What’s in a domain name?

by Sally Bouorm | January 1, 2011 8:55 am

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By Todd Bairstow

In many ways, finding a website address for a pool and spa company seems like one of the easiest and most obvious things a business owner could do. However, can one address be better for one particular business over another? Yes. In fact, a web address can make a difference with Google and other search engines, even if the reasons why are not always obvious.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a website address (e.g. www.mycompanywebsite.com), which can be purchased from any of several different registrars found all over the web (e.g. Network Solutions, GoDaddy, Register.com). Domain names can be registered for as little as one or as long as 10 years; depending on the registrar, and can cost anywhere from $8 to $40 per year.

Unfortunately, many popular and obvious domain names for the pool and spa industry have already been taken. For example, poolsupplies.com has been gone for a long time. A private company is actively promoting its website and retail products through this domain name. A company offering similar services or products may have to get a little creative if it wants a unique domain name of its own.

Existing names vs. starting over

In the pool and spa industry, there are two camps when it comes to a domain name. The first comprises companies that already have a web address. These companies have likely had a site up for years and have put some time and effort into promoting their online addresses. Unwittingly, they have also developed a ‘history’ of sorts with various search engines, which also adds value to the domain name.

The second camp is made up of businesses that do not have a website yet, or are looking to start a web presence from scratch. It is important to understand the difference, because search engines certainly will.

Keeping an existing domain

A company with an existing domain name has likely built some brand equity into its web address. Its customer base likely knows how to find the business via its website, or know they can search for the company’s name and the site will instantly appear.

At the same time, Google and other search engines have been keeping track of the website and domain name for as long as it has been up and running. This history is important to search engines, as the longer the website has been active, the more credibility the site will have. Better history does not necessarily mean better search engine rankings; however, it definitely helps and often explains why somewhat basic or antiquated sites outrank new sites with all the latest bells and whistles.

Too often, advertising agencies and marketing consultants go into a small or regional retailer and make all sorts of changes to a company’s website. Sometimes they recommend changing the domain name without considering how much value it holds. The agency will often say, “It’s easier to start over!” This may be true for the agency, but it is not necessarily the right thing for the company’s website search engine rankings.

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.

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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.

.com, .ca, .net or .biz?

Many companies have popular names for their businesses, but unfortunately can not get the domain name they want because another individual or corporation has already purchased it. For example, a company might want to buy www.atlantapoolservice.com, but find the domain name is unavailable.

As an alternative, some consider buying a domain that ends with a different extension (e.g. .net or .biz ); however, this is not recommended. Extensions ending in .com or .ca are extremely popular, and chances are a company will do better with a .com or .ca name, both in terms of memorability and search engine rankings. While domains ending in .net or .biz are not necessarily bad, people are more familiar with .com and .ca extensions—they expect it to be in a company’s web address. It has also been suggested that search engines tend to more carefully scrutinize these types of domains.

Instead, companies should seek out variations on .com or .ca names. There are likely a variety of alternates available; the company is limited only by its imagination. For instance, instead of www.atlantapoolservice.com, the above company could try any of the following:

• Atlantapoolservices.com;
• Poolsupplyatlanta.com;
• Poolandspaatlanta.com; or
• Poolservicesatlanta.com.

The domain aftermarket

Companies that are interested in a specific domain name because it suits the business perfectly should not despair. Even if a name has already been registered, it may be available in what is called the domain aftermarket, in which domain names that have already been taken by registrars are put up for re-sale, often at significant mark-ups. Dozens of websites re-sell existing domain names, including:

• www.sedo.com
• www.afternic.com;
• www.buydomains.com;
• www.namepros.com;
• www.snapnames.com; and
• www.greatdomains.com.

For example, after a quick search of the term ‘pool service’ using www.sedo.com, more than 150 domain names containing those keywords were listed for sale. At the time this article was written, even www.poolservice.com—a premium name—was up for grabs. Other potentially popular names for resale included:

• www.denverpoolservice.com;
• www.fourseasonspoolservice.com;
• www.allpropoolservice.com;
• www.discountpoolservice.com; and
• www.crystalpoolservice.com.

The cost to purchase one of these aftermarket domain names can vary dramatically. For example, www.poolservice.com may sell for several thousands of dollars; however, a name like www.allpropoolservice.com may go for $200. It is important to understand the retail price is never set in stone; often, negotiation via e-mail can bring costs down. In fact, some domain name sellers have been known to reduce their price more than 80 per cent from the initial asking price.

Good name, better online success

There is a lot to understand about choosing a domain name, as it can be a big factor in building online history and presence for a business. If a company works with a knowledgeable web team, its domain details will be in good hands.

 

Todd Bairstow is co-founder of Keyword Connects (formerly Keyword Advisors), a company dedicated to online lead generation for the home improvement industry. He can be reached via e-mail at todd@keywordconnects.com[3] or call (781) 899-3677.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/whats-in-a-domain-name/

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