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Domain Name Coventions
slbagley
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16 May 09 3:15 pm

Domain Name Coventions

When selecting Domain Names - what are the disadvantages of .net, .org vs. .com - I am in the process of searching domain names on GoDaddy and I have found a few opportunities with .net and .org extensions. Also, is hypen use a bad practice? Some of the .com domain names already in use are available using a hyphen. My objective is to build my domain name with a relevant keyword mix so I can enhance my search engine rankings.
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wollowra
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17 May 09 12:34 am

 Hi,
Well here is my take on it.
I have a domain with 3 dashes in it.
I find that because I am promoting my site with the link to be clicked on in articles etc... that it doesn't matter to much.
I don't really need to brand it or have people type it in manually by me telling it to them.
Having said that, if I could have got the domain I wanted without the dashes.. I would have.
I don't think .com or .net matters regarding SEO, But I still would get a .com or .net first.
The one thing you may look at though is the fact that if you buy
www. abc .com and www. abc .net is already taken... then they may be in competition with you but also your brand is diluted.
For example... can you imagine if I bought the name affilorama.net and Mark had affilorama.com ? You can see how that is a less than ideal situation.
Hope that helps.
Regards
Troy
P.S I would not use .info as too many spam sites use them, Just my opinion.
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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault
 
slbagley
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17 May 09 12:18 pm

 Troy - good input. However, after reviewing my question again, I probably should have thrown this into the PPC - I will ask the same question again with a different twist.

Thanks again...Steve
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johneniste
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Joined: 21 Feb 09
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25 May 09 7:42 pm
wollowra wrote:Hi,
For example... can you imagine if I bought the name affilorama.net and Mark had affilorama.com ? You can see how that is a less than ideal situation..


In that example i think having affilorama.net would be great - just put up a "we have moved" notice and get people to click through an affiliate link to Mark's paid product :-)

Only joking of course.

If you want to create an authority site and are really dedicated to it, then i would buy all the tlds for your name to make sure nobody buys one later and steals your traffic (rides off your back). If you're not then i think if you stay with the big ones and not a .info you will be ok.

A .com domain will probably command a higher price if you decide to sell your site later.

Google actually likes hyphens but i wouldn't get a name with more than 2 or 3. Any more than that and it starts to look spammy.
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jasondodd
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27 May 09 10:48 am

 its a good idea to give some thought to your domain name and in the AffiloBlueprint course Mark & Aletta go through using nameboy.com to find some good suggestions.

seo value is probably minimal (backlinks and content much more important) but it can promote clickthrough if visitors feel (based on your domain name) your site is relevant to their needs

theres an interesting article on choosing a domain name (http://www.dailyblogtips.com/the-7-char ... ain-names/) that also recommends choosing a .com address - you might also be interested to know what it says about hyphens ;)
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wollowra
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28 May 09 7:28 am

 Hi Jason,
I agree with most of those except for the hyphen comments.
Hyphens can play an important part in your domain name, depending on your site and if you are branding, not branding, have an affiliate site or a blog etc...
But great info link anyway.

Regards
Troy
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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault
 
slbagley
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28 May 09 1:18 pm

 Troy, can you elaborate a little further - if there are two .com URLs, i.e. AB.com and A-B.com, assuming the A and B are relevant keywords, could pose a problem - correct?
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wollowra
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29 May 09 12:35 am

 Hey, this is just 1 guys opinion...lol you may find different..
however here is a few examples..
1. If you own the domain name dogsexpert.com ( IE: Dogs Expert) It has the word sex in the domain name and can be flagged as a inappropriate adult URL. This happened to Mike Filsaime of all people.
However if you use a hyphen dogs-expert.com they will be classed as 2 seperate words.

2. If you own a domain name like bestwidgets.com does it not make sense to also purchase best-widgets.com ?

3. In affiliate marketing... people will click on a link correct?
So if the domain has a hyphen in it, people will not be fussed... they are more interested in the info that you give to them and if it can solve their problem or fill a need.
for Ex: Can you remember something you bought one year ago and wether the domain had a hyphen in it or not? or do you just save it to your favourites or desktop?
Also, If you see a great ad for best-widgets.com and you really want to Look at some of the best widgets around... would it stop you from going to the site because it had a hyphen?

4. Mark owns Affilorama.com and that is his brand and people can remember it.
It makes sense when you build a BRAND that its short, can be remembered and has no hyphens.
However, If I could buy the hyphen name as well, I would so others could not get it.
Now having said this... If I get
www. thebestbeachumbrellasinamerica .com and I was trying to do this with affiliate marketing.. I have 3 choices...
use www. the-best-beach-umbrellas-in-america .com so people can read it and click on it...
OR get both as they are both clickable links.
OR scrap it and find another name for Branding purposes.

Anyway... I am just trying to show people another way of looking at it ...
Just my 2 cents.

Troy
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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault
 
jeremyg
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01 Jun 09 9:37 pm

 To throw my two cents in.

Just to jump back to basics for a second: .com = commercial, .net = network, .org = organisation

Where does your site fall under? Probably commercial. Therefore a .com is the most appropriate, and in my opinion and experience, likely to serve you in the most beneficial way ;)

Do you need your visitors to remember your domain name? (Is your website a company site?) If so, pick something that will be easy to remember - dashes can cause complications.

If you're using your website for the purposes of obtaining online traffic - find a short domain that includes your website name, and if possible includes your primary keyword. Keep it as short as possible. If you're launching a new site that is trying to target a specific keyphrase then brand your website under that name and obtain the related domain, with or without dashes depending on whats available.

There are much more important factors to dwell on other than obtaining a keyword stuffed domain name if we're looking at it from a purely SEO perspective.

regards,
Jeremy G
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slbagley
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01 Jun 09 10:27 pm

 Good feedback - thanks
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wollowra
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02 Jun 09 4:32 am
jeremyg wrote:There are much more important factors to dwell on other than obtaining a keyword stuffed domain name if we're looking at it from a purely SEO perspective.

regards,
Jeremy G


Excellent comment.... spot on.
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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault
 

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