Typically, you should choose a domain name at the same time your choose your business name. In other words, if you already have a business name, you should use it as your domain name as well. The main key to a SEO-friendly domain name is branding. For example, would Apple register a domain name like Best-smart-phone-ever.com? There are millions of registered domain names, so having a domain that’s catchy and memorable is essential. Once you’ve come up with a name, share it with close friends to make sure it sounds appealing and makes sense to others. The.com TLD (top-level domain) is by far the most widely accepted extension for a domain name. Back in the day, way way back, your website domain could have had a major impact on your site’s rankings. That changed a few years ago (2012 to be exact) when Google wanted to weed out websites that may have good domain names but very little “substance”. Exact Match Domains (EMD) is where the problem Read More.
- Domain Seochoosing The Right Domain For Seo Marketing
- Domain Seochoosing The Right Domain For Seo Tools
- Domain Seochoosing The Right Domain For Seo Service
What are Domains?
In order to choose the best domain name for your website it is first important to understand what a domain is. Domains are described as unique, human-readable addresses for websites. All domains are comprised of three parts: a top-level domain also known as a TLD or suffix, a domain name and an optional subdomain. You may also be familiar with a part of a URL called a protocol which is the http:// or https:// preceding a domain but is not actually a part of a domain. When you put all of these parts together you end up with a domain such as http://www.example.com. In this example domain you can see that the www. is the subdomain, the word example is the domain name and the .com is the top-level domain. Let’s take a closer at each of these domain elements.
Top-Level Domains
TLDs are the suffix that are located at the end of a domain name. You probably already know that there are a number of different TLDs such as .com, .net, .co, as well as specific country TLDs such as .ca, .uk or .dk. However most internet users are unaware that there are actually 1,000s of different TLDs, these include things like .travel, .apartments and .lighting. It is important to note that the TLD you select for your domain can impact the effectiveness of your domain.
Domain Name
Domain names can essentially be anything and are the most unique identifier in your domain. In a domain such as www.gokonstruct.com, gokonstruct is the domain name. A domain name should represent your brand and clearly indicate what your business is. It is important to note that search engines do use keywords in domain names as ranking factors. However Google’s algorithm has been updated to combat keywords stuffed domains such as bestplumberincalgary.com. We will dive deeper into how to select an effective domain name later in this article.
Root Domain or Web Address
A root domain or web address is the combination of the domain name and TLD. A root domain is what you will purchase from a registrar and what users will enter in an address bar to visit your site. Each version of a root domain can only be registered once so if you a looking for the web address cookingpans.com it is most likely already taken and you will not be able to use it as your web address. You will have to find a root domain that is unique in order to use it as your web address.
Subdomains
Subdomains are optional elements of a domain and are located in front of the root domain. The most common subdomain used is www. but you may have seen other subdomains used by various websites. Other common subdomains are shop.example.com or blog.example.com, shop and blog are subdomains of the root domain example.com.
How to Choose the Right Domain Name?
Now that we have a deeper understanding of what a domain is and the elements that comprise it let’s get into how to select an effective domain name. Before we go through the steps of picking the right domain name it is important to know the term “processing fluency.” Processing fluency is a cognitive bias that human beings have where we remember things that we can easily say and think about. Processing fluency will have an impact on just how effective your domain name is.
Represent your Brand
The most important factor when deciding on a domain name for your website is whether it is brandable. You want a domain name that represents your business and is unique. This means if your business name is Imperial Lighting then your domain name should be imperiallighting.com not calgarysbestlighting.com or affordablelightingcalgary.com. There are several reasons for this one being that when users type in imperiallighting.com they know exactly whose website they are visiting because it is unique to your brand. Another reason is that it is important to a user’s processing fluency as a user that remembers your brand name would assume your domain name matches it. Finally using a domain name such as calgarysbestlighting.com is considered keyword stuffing a domain name and this will have a negative impact on how your site ranks on Google or other search engines.
