Choosing a Domain Name

Before you pick a domain name, it helps to know your target audience, what you intend to sell to them, and what makes your site unique or different than everything else that is already on the market.
Using your keywords in your domain name can increase click-through rates on search engine
listings and paid ads as well as make it easier to get keyword-rich inbound links.
You want to consider the effect on brand and your long-term goals before deciding what name to
use.

A Horrible Domain Name

• Some people think it is super important to have keywords in a domain. People purchase domains like look-4-buy-cheap-discount-viagra-online-pharmacy.com. This is a horrible domain name!
• Keywords in the domain name may help some, but if I were going to create a long-term business I would put brand above keyword-rich.
• If you are creative you usually can get keywords in the domain while keeping it short, memorable, fairly brandable, and free of hyphens.

Dashed Domain Names

• Search engines do not read the words in your URL if they run together. Many webmasters separate the words in their domain names using dashes. In the past the domain name itself was a significant ranking factor. As search engines have advanced, it is not as significant in most cases.
• If the option between having the dash in the domain and not having a dash exists, you are probably better off going without the dash as it looks more professional and would most likely be more memorable.
• If you are just using quick-buck-lead-generation type web sites then you may want to use a keyword-rich dashed domain for the small benefit it may offer, but in most cases, I do not recommend a dashed domain name for long-term web sites.

Long versus Short URLs
People will forget the words in a domain which is exceptionally long. Another problem with exceptionally long URLs is that they get cut off in e-mails and some other data transmission types. If you make the idea hard to spread, then your site will most likely limit its potential income.

Branding versus Naming

• Many people say that the name of a website should be original. It should convey some sense of branding unlike any other site. They say your name should not be generic.
• The truth of this matter is that branding is more developed by how you interact with people than by what your name is. Your name can be used to help develop brand, but many smart webmasters use their domain name for more than just branding.

Generic Names versus Unique Names

• Some businesses will require brand development to become successful. Being a branded SEO makes it far easier to charge a fair rate for my services than if I was unbranded.
• There is more than one way to skin a cat, and the same idea can be said for picking a domain name.
• If you aim to extract long-term profits and want to make the site you are working on become your career, then you want to pick a name that is not overly generic.
• If you are going to make a generic travel site and are just looking to extract shortterm profits then an extremely generic, keyword-rich domain name is the way to go.
• I like the idea of creating things that I think add long-term value to the web, so I usually opt for branded names over generic names, but either way it is a big help in SEO to get your keywords in your domain name.

Before you pick a name or start building sites, you should decide what your goals are with the site. If you are unsure what type of site you want to make or why you want to make it, you may want to participate in web communities to find problems that need solutions and create a personal site until you find what you want to do.