We've all seen them. Web site owners trying to be clever, and giving the site a domain name that has nothing to do with the site, or has a name so difficult to remember that you couldn't get back to it if you wanted to. The truth is, a poorly chosen domain name can absolutely kill the amount of traffic that comes to your site.

If you plan on being successful getting traffic to your web site, one of the most important steps is choosing the right domain name. As more and more people set up web sites, it gets especially difficult finding an available name that reflects your business or product, and will help your site be searchable by the major search engines.

Ideally, your domain name will be the same as your page title. This not only gives your page a boost in search engine rankings, it also makes your site easier to remember for your potential customers. If you have a recognizable brand, use that. If you don't have a recognizable brand, try to find a name that uses keywords your potential customers might use when searching for the types of products or services you offer.

If you only plan on doing business in a specific region, use that regions name. If you plan on doing business in a national or international market, using a regional name might keep potential customers from visiting your site.

Try to keep the domain name as short and easy to remember (and type) as possible. You goal is to not only be found by search engines, but for your customers to remember the domain name and come back to your site again (and again).

You might want to consider using hyphens to break up the name. The down side of this is that if your customers forget the hyphen, they will end up at your competitors site. If your domain name is www.brand-name.com, some of your customers may end up at www.brandname.com. On the other hand, using hyphens make the keywords in your domain name easier to read for both your customer and for search engines. If the search engine can more easily determine individual keywords, your site will get a higher ranking.

Keep it simple. By choosing a domain name that accurately reflects your business, your domain name can be a great asset.

Learn more about this author, Jim Smoot.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How a domain name can hurt your new business?
We want to hear your view. Write now!