Affiliate marketing is so popular right now and if you are in that business, getting a domain name for the product or services you’re going to be marketing is crucial to your online business plan.
Many affiliate marketers use a keyword rich domain name that is then forwarded to their affiliate sales page. This method can save you money on building your own website and in the long run can be more effective.
Don’t Settle For Just Any Domain Name
There are many tips and tricks to choosing a domain name but don’t just settle on any name. Always get the best domain you can for your affiliate business. If you are an affiliate for a product or service, do not choose a name that will confuse people with the original website.
Besides, the original website can be trademarked and most companies that seek affiliates list their terms of use on how you can sell their products.
Always get a top level domain name such as .com or .net and try and keep it under twenty characters which will help you in the search engines as well.
Most computers are set to the default of .com and if a person is typing in your website, it will automatically go to that extension. If you’re not using that extension, you can lose customers and time.
You don’t want to waste your customer’s time by them having to go search on Google™ or other search engines for the correct extension. A top level domain is most marketable and will at the end of the day be the most beneficial to you.
Try To Avoid Numbers In Your Domain Name
Don’t ever use numbers in your domain. For example, even if you just started your business this year, you don’t want to throw in a 2009 in there somewhere. This adds confusion for your customers and want to make it as easy as possible for a memorable domain name.
It may be harder to think of a domain name that is not taken but always steer away from adding numbers just because the name you wanted was taken. There are many ways to have the name you want by playing around with words. You could even consider purchasing an expired domain name.
Create a better domain name by eliminating any hyphens in the name. Website owners may use hyphens in the domain if it’s more than two words. Always try to choose a domain that has two words in it. Some people can confuse a hyphen with a lower dash or no hyphen at all. You may be unintentionally leading them to the wrong website and therefore causing you to lose potential customers.
Finding a better domain than something you may already have is as simple as buying a variation of the name that you like.
If you keep an eye on the domain name you want (just enter “whois” into any search engine), you can find out when it will expire and be ready to pounce on it once it’s available.You can also get your self a broker, yes you heard me right you can engage the services of a domain broker such as domainbrokers.com to secure the domain you want.
You can easily forward your old domain name to the new one as soon as it becomes available. Many good online entrepreneurs buy variations of the same domain name, including country extensions.
From singular to plural words to misspelled ways their potential customer can be typing it. It’s all about leading your potential customers to your website and domain marketing is crucial. If you can think like a customer and what they could be typing to find you, you’ll find a better domain name.
Good tips for choosing domains.
I’m settled now on the domains that I own and am not looking hard to purchase others. For the last year or so, though, I was buying lots of domains. I created a Word file with the domains that I wanted and then entered the list into Godaddy’s bulk registration form to see if they were available.
Hi John,
Yes i am the same there is only so much you can do in a day, however I do keep a small eye on certain domain names that i have an interest in but i don’t actively pursue them as it can be very time consuming. having the word file or .txt is a very good idea for keeping track of things as well.
I somehow find the use of hyphens in a domain name unappealing. Most big sites stay clear from it and even sites with long domain names don’t use hyphen. Perhaps the hardest part in choosing a domain name is thinking of something you like that hasn’t been taken yet. Many times the ones you like are already owned by someone else. 🙂 Anyway very good tips on choosing a domain name.
Hi Rebecca
Yes I am one that also finds a hyphenated domain name difficult, however there is really no evidence to say that they are bad and I have seen many top sites in very high search engine listings with a hyphen in there their domain name. i think it all comes down to preference and how well you can market your site, after all as you said a lot of the good quality domains may already be taken in your selected niche market.
I think having one hyphen in your domain name is really not going to hurt you but once you start getting two or more the impression is not one of professional website so it can start to hurt your online presence.