvious instead of trying to dream up something slick or mysterious. It will help you get found, and may even close the deal.
SEO Part 6: Long tail keywords
In Part 5 I’ll be talking more about long-tail keywords, and why you will want keep them in mind when writing your website copy.