Nicole Leinbach Reyhle is the Founder and Publisher of Retail Minded, the Co-Founder of the Independent Retailer Conference and a regular contributor to various publications. Additionally, Reyhle is the Author of the book “Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Retail Business” from McGraw-Hill and has been the Spokesperson for Small Business Saturday from American Express since 2014. Follow Reyhle on Twitter at @RetailMinded. Did you know there are folks out there who search, buy and then later sell domain names just for fun? Yep, that’s right, we each have our own hobbies that may or may not make sense to one another. But there’s something to be said for these domain lovers. After all, a good domain can make or break a business. So why not have the right domain when it comes to your own branding and web visibility? When launching a business of any kind, identifying available URLs – aka domain names – is a must. Too often, daydreaming entrepreneurs come up with a great brand name only to discover that a complementary or matching URL doesn’t exist. To avoid the branding challenges that come along with this, it’s vital to research and secure domain names during this brand building process. To help, let domain lovers look for you.“The challenge is that most of the top-notch domain names for your brand have been taken. And you must know the fact that without a branded domain name, it will be tougher for your business to stand out,” explains Fiverr seller Seo_Dynamite on Fiverr.com. Expanding on this, consider the below reasons on why researching, securing and using experts to help along the way is critical for your own business.
Nowadays there are a variety of landing pages for a brand to end up on… but ‘.com’ still remains the #1 choice for brands trying to build their business identity. Anytime you stray away from ‘.com’, you risk users not being able to as easily connect with your business. This also impacts SEO, which is essential in standing out among your competition and just in general. Another tip to consider? Your URL should be easy to spell so that it does not get lost in SEO. Short and sweet is something to consider, as well. When combining these tips, you’re one step closer to a strong URL for SEO and more – which will also help engage more users and ultimately strengthen your brand’s visibility along the way.
Keywords included within your brand name are influential in many ways – including SEO. But the key reason you want a strong domain is because your domain name ultimately becomes the backbone to your online brand. It’s how users will find you, where they will go to engage with you and where users can refer others to do the same. Via social media and search engines alike, your URL address is the main way in which online users will engage with your brand beyond Google, SEO, and social media. Make sure your name is a memorable one so that it gets visited again, and again, and again.
Brands like Google, Apple, Match and Fiverr all have one thing in common: the simplicity yet boldness of their brand names. Each only one word, yet each captivating and memorable enough to be only one word. Beyond one word brands, domain names such as Burger King, Red Bull, and Mary Kay are equally as strong, yet have more than one word. The catch is you want to aim for a brand name that also has a domain name that is bold, memorable and most importantly, available. Keeping this in mind, aim to identify the right – and available – domain names before you build your brand or consider adjusting your current branding to compliment the right domain name. Either way, you’re one step closer to increased online engagement, stronger SEO and more memorable user experiences. Do you have any tips on researching or securing the perfect domain? Let us know in the comments below.
