Web Site Best Practices

Websites: Internet Real Estate
By Deirdre Cavener
Published: February / March 2008

In 1996, when I built my first Web site, domain names were abundant. The probability of the name NOT being available was slim. Today things are changing and you may have to be a little more creative when coming up with the perfect domain name, but this is a very exciting time for all businesses to benefit from being online.

No, no, not just one domain! All businesses should have a “Primary Domain Name” and multiple “Secondary Domain Names.”

Domain names have a significant impact on brand building, advertising, search engine optimization, and overall business success. As domain names become attractive to marketers (rather than just the technical audience for which they were originally intended), new marketing techniques are emerging that assist in business growth.

Webucation 101

Cybersquatting: registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. Cybersquatters purchase a domain name and then offer to sell the domain to the person or company who owns the trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.

Domain Name: a meaningful and easy-to-remember "handle" for an Internet address.

• .biz = Business

• .com = Commercial

• .edu = Educational

• .gov = Government

• .info = Information Source

• .mil = Military

• .mobi = Designed for Mobile Phones

• .name = Personal Name

• .net = Network

• .org = Organization

• .tv = Television Station

• .us = United States

NOTE: All but the .edu, .gov, and .mil domains can be registered and used by anyone, meaning the sites do not always match the definition of the suffixes they use.

What is a Domain Name worth?

• business.com - $7.5 million

• casino.com - $5.5 million

• asseenontv.com - $5 million

• altavista.com - $3.25 million

What is a Primary Domain?

Your “Primary Domain” is a key to your marketing success and should be the same as your company name. Your domain name brands your business and has immense present and future value. A domain name gives your business credibility. A business with no Web site is a sign of no business.

When should I register my Primary Domain?

You should register your “Primary Domain” during your business naming process. If you did not do it then, do it NOW! A domain name is as important as your phone number.

• Use the “.com” extension for your domain name.

• Keep your domain name under 20 characters.

• Domain names are NOT case sensitive.

My company name is already registered. What should I do?

If your company name is already registered, there are plenty of other options like registering a name that includes your city (perfect for local businesses), product, service, brand, etc. Do not use underscores or hyphens in your “Primary Domain” name.

Should my domain name be long or short?

Both. Use the short domain name in your traditional advertising because it requires less typing. Use the long domain name for the actual Web site address that will be indexed by the Search Engines. Not only will it be easy to read by people searching but it will also include keywords that search engines use to index your site.

How many years should I register my domain name?

If you're committed to your business and in it for the long run then registering your domain names for five to ten years is a worthwhile investment. If something happens and your domain names expire, then it is very time-consuming and expensive to recapture them if someone else has already registered them (a nightmare). There is a lot of buzz going around about whether or not domain registration length is a factor in Search Engine ranking. If the Search Engines are in fact using domain name registration length as credibility in their ranking algorithm, then you have nothing to lose by making the investment. Google has a patent application that looks at this data, although there isn’t any documented proof they use it.

Secondary Domain Names (Point & Track)

Registering multiple domain names is “smart” business in today’s competitive environment. It’s also an integral part in tracking all of your advertising. I have stated this a million times before and I’ll state it again … “If you can’t track it, don’t do it!” Registering multiple domain names is a tremendous marketing and lead generation opportunity for your business. Domain names are inexpensive (under $12 a year) and can be a tremendous asset to your business. You can have different domain names for all of your advertising: television, magazine, newspaper, direct mail, billboards, etc. When someone types in the secondary domain name it can either land on a promotional page or be redirected to your “Primary Domain.”

I want to change my domain name. What is the process?

Changing your domain name can cause you to lose “all” Search Engine ranking if not done correctly. Talk to an expert before attempting this yourself.

This Q & A on domain names should help you understand where to begin when choosing and setting up your unique website address.

Deirdre Cavener, MCP is president and CEO of K.I.S.S. Marketing, Inc. and founder of PinellasLife.com and MyGreenPages.com. Deirdre is a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Analyzing Requirements and Defining Solutions Architecture and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Florida in 1996 with a degree in Management Information Systems from the College of Business.

back to top