One of the greatest difficulties in being a new webmaster is trying to acquire traffic. This is because trying to build legitimate traffic requires both time and money. How is this so? Well, if a webmaster is trying to obtain traffic through search engines, they will need to spend a great deal of time with link-building and content creation. If they are trying to get traffic through a pay-per-click program, they will have to invest hundreds to thousands of dollars if they want to take advantage of a high-performance keyword. However, there is another alternative that can allow a webmaster to get tons of traffic without having to invest too much in time or money. It involves purchasing expired domain names.
What is an expired domain name? An expired domain name is a domain name that never got renewed by its owner. This could be for a variety of reasons such as disinterest in the original website, lack of funds or something more serious, such as an owner’s death. Whatever the reason when the renewal fees aren’t paid, the expired domain name sits out in cyberspace still functioning as any other domain name. There is just one difference… an expired domain name doesn’t have a website attached to it, so it instead points to a 404 error page.
Indeed, it is a waste of traffic when an expired domain name points to a 404 web page. Many domain name companies have realized this, which is why quite a few sell expired domain names either through a regular, upfront sale or through an expired domain name auction. The prices for these domain names can range from less than $100 to over $1 million. Some of these sales may even include a website.
So, how does a webmaster know if an expired domain name is worth buying? First, they need to check to see the Google page rank of an expired domain name. To do this they need to download Google’s toolbar and then type in the URL of the expired domain name. The toolbar will then let them know what the page rank is. If the page rank indicator is gray, the expired domain name must be avoided since this means the site has been banned by Google. Otherwise, it should be okay, though webmasters should also take into consideration the actual number associated with the page rank. If the number is between 6 and 10, they should strongly consider buying the expired domain name.
Secondly, webmasters need to find out the Alexa rating of an expired domain name. The Alexa rating determines how much traffic has actually gone to a domain name. If a website has not received a significant amount of traffic, it will not have an Alexa rating. To determine the Alexa rating for an expired domain name, webmasters need to visit Alexa.com.
Finally, webmasters need to see how many websites are linking to the expired domain name. To do this they need to put the command link: followed by the URL of the expired domain name into a search engine. If a lot of links are returned, this is a sign that the traffic coming to the expired domain name originated from legitimate sources.
Thank you for taking the time with me to learn more about marketing, news, tips and tricks for your business success.
Sincerely,
Robert Lennon
(AKA) Magic Marketer
For more information on Magic Marketing and our products and services, please contact us here OR Schedule your FREE 30 minute consultation to learn how we can find, follow, and pre-select your hyper-targeted customer to reduce wasted ad dollars and increase quality traffic and your bottom line.
The domain name for your business is your online identity. You should be very careful about choosing a domain name that is memorable, scores quite well with search engine listings, has a trust factor attached to it, and commands a brand value. A domain name is quite important for your business correspondences and emails. A long one can cause problems in communication, especially if the domain name seems complex. Here are some tips in choosing a well-meaning domain name that captures the essence of your brand image or business:
1. Keyword oriented or a unique domain name? If your website is going to have a crucial role to play in your business, then it is important to have an adequately researched keyword incorporated within the brand name. Use the most searched-for term in search engine queries, within your domain name. Prior to launching your online business, you should do some research through website tools to find out which keywords register the most number of traffic during a month. For example, if you want to make a website based on advising people, you will find that the keyword help is normally typed in the search engine query window a lot more frequently than the word aid. If your domain name includes targeted keywords, than you will get higher rankings in the search engines like Google and Yahoo. You should bear in mind that, apart from having the targeted keyword in your domain name, you should also have keywords in other parts of your site as well.
2. Use a company name only if you are famous: That is right. If your company name overwhelms the basic product name, then by all means go for the company name as your domain name. For example, people normally use the term Xerox rather than photocopy and if you are Xerox, then you should go for Xerox as a domain name because of the sheer popularity of the brand name. This is usually not the case, so using a keyword-rich domain name is a better move for most people. To be on the right side of balancing your business well, you should buy a set of two domain names, one that represents your business/brand name, and another that represents keywords or key phrases.
