Domain Registration Got You Down? It's Easier Than You Think!

There are now many options for domain registration, including standard sites and aftermarket sites. I prefer the smaller sites and have issues with some of the top sites – they may have the best deals, but they try to sell you everything under the sun. Alldomains.com and Godadddy.com may be the most common choices for domain registration, but they aren’t always the best choice or the most flexible one!

Standard sites for domain registration include:

Aftermarket domain registration sites include:

Choosing a Domain Name

When you’re choosing a domain name, include keywords that people search for, but do not pick a name based solely on this. It’s true that keywords in a domain can help your ranking (especially for exact matches) but if you have a crazy domain with lots of hyphens the negative effects may not be worth the search boost. You’ve probably noticed that the world’s top websites all have short, pointed domains – and these are often just one word: Amazon, Google, Twitter, etc. Fact: People prefer not to have to remember some huge url.

So when a good keyword-rich name that won’t drive people off is not available, simply match your name to your brand. Sometimes adding a state at the end is helpful when you are a local company (e.g., Joesroofingma.com) – both for the people who see you in the search results and for the search engines trying to figure out who you are and what you do.

Is Buying Multiple Domains Worth It?

Don’t buy dozens of domains thinking that will help your rankings. It will only help if you have real sites on each domain with unique content or if each domain gets a lot of type-in traffic. With multiple registered domains, you’ll end up needing an advanced search marketing plan for EACH site instead of one larger site.

Micro sites for a niche part of your business can be great for conversions, but be sure you are ready to truly manage and promote that site or it will just be a distraction and dilute your marketing efforts and dollars. If you buy multiple domains and don’t put a unique site on each, but want them to forward to your main domain, use an IP funnel to direct all the names down to one domain and then point that with a 301 redirect to the main domain. This will ensure Google does not think you are trying to make a big network of bogus sites just to inflate your ranks.

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