Keyword Usage
Let’s take a deeper look into that final point regarding keyword usage in a domain name. It is true that keyword usage in a domain name can have a positive impact on your SEO rankings. However for this to be effective it is important to include broad keywords that clearly illustrates what your business is about. An example of this would be if your business name was Kicks and you were a shoe store, instead of choosing a domain name of kicks.com you could add a broad keyword such as kicksshoes.com. This will give your domain name some additional SEO, however one thing you want to avoid is overloading your domain with specific keywords. This means you won’t want to use the domain name kicksshoestoreincalgary.com kicksbestshoes.com. These domains are known as “exact match domains” or EMDs and have been a target of Google for a while now. All the way back in 2012 Google launched a filter to prevent poor quality sites from ranking well simply because they had words that match search terms in their domain names. Matching your domain name to a search term you’d like to target does not have any SEO benefits.
For more information on why you should avoid keyword stuffing your domain name check out these articles:
Exact Match Domain Penalty Added to Google Algo
Domains – SEO Best Preactices
Keep it Simple. Keep it Short.
Remember how we mentioned processing fluency is important to consider when deciding a domain name. Well a big part of processing fluency is keeping things simple and short so they are easy to remember. Using a domain name that is easy to say will make it easier for someone to remember, same thing goes with keeping it short. Choosing a domain name that is easy for users to remember will have a big impact on how effective it is.
Prioritize .com TLDs
Another important factor to consider when choosing your domain name is the TLD you are going to use. The TLD you choose can have a major impact on how effective your domain is. It is important to always place a bias on .com TLDs. This is because .com is the most recognizable and accessible TLD to choose from. Users are most familiar with using the TLD .com so if they are typing in a domain associated with your business they are likely to default to the .com TLD. If the .com TLD is unavailable for the domain name you want to register then you should prioritize your country specific TLD such as .ca or .uk, or more familiar TLDs such as .net or .co.
Not Sure What Domain to Go with? We can Help!
As you can see there a lot of factors that can impact just how effective your domain name is. At Konstruct Interactive we have experience in completing SEO analysis of effective domain names for local and international businesses. Not only can we help you pick a domain name that is right for your business we can also register your domain name as well. If you need any kind of help with your domain name we have experts that can handle it. For more information on our domain name services please contact us at (587) 331-6223.
Updated: April 9, 2020
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This is the first in a series of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips and tricks for auto dealers. We will walk you through the process of how to optimize your website to perform the best it can on search engines with a new post about automotive SEO in the first week of each month. As you try some of these techniques and consult with us about your SEO, watch your exposure and sales increase.
Why domain names matter for SEO
Your domain name connects your customers to your dealership.
When you search something on Google, the keywords are bolded within the domain name and description of each listing on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). The more a user’s searched words match your domain name, your description, and content on your website, the more likely your dealership website will show up high on SERPs.
People used to create domain names that matched exactly with keywords so that they would show up high on the list of SERPs. Since then, Google has updated their algorithm so that you actually get penalized for doing that sort of this. However, domain names still have a big impact on your automotive SEO and branding.
What makes up a domain name
Subdomain - The first part of the domain is known as the subdomain, and it’s optional. The most common subdomain is “www” at the beginning of a domain such as our website, www.autojini.com, but there are many other variations to describe a certain page like mail.autojini.com or calendar.autojini.com. You don’t need to have a subdomain; for example, our website could be just autojini.com. Moz suggests that you should use subfolders over multiple subdomains.
Domain name - The second part is the domain name itself also known as the IP address. This is the part that we will be talking about the most later on because it has a big impact on SEO efforts, and you have the freedom to be more creative with this part. This is the section where you’ll purchase your domain name from a website like Godaddy or Namecheap.
Top-Level Domain - The last part has many names including Top-Level Domain (TLD), extension, and domain suffix. The most common TLD is .com, but there are several other common ones such as .net, .edu, and .org.
If you already have a website for your auto dealership with a domain name that you are happy with, please skip to the section called “Benefits of a good domain name” towards the bottom to find valuable information. If you’re looking for the perfect domain name, keep reading.
Domain Seochoosing The Right Domain For Seo Marketing
How to choose the perfect domain name
Try to make your domain name the following things for the best automotive SEO results.
