Let the name stick

Names that are easy to remember because of their uniqueness or because of generic value, will be more memorable than names that can be confused with other domains. Also keep in mind that if the name is difficult to pronounce that the users will most often make mistakes when typing the name and may even land at competitor sites in the process. This could spell disaster. The name should be unique enough to remember and not be confused with that of a competitor.

Shorter is better

As with anything that has to do with web marketing, shorter domain names will be better. The shorter the name the easier to spell it, remember it, and refer others to it. Shorter domain names can be used in the logos, forms, and paid advertising. The longer names usually get misspelled and with many users being unsure of the correct spelling, some may give up altogether and not visit the domain again.

Extension counts

Domain names can have many extensions such as .net, .org, .cc, .com, co.za, co.uk etc. Domain names ending on less frequently used top level domains may be suspect and will leave a lot of room for domain hijackers to come in and sow havoc in your web marketing efforts. As such select an extension that will fit with the audience. If your market is international the best extension will be .com, but if your target audience is in your country then use your country’s extension for example, co.za for South Africa or co.uk for the UK market.

Relation with business

If you really want to confuse web users then the name will be unrelated to your business. They will wonder whether they are at the correct site. They may even ignore your electronic newsletters because the name has no relation to the main topic of your site. Get descriptive domain names that will show your main business. Take for instance, a site about careers. If the name says careers.com it will be easy recognizable. If the name however, looks like an acronym such as johnjenkingslabour.com the users may think it is a site about labour law.

Brand building with domain names

Consider the value of a solid domain name. Large companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi do because they know how important association with a brand is. First before you start branding with the domain name, check whether the name is still available. Then also consider trade marking.

Where to get inspiration

If you cannot come up with good domain names consider places such as domainfellow.com to get possible combinations or perhaps even an older place such as nameboy.com.

Poor domain names cost their owners money

Domain hijackers love domain names that can be misspelled as they register the misspelled form of domain names and then whenever a user misspells the name, the user will land at their website. Convenient for them and a terrible loss for you. It is thus important to invest time in the selection of the correct domain names before you start with your web marketing.

“Intoweb Marketing offers internet marketing solutions for your website in South Africa. Contact us for a internet marketing quote today.”

Internet traffic isn’t developed overnight and anyone that promises you the overnight number one spots at search engines, is either new to internet traffic building or is making promises that cannot be kept. Apart from the correct web design, well optimized web pages, excellent content and the usage of a set of marketing strategies, search engine submission is also a requirement.

How long does it take for a website to become visible on a search engine’s results?

If the website has never been submitted and is new, you can expect anything from two weeks to six months before the site will be indexed and visible in the search results. The first step to get the internet traffic however, is still to submit the site to the various search engines and directories.

Difference between directories and search engines

Directories can be compared to the normal offline guides such as the Yellow Pages. Directories are normally human controlled, meaning that a submission or suggestion of a site is made. The basic information is included and the site is placed under specific categories. Each directory has its own set of terms and conditions. Many website owners fail to submit their sites to directories and as such lose out one a whole lot of traffic and most important – incoming links. As such even before submitting the website to search engines, start with directories.

The incoming links will help to push up the site’s ranking and as such will be excellent internet traffic builders. Normally the users that visit directories and then the specific categories will already be in the market for buying a specific product or service. As such the directories drive targeted traffic to your site. Directory links also have a lot of weight with the search engines and as such will help to improve your site’s overall stand.

Search engines are important internet traffic drivers. Apart from paid per click advertising which can be done, you will want the internet traffic which is generated through organic searches. Organic searches are the little boxes at the search engines where the users put the keywords that they want articles and information on. The results then bring up websites relevant to the keywords. You want your website to rank in the first two pages of the search results for the keywords relevant to your website. Inclusion of the site in the search engines can be free or paid. Most of the search engines offer free inclusion, but if you pay you will have quicker indexing and guaranteed inclusion.

Which directories and search engines?

Use the search box at a search engine such as Google and type in business directory or your specific industry such as insurance directory. Add your site to the various free directories and then do search engine submission. Although there are companies that promise to submit the website to thousands of search engines, most of the search engines will not be relevant and as such rather select the top search engines such as Google and Yahoo as well as a few regional or country based search engines such as Ananzi (also a directory), Aardvark etc. to generate relevant internet traffic.

“Intoweb Marketing offers internet marketing solutions for your website in South Africa. Contact us for a internet marketing quote today.”