3. Keep your domain name short: The shorter your domain name, the more memorable it is. If your domain name has an every-day lingo, the better it is! More often than not, you may find that a simple two-word domain name is already taken. The alternative in this case, is to put a hyphen (-) to your targeted keyword and then add the other word. SEO experts are of the belief that hyphenating two or more words makes a long domain name more search engine friendly. The flip side is that people do not tend to write words with hyphens naturally, and there is a chance that if someone has recommended your site to a friend, the friend may find himself going to a competitor’s site. So one has to understand and undergo a lot of study while choosing a domain name. After all, it is one prominent thing that can dictate the flow of your business. Also, you should avoid putting numbers like 4 instead of for in your domain name. It will only lead to confusion.
4. Dot.com only: If you intend to have a website for commercial or business reasons, then by all means go for a website which ends in extension .com. The domain name companies will market other options like .org, .us, .net, etc. However, by all means try stick to .com for better mass appeal.
5. Register similar domain names: If you believe that in the future you are going to have a huge amount of people visiting your website through word-of-mouth advertising, then you should consider registering similar domain names that direct to your main URL (e.g. www.datinginformation.com and www.datinginfo.com). There are cyber-squatters who register domain names in the hope that they will be selling them for a profit to someone who really needs that domain name. Before they do this, you should register the domain names if you think that such a possibility can occur.
6. Be patient: You should not choose a domain name in minutes merely just to get it done and over with. A hasty decision may cost you a lot. It is better to invest time in research and arrive at the right kind of domain name. You should also discuss the comprehensibility and usage of the domain name with friends, neighbors and well wishers to find how simple and commonplace it really is.
The long held wisdom is that domain names should be short and memorable. Of course, it is great when you can get a short name that really works for your business but sometimes that is tough. So why not go for a longer one?
The idea that domain names must be short is not as valid as it once was. There are many successful web sites that have long domain names such as FreeCreditReport.com. This article will teach you when it is okay to buy a long domain name and why you would want to.
The Long and Short of Domain Names
Long domain names are a good way to go when your Web site is only going to generate traffic from online advertising such as Google’s AdWords or natural search engine results. On the Internet people find your site by clicking on hyperlinks which already have your Web site’s domain name typed in for them. So if you have a long domain name it is already there for your visitor and they do not have to remember it.
For example, suppose you own a Web Hosting Company and you specialize in offering cheap web hosting. Why not call your site CheapWebSiteHosting.com? It’s long but it communicates a lot to the customer and perhaps even more valuable is that it will communicate important information to search engines about your site. How you ask?
Search engines use the words in your domain name as one method of discovering what your web site is about and they use that information to help determine where to rank you in the search results list. So if you have the words “cheap web site hosting” in your domain name then search engines will use that information to possibly rank you higher than a domain name that does not contain those words. So by naming your site “CheapWebSiteHosting.com” you have an advantage over SmithWebSiteHosting.com when people search the phrase “cheap web site hosting.”
So, if your business is tightly focused on cheap hosting anyway you might as well use those words in your domain name if it means that search engines will match you better than those sites without those keywords in their domain name.
Domain Names in Mass Media
What about non-internet marketing? Are long domain names okay for radio or television? The answer is yes as long as it can be remembered. If you watch tv at all I’m sure you’ve seen ads for freecreditreport.com. That’s a pretty long domain name considering not too long ago you needed to have a name like amazon.com or eBay.com to be viable. But even as I am writing this the domain name freecreditreport.com came to mind instantly. Thats a pretty good domain name for a long one. In our sample scenario, I would say that a site called cheapwebsitehosting.com will be remembered by people who have an interest in saving money on hosting. The key is to put together words in your domain name that flow naturally. “Cheap Web Site Hosting” is natural English. But WebSiteHostingCheap.com would almost certainly be a problem in the mass media.
So, should you go for a long domain name next time you buy a domain name? That will ultimately depend on whether you can get a short version that you find suitable and how important the slight edge in search engine results is worth to you. But at least you can keep these factors in mind you buy a domain name. You just may find that a long domain name is a reasonable way to go for your business.
Thank you for taking the time with me to learn more about marketing, news, tips and tricks for your business success.
