Ask The Expert

“What Should I Name My Website?”

Q: I'm going to buy a website address... is it better to name it something really catchy, or name it after my business?" — Bob Reiler

A: Great question. There are two schools of thought on this, and what you choose depends on your overall marketing strategy for your site.

First, search engine marketers often prefer to buy domain names (website addresses) that have keywords in them related to the business. That would mean if you're hawking shingles in Alabama , you would name your site “AlabamaShingles.com” or something similar.

This, combined with a slew of other website tweaks and careful planning, is said to help improve a website's rankings for specific words. But unless you're prepared to launch into a full-fledged search engine optimization campaign, this might not be a worthwhile strategy for you.

You'll also find a lot of the catchier names are already taken. This leads some agents to create elaborate domain names or choose alternative website suffixes like “.biz” or “.net”.

I recommend choosing a “.com” domain if possible. Your prospects might be so used to typing in “.com” that they forget to enter in a more obscure web address suffix like “.info”.

And anything that slows down or prevents a prospect from finding you is hardly ideal for your business.

A good rule of thumb: your address should be easy for your prospects and clients to remember. That means unwieldy, long names might not be the best choice for you.

Consider the power of branding your website with your business name, like “TindleyFamilyInsurance.com”. Your chances for getting good organic search engine rankings for your own name is a more realistic goal.

What it boils down to is there isn't a definitive “best” way to name your website. Maybe this will help you make up your mind: picture how your website address will look on your business cards and ads. Do you really want to be “SuperFastEasyHealthQuotes.net”?

Consider that this name will be a big part of your branding, so you should choose one that accurately represents your business.

Jeremiah Desmarais , Norvax
Questions or comments? Email him at jdesmarais@norvax.com

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