Domain Seochoosing The Right Domain For Seo Tools
Make it easy - Ease is everything today. The easier your domain name is to read, say, spell, and remember, the better off your dealership will be. Your domain name should be memorable so that customers don’t forget about you. Google takes into account ease and keywords in your domain name when ranking it, so make sure that it’s optimized for customers to easily use and remember. Having a processing fluency that is quick and simple for your domain name benefits your dealership in many ways.
Make it concise - Short domain names perform better and are easier to remember. They make processing fluency easier and can make your domain name more recognizable. According to one study, the 50 most popular websites have an average of just 6 characters in their domain name. Think about Google, Amazon, and YouTube. As a rule, you should try not to exceed 15 characters.
Make it relevant - Make sure that your domain name is relevant to your website. As an auto dealership, your domain name should include something about vehicles, your dealership, or its location. Your customers should know that they’re on a website for your auto dealership based on your domain name. People should intuitively be able to tell what your website is about based on your domain name. Make sure that you’re sending the right message to your online car shoppers.
Make it brand friendly - Don’t just pick your domain name based on SEO. SEO definitely has a big impact on your rankings and your performance, but you also need to think about branding. Your domain name should match your brand name so that customers can find you easily. Mac cleaner nyc 2020. Your brand should be consistently portrayed on your website, in marketing materials, at your dealership, and in your domain name. Mentioning your domain name in different places throughout your website can help your branding effectiveness.
Make it a .com - About 75% of domain names have a TLD of .com; it’s the most popular and most recognized. However, if that isn’t available, you can go with one of the other popular TLDs mentioned above or use a ccTLD. A ccTLD is a country code Top Level Domain. Some common ones include .us (United States), .au (Australia), and .uk (United Kingdom). You could also make your TLD location or industry specific. You might think that a TLD with relevant keywords would help your dealership website perform better online, but Google doesn’t take into account keywords in your TLD. You’re better off just sticking with a popular Top Level Domain like .com or .net.
Make it keyword friendly - Your domain name should be unique, catchy, and relevant to your brand. If your website is www.wesellcars.com, that’s not very unique. While it is relevant to what you do, no one will associate that domain name with your dealership because it’s too generic and not brandable. Instead, include at least one generic keyword that’s applicable to your dealership. Generic keywords perform better in domain names since they have a broader reach. Don’t stuff your domain name with keywords in the hopes that it will rank higher on SERPs because that’s not how it works. You shouldn’t focus on specific keywords in your domain name because Google will punish you for matching to keywords exactly. If this happens, you have to have the most effective automotive SEO and the best content to make up for it. Instead, go for generic keywords that will allow you to pop up on many peoples’ SERPs.
Make it straightforward - Avoid hyphens and numbers if you can. You can use up to one hyphen if you need it, but don’t confuse your online shoppers with symbols and numbers they can’t make sense of. You might even prevent them from clicking a link to your website if they think it looks like spam.
Make it thorough - Some experts suggest that you should purchase domain names with slightly different spellings than yours. This will direct people to your site even if they happen to spell your domain name wrong. Some also advise that you buy the same domain name with different extensions to capture more of the market and avoid other dealerships from using a domain that is very similar to yours.
Make it legal - Make sure to check for trademarks before you decide on a domain name. You don’t want to pay for a domain name and then find out that someone else has a similar one. Avoid getting sued by not risking trademark infringement. It’s better to be safe than stuck with outrageous legal fees.
Benefits of a good domain name
- More credibility – Your customers are more likely to trust your website and your dealership.
- Higher rankings on SERPs – Google pays attention to domain names…let this work in your favor.
- More website traffic – Watch how domain names impact SEO when you see your traffic increase.
- Higher Click Through Rates (CTRs) – Domain names relevant to website content receive more clicks.
- More potential for branding – Adding more positive things that relate to your brand has a big impact.
- Higher sales – People are more likely to be interested in your dealership and your vehicles if they’re taken to a website that is what they were expecting. Watch how a good domain name increases conversion rates and sales.
Stay tuned next month to find out the next step in the process to getting your entire website Search Engine Optimized. Watch how this advice and these tips can help improve your online performance.
Domain Seochoosing The Right Domain For Seo Service
If you need help finding a domain name, AutoJini can help. Consult with us about your automotive SEO needs, and let us lend our expertise to help your dealership succeed. Call us at (515) 232-2024 today!