Without having a website in this day and age, your business is basically non-existent. In fact, according to an Acquity Group study, 94% of buyers research online before they make a purchasing decision. Ecommerce is changing our lives for good, and you need to get on with the program as soon as possible if you want to survive and thrive in this competitive world of business.
Table of Contents
1.) Choosing A Domain:
However, before you start looking for a web developer, there is one matter that you have to deal with before you continue. And that is – choosing your domain name. While domain names are not as important as they were a couple of years ago (because type-in traffic has rapidly declined in the last decade), they are still significant to your email identity and essential to your marketing strategy. Therefore, let us take a look at some of the things you should consider before acquiring a domain name, and see how it can influence your startup.
2.) Branding And Originality:
For starters, you do not want your domain name to be completely different from the name of your company, because it will simply baffle your potential customers. If the domain with the exact name of your company is already taken, try to focus on keywords that will be memorable to your target audience and will describe your business perfectly. While branding includes everything from the company’s logo to the design of your website – everything starts with an URL. If you brand your company the right way, you will see long-term benefits; according to a 2013 Nielsen report, around 70% of consumers trust in advertisements on branded sites.
3.) A Well-named Site Will Rank Higher:
A Wharton and INSEAD study of over a million websites proved that well named sites rank 10 to 20 percent higher in search engines than the poorly named ones. The study also concluded that high-ranking websites tend to have short names with dictionary words and the lower-ranking websites usually have hyphens, numerals and are hard to articulate. Furthermore, you should avoid homophones at all costs, because they will cause unnecessary confusion with the users.
4.) Choosing The Right Domain Extension:
According to SmallBusiness-Domain, over 75% of all websites in the United States have a .com extension. The .com TLD is memorable and most recognizable by the general public, so by securing one you will certainly get credibility. However, this is not your only option. You still have to think about branding, for example, if you want your company to have a more personal feel, you should take a look at domain.me and choose a personal, unique name. In addition, .com extensions can cost you tens of thousands of dollars; in fact the most expensive name ever sold (insurance.com) was sold for over 35 million dollars.
5.) Keep It Simple:
Securing the right domain name is the first step in building a long-running business; as we mentioned earlier, it is one of the first things your customers will notice, so make sure to keep everything simple. On average, Top 100.000 websites have no more than nine characters in their name according to Gaebler. Of course, there are no rules on the Internet, but you should take everything we mentioned above into consideration before you buy a domain name. The right choice will guarantee more credibility with partners and customers, improve your ROI and set your startup on a path to success.
So do you have a domain name that presents your business in the best possible way? And how much SEO friendly is it? This seemingly simple task may present a breaking point for your Ecommerce website, so give it a thought or two before you make your final decision.
About the Author:John Stone is a business consultant and regular contributor to Bizzmarkblog. He believes in the notion that form should always follow function and that thinking outside of the box is a prerequisite of being a successful entrepreneur.
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