When it comes to digital marketing, website and blog keywords are not the only SEO strategy you need to concentrate on. Your SEO & SOP strategy needs to include a domain name for your business that reflects your business AND is also good for SEO. However, choosing a good domain name for your business is not always easy. It
A domain name itself isn’t considered to be a direct Google ranking factor, but elements of your domain name play into your overall SEO success. These include elements such as length, keyword usage, memorability, length, brand-ability, and more.
Check out our Beginner’s Guide for SEO and you’ll be able to come up with a great domain name that’s good for your brand and good for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
5 Tips You Need to Know When Choosing a Domain Name for SEO
1. Choose a Memorable Doman Name
Strive for domain names that are easy to remember, short, easy to say, and easy to type. Stay away from domain names that use unusual spelling, have numbers or special characters, or are very long. The easier a domain (or URL) is to read for humans, the better it is for search engines.
2. Use Keywords When Appropriate
If you can use a keyword that makes it obvious what your business does while keeping your domain name brand-friendly, unique, and catchy, go for it. Having a keyword in your domain can be beneficial, but don’t overdo it.
3. Avoid Hyphens
If your domain name has two words (www.examplesite.com), you might want to separate the words with a hyphen for easier reading: www.example-site.com. However, the use of hyphens can decrease domain name memorability and readability.
4. Use Top-Level Domains (TLDs) – .com vs .net, .org, etc
While the .com domain extension is by far the most popular Top-Level Domain (TLD), there is no indication it is given any special treatment by search engines. That said, consumers often trust .com extensions more than others (.net, .co, .org, etc), so they tend to get more organic traffic than the others.
5. Use Subfolders/Subdirectories vs. Subdomains
Search engines keep different metrics for domains than they do for subdomains. It’s still recommended that webmasters place link-worthy content like blogs in subfolders rather than subdomains (i.e. www.example.com/blog/ rather than blog.example.com).
Haarty Hanks has proven expertise in digital marketing with an extensive portfolio of happy clients. How can Haarty Hanks assist you with your digital marketing strategy? Let’s get started today!
