4:24 AM
SEO Expert
Although one’s preferred option may not always be available, picking a suitable domain name is critical for search engine optimization. The name is the first thing people will recognise about a website, whether they see it on a business card or in a list of search results, and even during that initial glance, opinions about what it signifies will already be forming.
The best domain names sum up what a website is about, clearly and concisely. Short, memorable options are the ones to go for, as they are more likely to lead to potential visitors actually typing the right words into a search engine. Names which include peculiar mis-spellings may not be wise choices, in spite of some famous exceptions to the rule. This is because of the possible loss of visitor traffic created by large numbers of people failing to get the name exactly right, and ending up somewhere else entirely after typing the wrong version of the URL into a search engine.
A domain name itself is not case-sensitive but, if the URL for a web page contains capital letters anywhere downstream of the domain name, in a folder name for example, these may be mistakenly written as lower-case on occasion, and some Web servers would interpret this as a completely different URL. Thus, capitalisation is better avoided.
It is extremely helpful for SEO if a domain name includes keywords relevant to one’s website, although going overboard and trying to incorporate too many keywords inside a long, hyphenated name might lead to being seen as a possible spam site by the search engines. Using hyphens or numbers is not usually recommended anyway, as both of these tend to make domain names more difficult to remember.
An obvious point, which could be overlooked, is to make sure that any chosen name is not already registered as a trademark by another company. Problems can arise if the other company decides to go to court in order to take possession of the domain name. This should only happen if there is any indication that the new website might be set up in competition, or might be confused with the business or products of the other company, but some large corporations have been known to bully smaller companies in order to force the sale of a domain name. Unfortunately money often wins in such cases, and businesses with domain names having only a passing resemblance to the trademarks of corporate giants have been forced to hand them over.
Engaging the services of an SEO company from the start can be beneficial when setting up a website. Professionals will be able to advise on matters such as branding, and the right domain name could be an important part of creating a brand. A unique name, which evokes particular emotions in people when they hear it, or read it online, provides a great head start in building a memorable and successful web business.
