Your Domain Name

Posted by Edwin Lynch on March 5, 2008 in Search Engine Optimisation

In Australia, if you want a .com.au domain name, you have to provide your business name and evidence that you have traded or intend to trade under it. This stops people buying your name and then selling it back to you for a princely sum. Ultimately, in business terms, it doesn’t matter what your domain name is – as long as it’s easily communicable by phone and able to be found by the search engines. And . . . you ought to have a site which is worth going to. Most sites are about a company’s vanity.

The latest rule is : don’t punch your potential domain name into a website form when searching for a domain. Web form info can be mailed anywhere and in some cases, simply searching for your domain name triggers a script which reserves that name – associating it with the hosting provider where you searched for it! . . . Yes! They steal your domain name right under your nose!

Punch potential names into your browser’s address bar instead – and if the site address comes up with a “not found” – put an order in with your webmaster. It’s probably (although not definately) available. Your web person will want a 2nd and possibly even 3rd choice – just in case the domain is already owned. Think search engines first and forget about your company name. “Www.refurbishedshoes.com” is more likely to give better search results than “www.dinklewear.com.au” in a search for “refurbished shoes”. While Dinklewear may be a respectable family name – on the web, Dinklewear has no meaning and the aim is to sell shoes. Most of us are far too small to spend money on brand awareness.

Search engines give preference to domain names with the search term inside it. So think simply.