Questions

The domain I want for my business is taken and I don't have the $$$$ to pay the asking price. So it's either I settle for a .co or add "the" or "book" at the front of the name in the domain (ex: thesoulretreats or booksoulretreats) but only use Soul Retreats in branding and marketing campaigns that will embody the brand. Which is better for brand recognition and seo? To just go with .co or add book/the?

There are two ways your domain can impact your SEO and search rankings:
a. Branding
b. Keywords
a. Branding domains: Your domain name should be based on your brand. This is how users will find, remember, share, and identify your business online. Typically, you should choose a domain name at the same time you choose your business name. In other words, if you already have a business name, you should use it as your domain name as well. The main key to a SEO-friendly domain name is branding. For example, would Apple register a domain name like Best-smart-phone-ever.com? No. Apple has an established brand that does not need further keyword-stuffing in its domain name. Google likes brands because users like brands. A strong online brand means users are more likely to click on, read, share, and link to a website. The more people will remember your brand, the more they will revisit you, and thus increasing your website’s credibility and trust value – end result: positive branding that will help your website gain higher Google rankings. Using your brand name as your domain name makes sense if:
i. Your brand name is already established and recognized
ii. You have already started brand promotion and brand awareness
iii. Your brand is your own name (such as YourName.com)
iv. Your brand is incredibly unique
v. You want your website to rank well in search results for your brand name

b. Keyword domains: Alternatively, you can choose a domain name that contains keywords about your business, products, or services, etc. For example, say you are a photographer specializing in pets’ photography. You might get better search ranking results with a domain name like petportraitphotography.com. But do keep in mind that Google does not give as much value to keyword domains as it does with brand domains.
Let us image your name is Bob and you have a guitar repair shop in Chicago. You want to start a website and you are looking for a domain name that would help you reach out to your customers and market your business.
Here are some possible domain name options:
1. Branding domains
An example of a branded domain is Bobs.com.
SEO benefits: The domain name alone does not give any specific details about your company, or the products/services you offer. The website can be about anything, giving you a blank slate to build your brand and to set the definition of the domain name and website for search engines.
Downfall: Much of your efforts will need to be focused on building and promoting your brand. You need to come up with creative ways for people to draw the association between your brand name and your services so that whenever people hear of “Bob’s” they immediately think “guitar repair.”
2. Local domains
An example of a local domain is ChicagoBobs.com.
SEO benefits: This type of domain name can help you specifically target customers in Chicago. While your website content would still have to describe the products and services you sell, your domain name gives you a head start by letting customers and search engines know that you are based in Chicago.
Downfall: Say you want to expand your business or want to target search traffic outside your geographical area, it would be a bit more difficult, not simply from a search engine point of view, but also from a branding point of view.
3. Service domains
An example of a service domain is BobsGuitarService.com.
SEO benefits: This type of domain name helps you market your products and service. By highlighting the service in the domain name, people can easily tell what your website is going to be about, and the type of service they can expect from you. It also takes away the geographical constricts of a Local Domain – all you need to do is define your service locations in the content of his website.
Downfall: If you should decide to offer piano tuning or other services late on, it would not be easy for you to rank for those keywords (or any terms outside of the specific service of Guitar Service).
4. Local + Service domains
An example of a local + service domain is ChicagoGuitarService.com.
SEO benefits: This type of domain name allows search engines to define your business and location more precisely.
Downfall: These domain names are very often bought out long time ago. You may need to narrow down your location or business definition. Your other option would be to consider the lesser known domain extensions, such as.biz, online, etc.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

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