What importance does a domain name really have?
Think about Google for a minute. How do you think the fate and perception of Google would have changed if they had chosen some other name, SearchEngine.com, for instance? Would they have had the same success?
It is difficult to say. Given the capabilities of Google’s products from Search to Email and Maps, it is hard to say that another name would have hampered their business a lot. However, the name Google has indelibly become a part of our culture. Any other name besides Google now seems a bit off.
In the long run, a domain name becomes the identity of your business. It is how your customers see and perceive your company. A bad name certainly doesn’t help, especially if you’re later planning to use digital marketing to promote the brand.
From an SEO standpoint, domain names play an interesting role. Let’s take the example of top SEO websites such as Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Journal, and Search Engine Land. Notice anything common? They all contain an important keyword crucial to their niche. So yes, domain names do matter.
In digital marketing institutes, students are seldom taught about the right approach to choosing a domain name. In this article, we discuss how to approach choosing a domain name which is great for branding purposes as well as SEO-optimality.
Keyword-Oriented Approach
Look at the examples of all the top SEO websites. They all have made it a point to include a keyword in their domain name.
A keyword-oriented approach to choosing a domain is good. This is because it immediately lets people know what the website is about. When you search for something on Google, you are more likely to click on a website with a domain name that is related in some way to your search query.
However, while choosing a domain name through a keyword-oriented approach, try not to target specific keywords in it. For example, if you are selling cheap shirts on your websites, don’t name your website buycheapshirts.com. Google may not look kindly at your website if you directly use a popular keyword. Instead, a domain name like shirthustle.com or shirtdealcentral.com is much better as it uses keywords while also not targeting the main keyword directly.
Branding Approach
One of the biggest names in the digital marketing world in Neil Patel. His website is not named after any digital marketing keyword. Instead, he named his website neilpatel.com.
This is an example of a brand-oriented approach to naming domains. If your business goals are strongly aligned with a brand marketing approach, name your domain after your brand.
Remember, you can also name a domain by combining keywords and brand names together. Gmail is a combination of Google and Mail, both terms indicating what the website or product is all about. You can use any approach which suits your goals best.
A good domain name won’t guarantee traffic coming to your website. You will have to write good content and build a good website. However, it will set up your website to be discovered more regularly on search engines.
In Conclusion
A domain name is not a formality. It is a representative of your brand in the market and a key component in your website’s SEO outcomes. Those choosing a domain name should not take the decision of choosing a domain name lightly. In this article, we discuss how a domain name may affect your SEO performance.
About the Author – Subhhonto Pal is a digital marketing writer and strategist with more than a decade of experience in the field. He is known for working with some of the best names in the digital marketing industry including Delhi Courses, a popular training institute known for its digital marketing course in Delhi..
