Internet Domain Name Confusion

Picking a Domain Name

Internet Domain Name Confusion.

When it comes to picking a domain name, it is quite obvious that most small business owners experience a great amount of internet domain name confusion. Let's examine the domain name definition and go over critical business marketing techniques for building a profitable web presence.

Domain Name Definition:

A domain name is the name given to a websites IP address. This is the base name of a website's url. For example, on this page, www.business-marketing-tactics.com/internet-domain-name-confusion.html, the domain name is business-marketing-tactics.com, while the page name is internet-domain-name-confusion.html.

Domain Name Suggestions

It is important to note that in most cases it is not in the business owners best interest choose the name of the offline business. In fact, rarely should a business name be used as a domain name.

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The fundamental rule of the internet is that visitors come online looking for information.

Most visitors are not looking for Dr. Schwann's website, they are looking for a cardiologist in Waco, Texas.

When a new patient goes to Google to do a search, they will type in "waco texas cardiologist".

If Dr. Schwann has experienced internet domain name confusion and has the name drschwann.com, he may be missing out on profitable business.

You see, the discussion of domain name definition can be tied closely in with the discussion of keywords. A web site's domain name is it's primary and most important keyword. The search engines look at a domain name and decide that that is what a website is about. Websites with domain names that more clearly define the information a visitor is searching for will receive more targeted traffic.

In the Dr. Schwann example, if he follows these domain name suggestions, picking a domain name would amount to using the best keywords that describe his business. Our fictitious Dr. Schwann is a cardiologist in Waco. His website should be called waco-texas-cardiologist.com, clearly describing what his website is all about.

Notice the dashes in the domain name as opposed to pressing the words together. This website, Business Marketing Tactics, also employs such domain name suggestions. Separating the words helps the search engines more clearly decide what a website is about, thus sending targeted traffic more easily.

Tip: For best results, name your site with dashes but purchase the non-hyphenated version of your website domain name as well. When typing the URL of a website, visitors will often forget the dashes. Forwarding the "traditional" URL to your actual domain name will help these visitors find your site while pleasing the search engines with your knowledgeable use of keywords.

Keep It Simple

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Picking a domain name does not need to be difficult.

If your business name clearly conveys your business's intent, then use it as your name.

If not, use a different phrase and talk about your actual business name on your site's homepage instead.

For example, while Dr. Schwann would want a non-business name domain name, a business called East Dallas Plumbing Experts would be best served using their actual name for their URL.

Hopefully this will clear up any internet domain name confusion. Just remember, a successful website's intention is to please it's visitors, not it's creator and picking your domain name properly can take your business off the charts. You cannot please visitors if they cannot find you.

Summary - Avoid Internet Domain Name Confusion

Our goal at Business Marketing Tactics is to make you an educated consumer when making the decision to purchase a website. We have the capabilities to do full service web design which encompasses all the attributes of a website included on this page.

We also have a self help option that requires little technical knowledge. If you can compose an e-mail and surf the net, you have the skills to build a successful web presence that that is far more effective than what most designers sell in the market today.

Let us know what we can do to help you get the targeted website traffic you are looking for. There is no better feeling than driving organic free traffic to your website. Just remember that picking the correct domain name and avoiding the all too common internet doamin name confusion is critical to the success of a high traffic website.

Contact us today to learn more.