Mac SEO Blog

Coming up with a domain can be a difficult challenge. Determining whether to use keywords, or business names in your domain name can be a tough decision. This tutorial will discuss this issue, and hopefully guide you in the right direction. Even if you already have a domain name, it can be a good reference for any future domain names you plan on purchasing. Remember to register to view the entire SEO course, and to ensure you are watching the most updated video tutorials.

Video Transcript

Many of you may already own your own domain name, but for those who don’t, or for those who are considering buying a new one, there are a few things that I want to discuss with you.

When choosing your domain name, you have two options. The first option is to make your domain name something along the lines of your company name. The other option is to have your domain name contain one of the key-terms you have recently researched. You will see that as I flip through these websites, some have company names as domains, while others have key-terms. Some sites even have a combination of both.

If your company name is already branded, it will make most sense to include the name in your domain. If you are able to include keywords in your domain, it certainly will not hurt you when it comes to rankings. Including a key-term in your domain will give search engines another indication as to what your website is all about.

I wouldn’t put too much debate into deciding whether to use a company name or a key-term as the domain. The domain is something you will not be able to change. If you can’t make up your mind, I would suggest using your company name over a key-term. The reason for this is because your company name most likely won’t change, similar to how you won’t be able to change your domain.  You also want something that has the potential to become a branded name. A key-term doesn’t not give you that opportunity.

While it may be an added bonus to have the key-term in your domain, it won’t make too much difference in the long-run. And like mentioned earlier, you can always do the combination of both company name and key-term.

When you are deciding on what domain to use, you can use the domain checker on our site at www.ragesw.com. Although they are not easy to remember, domains with dashes separating the words are easier for search engines to differentiate between the words in the phrase.

If you already have a domain, and have been concerned with its brand-ability, don’t worry about getting a new one. It may benefit you to use the one you already have as many people believe new sites struggle to rank for the first 6 to 9 months, almost as if they must pass a probationary period before search engines trust them.