Changing a domain name
While there are many advantages to keeping a domain name, there are instances where changing it also makes sense. Google often uses a company’s domain name as an indicator to decide what the site is about and how it should be ranked.
Take, for example, a family-owned pool and spa company that sells retail pool supplies over the Internet. If, as many do, it uses the owner’s family name within the business title, e.g. Bairstow Pool & Spa, the family business owner must be careful when selecting a domain name. While an address like www.bairstow.com may seem like a natural choice, it does not reference anything to do with the pool and spa industry. Even though the website may have a great, active history with content that certainly points to the pool and spa industry, the domain name itself does not tell search engines what the site is about.
In this case, the business owner may want to look at changing their domain name to something more descriptive, e.g. ‘City Name’ Pool & Spa (www.citynamepoolandspa), as this can instantly communicate two key things to search engines:
- The business is in the pool and spa industry; and
- Where the company is located and which regions it may serve.
This is all before the search engine technology even looks at the website and its content. Ten years ago, the difference between these domain names would not have made a difference in their rankings. Now, however, with competition for rankings so intense, this difference has become more important. Search engines are increasingly looking at domain names as a key ranking factor for specific sites. In short, if someone enters the term ‘pool company’ into a search engine, it is easier for the engine to understand that ‘City Name’ Pool & Spa is a better choice for the browser than ‘Bairstow.’
The domain name is only one factor search engines use to determine site ranking. A business can sometimes overcome a poor domain name by having great history, quality content and lots of back links (any link received by web page or website). However, if a company has a choice and is starting a site from scratch, it is always better to include keywords in the domain name that a search engine will recognize.
For instance, a new pool cover manufacturer would be better off purchasing a domain name such as www.bairstowpoolcover.com over www.bairstow.com. Search engines will understand what ‘pool cover’ means and easily categorize the site.
Beware ‘the sandbox’
The competition for website search engine rankings is fierce. Severe limits on new sites are often imposed to prevent rankings from being manipulated. The online industry has named this phase ‘the sandbox.’
While it is not acknowledged by search engines, it is common knowledge among web designers that new websites with new domains will not achieve high rankings for at least four to nine months. Remember the history discussed above? Search engines use this history to determine whether a website is trustworthy and whether it should be shown to users in the search rankings.
Unfortunately, there is no way around this. When a new domain is launched, it needs to be understood that there will be a delay from the time the site goes live until it appears high in the search engine rankings.
