Domain Name Issues

Beginning tomorrow (July 17), GoDaddy will offer .me domains in open registration. The registrar and hosting provider hopes that people will sign up for two reasons: 1. to have their own name as their domain and 2. to have more control over their email address.

“‘I want my name as a domain name’ is something I hear often from Internet users,” said GoDaddy.com CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “DotME not only gives everyone a chance to register their own name, but provides the perfect domain for expressing themselves.”

Next Monday, July 21 at 12pm EST, Encirca will sell .pro domains (pdf) as part of the relaunch of the extension. Only licensed professionals can register .pro domains.

“We enthusiastically support the re-launch of dot-pro,” says Thomas Barrett, President of EnCirca, the leading dot-pro registrar. “These long overdue changes will open the door for businesses representing over 1,100 licensed professions, from every country in the world, to establish their Internet brand identity with the .pro domain name.”

Previously, the .pro domain was only available for four types of professionals in four countries, but now the domain is available to many more professions in hundreds of countries. Examples of eligible licensed professionals include:

* Lawyers
* Accountants
* Engineers
* Architects
* Surveyors
* Doctors
* Dentists
* Chiropractors
* Nurses
* Opticians
* Optometrists
* Podiatrists
* Psychologists
* Therapists
* Social Workers
* Veterinarians
* Plumbers
* Inspectors
* Building Contractors
* Electricians
* Investment Advisors
* Real Estate Brokers
* Insurance Brokers
* Educators
* Patent and Trademark Examiners
* Court Reporters
* Police and Fire Safety Officers
* any other profession where an official credential is required for a business or individual to offer services

Before you make those all important domain purchases, be sure to brief yourself on the impact of domain names on SEO:
How to Choose the Best Domains for Search Engine Visibility
What’s in a (Domain) Name? Take 2
Is The Company Worth As Much As The Domain Name?

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Those who know me must have got my usual rant at some point on how websites are poorly named. I have been preaching & teaching for years all the steps that lead to making that critical decision on a domain name, your online location that you will be stuck with for years to come. But the steps on choosing a domain name is not the subject of this post. Steve Kellas, worldwide chief online copywriter and also Associate Director for Fjord Interactive in Vancouver sent me this great list of hilarious domain names that were chosen for serious matters. Decision makers must have overlooked a few steps along the way before choosing their name. If you know someone with a bad domain name, a domain that do not contain relevant keywords, please share around. Everyone deserves a good laugh. Enjoy!

1. Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is http://www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at http://www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a Pen? Look no further than Pen Island at http://www.penisland.net

4. Need a Therapist? Try Therapist Finder at http://www.therapistfinder.com

5. There’s the Italian Power Generator Company, http://www.powergenitalia.com

6. And don’t forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales http://www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for IP Computer Software, there’s always http://www.ipanywhere.com

8. The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site is http://www.cummingfirst.com

9. And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site, http://www.speedofart.com

I will make sure to share this list in my next Search Marketing training session at YMCA in Vancouver on domain names. That should be quite entertaining while still make my point across.

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Over the last few weeks, I have been revising for a friend of mine an area of SEO that has been largely overlooked: selecting a keyword-rich domain name. Since I have been asked that question hundreds of times and I have been reviewing, suggesting, assessing & buying domain for 10 years, I thought it would be a good idea to put it out here. I will not be covering everything here but this is start. For those of you who have not been introduced to the concept of domain name selection, speculation, the value of a name and how to select a good name, please read on. This will allow you to take a second look at your own name.

As I am researching writing on this topic, I came across a great article which presents the points to consider when buying a domain name. For better results, your domain name should be memorable and easy to remember. Remember the following tips when purchasing a domain name.

* The domain name should be short.
* The domain name should be simple.
* It should be suggestive of your business category.
* It should be unique.
* It should be easy to interpret and pronounce.
* It should be personalized.
* It should not be difficult to spell.
* It should not be difficult to remember.

Selecting a domain name, your web address, the location of your store online is a critical decision. You must take your time reviewing all your options before you make that decision. You also need to talk to your favorite SEO specialist as he/she might add a few suggestions you may have overlooked. He/She will be able to point out previously owned domains, talk about link equity of each domain, identify the age of a domain name/site and explain how these are important Google ranking factors to consider as part of the decision making process. 

Examples:
In my previous job at a local phone dating company, buying domain names was a big part of my workload and it is not because I liked it. The president thought that the more names we own, regardless of the words it carried, was a great idea. At some point, we owned more than 500 domain names, most of which did not have any value and did not produce any traffic. It actually costs a lot to keep them as part of our inventory. One day, they asked me to assess/buy giggle.com. Are you serious? Giggle.com was too expensive to purchase without a proper business plan. For the matter of discussion and education, I then showed them sedo.com: a great website for buying and selling previously-owned domain names and websites. Few weeks later, I put half of their domain inventory up for sale. Bottom line: it is very hard to buy/sell something if you don’t have the knowledge to assess its value properly. That is why you need to educate yourself & document your ideas before you can actually make these important financial decisions.

Here is another example. A few years ago, I was working for finetravelcompany.com and I convinced them to change their name for luxuryvacation.bc.ca. My recommendation was that finetravelcompany.com did not say anything about their business and this was a serious drawback for their long term success. Since the name of your business and the promotion of your business online go hand in hand, make sure your initial plan of attack includes the decision of your business name and your domain name. They might be the same or complement one another.

If you are not sure about your domain name and what better options would be, feel free to get in touch with me. Your name will make a big difference between success and failure and it should be selected wisely. I can help. 

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