Feb 06 2008
Brandable Domain Names vs. Keyword Rich Domain Names
If you are creating a website or a web business, then a great domain name can do wonders for you. Unfortunately, many and most of the great domain names have been purchased by domain brokers and resellers and are now only available for a premium. No longer is the day where you can go to GoDaddy.com and get a perfect domain name for around $9.00. Don’t get me wrong, if you dig hard enough, you can find good domain names but it’s not nearly as easy as it use to be. You have to get creative with your domain name search.
So, in this tough domain name market, how can you buy a good domain name? There are basically three types of domains you can look for and purchase.
1.) Brandable domain names
2.) Keyword rich domain names
3.) A mixture of branding and keyword rich domain names
Each type has its pros and cons and we will discuss each to find out what suits your business or website best.
Brandable Domain Names
Brandable domain names are domain names that you pick for your business or website that over time will become it’s icon or the face of your website, if you will. Examples of brandable domain names include Google, Yahoo, Digg and there are millions of others. Being brandable, the domain name often will not give any indication of what the business or website is about. If you have never heard of Google or Yahoo, then you would have no idea what they do. They have branded these names and now they are part of our everyday lives. If someone says Google, people know exactly what to associate Google with, without even checking them out.
Pros of brandable domains
You can make a unique name for your business or website…something totally different than what is out there already. Brandable domains are easier to find. You can find a brandable domain that makes no sense to anyone else but it might be perfect for your new business or website. If you truly believe in your company brand, this is a great way to make a name for yourself and your business.
Cons of brandable domains
Sometimes people pick brandable domains but don’t put in the time and effort to actually brand the name. You have to have a marketing plan and you have to get your name out there in order for people to recognize it. Don’t just buy a brandable domain name and hope it sticks.
Keyword Rich Domain Names
This is exactly what it says. These are domain names that have keywords included in them. Keyword rich domains have value in the search engine world and are easily recognizable based on the keywords that are associated with the name.
Pros of keyword rich domains
Keyword rich domains can provide a great boost for your search engine traffic and can get noticed in the search engines much easier than a brandable domain name. Search engines are driven by “keyword” and “keyword phrase” searches and by having keywords in your domain name, you are more likely to show up for particular searches related to your website and domain. For example, let’s say we have two websites and domain names that provide the same service or product. Let’s say the first domain name is www.dipadoo.com (this is available as of 2-6-07) and the second domain name is www.needwebsitehelp.com (this is our domain!). Well, you can obviously tell which one is the keyword rich domain and you can tell which one is the brandable domain name. Which one is better? It all depends. We choose a keyword rich domain for the simple fact we want people to know exactly what we are about without them having to dig too deep.
Cons of keyword rich domains
Keyword rich domains can sometimes get very long and can be pretty dry. People also think if they cram 100 keywords into a domain name, they will be good to go. This is not the case. You can’t just buy a keyword rich domain and hope for the best. You should still try to brand a keyword rich domain just like a brandable domain name.
The last type of domain name is a mixture of both brandable and keyword rich. This sometimes hits the best of both worlds but you have to be careful to not get too lengthy when choosing these domain names. Often people like to put an “original” or brandable first word and then the keywords following such as www.johndoewebmarketing.com. You just have to watch that you don’t create a name that’s so long that all the branding in the world won’t fix.
There is no right or wrong way to pick a domain name whether it’s a brandable domain or a keyword rich domain or a combination of both. Every business and website is different and what works for one website my be totally wrong for another.
Also, one other tip on domain names. You can still find good domain names on sites like GoDaddy.com for around $10. If you like, you can also look at domain broker sites such as Sedo.com which provide domains at a premium.
Best of luck in your domain name searches.
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