Hi Guys, I know that a lot of newbies ask for such information but I am trying to save precious tome and money. what are the top main steps before choosing domain name? I will greatly appreciate any reply or help, i already own few websites some are generating sales and traffic - I always thought that the key words in the domain name are the most important but recently I see that it might not be correct. what are the other truly critical factors? thanks a million.
do your keyword research first. certainly, having your main keyword phrase in the domain name is important, but it only works if you have good keywords to begin with. Once you have your keyword(s) phrase(s) selected, there are a number of free domain generator tools out there to help you select an available domain that has your keywords in it. Research first. always.
Thanks John, what is your opinion on using "-" in domain names like for example ? I read so much about it and still can't truly understand if its damaging the Domain URL or not a problem
As John says it's important you get the right keyword to start with, preferably at the beginning of the name, but don't get too hung up about this, as long as it is in there. A short modifier at the end, or the beginning is good if you cannot get an exact match. You can use a hyphen (-) but it is probably better if you can do without it, there are two different camps on this but my own view is that there is less chance of someone actually typing a hyphen into the search box, but I have no real concrete proof to back this up. There are dozens of modifiers that you can use so there is probably no need to use a hyphen anyway. Keep the url as short as possible, (not too many words) As you probably know already get the .com if you can, followed by a .net or .org, or your own specific country extension, some of the other extensions can do well but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule, one thing seems clear and that is they will not beat well optimized TLD's. Hope this is of some help.
2 thumbs up my friends, it will help me for sure. I have tested my self with 2 websites I own with (-) and I honestly don't think it hurt but like stated above, 2 camps debate lives this issue open
Here's a post that I made concerning domain selection. It is very relevant if your exact keyword is not available, or you don't have a very specific purpose for a website already in mind. Essenetially, I recommend selecting a slightly broader domain name so you have room to expand. For example, selecting something like 27inchLEDtvs.com really implies the site is about 27 inch LED TVs...not 32" LCD's or 64" plasmas. An extreme example, but I think it makes my point.
go for domain name which do have keywords, that will help you in SEO. go for the domain name that would have good reputation and famous in for the previous user go for the domain name that able to bring lot of organic traffic. go for the domain name suite your website. go for the domain name that would not longer than 10 alphabetic. go for the domain name able to show your company ability, product and service. go for the domain name that easy to remember go for the domain name that do have meaning go for the domain name with TLD domain name.
If I were in your place I would have started the website with little research quickly. And later I would have enough experience to choose the best domain for my second website.
I found that the following site provides some of the best advice to choosing a domain name. I have registered about a dozen domains so far. Wish I had read something like this long ago http://www.guidetostart.com/?page_id=4
As good points have been mentioned above i just one to add 1 quick one .. i have had a success with niche domain.