Lifelong learning + what's in a website name?

No relevance whatsoever to this article but it's eye-catching. Courtesy of tumblr through UsVsTh3m

I read an interesting conversation (or should I say convo?) on a business forum this week. I'm on a special Business Ignition Bootcamp - I say special because it was only open to 200 people worldwide and I feel lucky I got in. We are specially selected guinea pigs, which is exciting to me - I'm a sucker for beta stuff, and this is the best beta opportunity (or should I say oppo) to date.

It's also special because it is run by an ethical digital marketing company, Firepole Marketing - you won't find black hat SEO there or any other algorithm fiddling activity but a strong belief in content marketing. I'm doing yet another course (it seems every year I do a course, last year it was all about counselling skills) because I'm a fan of lifelong learning. This is handy because in SEO you have to keep learning or you will be obsolete in not time. Platforms are invented every week and Google's penguins and pandas breed at an alarming rate. To paraphrase a famous tagline you don't want to pick [on that] Penguin! I have to do a lot of reading, SEW and Social Media Examiner are very handy newsletters to be subscribed to as reputable practitioners offer a wealth of DIY tips in easy-to-read articles.

Choosing a website domain

Back to the convo, it was about choosing a website name. One of the posters said it took him longer to find a name than to write down a business plan. This is very wise as a website name will have an impact on SEO. Pick the wrong one and you risk potential low ranking and confusion (for instance IP stands for intellectual property and also internet protocol, so if you call yourself IP solutions, people might not understand which service you are offering).

I will give you an example loosely based on previous job. However, this is a fictional business I made up for argument's sake. If you rent ski chalets in Bulgaria and call yourself Bulgariawinterexplorer.com because it sounds like fun, you will need a bigger SEO effort than with Bulgariaskichalets.com or Bulgarianchaletrental.com. It's wise to find out high-ranking keywords for your product/services through Google’s keyword tool and also have a look in Google Trends for phrasal keywords that fit your business. Phrasal keywords would be, in this case, Bansko ski chalets (a popular destination) holiday ski chalets in Bulgaria, Bulgarian holiday rentals... The more the merrier, as you'd need those for your headlines and subheads. Then pick your name. Some businesses rather like the idea of having a quirky name, which is fine, but you will need to do more work to promote your business so people understand what you are selling. There is nothing wrong with Bulgariawinterexplorer.com and it does hint at the snow bit, but this business could be a travel agent, a holiday rental, a bespoke travel guide, it doesn't spell out ski chalets. Another scenario is that the best name is taken or it costs too much, then I'd say, be creative but include a keyword in the name. For instance if Bulgariaskichalets.com is taken, consider using an adjective, such as Bulgarialuxuryskichalets.com or Bulgariabudgetskichalets.com, this will also give your customers a hint about prices.

SEO tip for creative names

If you still want that creative name, pick a sentence that is SEO friendly. So when your business appear on a Google's page it might read like:

Bulgarianwinterexplorer

Ski chalets in Bulgaria | Holiday rentals in Bulgaria | Bansko chalets

Followed by a good introduction of your product.

Roger out and over to you!