Sincerely,
Robert Lennon
(AKA) Magic Marketer
For more information on Magic Marketing and our products and services, please contact us here OR Schedule your FREE 30 minute consultation to learn how we can find, follow, and pre-select your hyper-targeted customer to reduce wasted ad dollars and increase quality traffic and your bottom line.
Four in 5 U.S. employees have internet connections at work. If you want to sell to these highly connected businesses, you have to have a sophisticated B2B internet marketing strategy.
There are two factors to your B2B internet marketing practice. First, you get traffic to your site. Then, you convert them to customers. Let’s start by looking at how to get people to visit your web page.
The quickest way to get visitors is to use Pay Per Click marketing. You can set up a campaign with Google’s Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, or a number of smaller ad networks within an hour and start getting visitors immediately.
In the long run, a better investment may be Search Engine Optimization. While SEO requires a heavy up front fee, the results can be long lasting. Further, people are more trusting of sites they find organically than sites they come to off of an advertisement. This trust results in higher spending. Your B2B internet marketing strategy must include a SEO component.
Another way people find your web page is to see it mentioned when they visit other sites. You can write articles for other businesses and magazines to place on their web pages or you can conduct a public relations campaign so that you are quoted as an expert. The traffic you get to your site from other sites is already pre-sold on your goods and services. Make sure you get a live link back to your site when pursuing this B2B internet marketing strategy.
Finally, do not discount the ability of getting traffic from offline promotions. Every piece of material you distribute to potential customers should have your web address on it. This includes letters, invoices, brochures, and even gifts.
Once you get someone to your site, you need to convert them into a customer. Part of this is having great content on your site. If you are selling products, you should invest in a good, online catalog with quality photographs and compelling product descriptions. If you are selling your services, having relevant articles demonstrating your expertise is important.
Just as important is making it easy for the customer to make a purchase. Remember that the internet is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that people all over the world can access your site. It should be as easy to buy at 2:00 in the morning as it is at 2:00 in the afternoon. Have a means by which customers can contact you. If you want them to send you an email, make sure you respond within 24 hours.
Finally, not everyone who visits your web site will be in the market for your products or services right away. But that doesn’t mean they are not interested. Get them on an email list and contact them regularly with valuable information including sales, new products, upcoming speaking engagements, etc. Give them a good reason to opt in to your list. This is typically a free report, but you can also expand it to include software or a free sample product. Having a robust email list is a key ingredient in the overall B2B internet marketing picture.
B2B Internet Marketing is starting to come of age. Your customers will expect you to have a strong internet presence. It is no longer seen as “cutting edge” to have a web site. It is part of the standard practice of doing business.
Thank you for taking the time with me to learn more about marketing, news, tips and tricks for your business success.
Sincerely,
Robert Lennon
(AKA) Magic Marketer
For more information on Magic Marketing and our products and services, please contact us here OR Schedule your FREE 30 minute consultation to learn how we can find, follow, and pre-select your hyper-targeted customer to reduce wasted ad dollars and increase quality traffic and your bottom line.
Many webmasters erroneously believe that just because their domain name registrar says a particular domain name is ‘available’ that it truly is. This is not necessarily so. Even if a domain name is physically available, it may not legally be open for use. Why? It’s because there might already be a company that has the rights to the keywords used within the domain name.
If this happens yet the webmaster claims the domain name anyway, they are at risk of losing it through a domain name arbitration proceeding. They could even be charged with trademark/copyright infringement if things get really ugly. For this reason it’s best to make sure the keywords used in a domain name aren’t protected for someone else. This article will explain how webmasters can make such a determination.
First, webmasters need to check and see if their chosen domain name resembles any existing trademark that is on the books. They will want to do this before actually investing any money in the domain name. To search existing trademarks, webmasters can visit the website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office which is USPTO.gov. From here they can search a database that contains current trademarks as well as those that are pending.
If a domain name is similar to a registered or pending trademark, webmasters need to evaluate whether the domain name is still worth taking. Usually, if a site is not selling the same types of merchandise or services that the other business is selling and the trademark is not popular, a webmaster probably won’t get into legal trouble if they decide to go on and register the domain name. To be completely sure, webmasters can run the domain name by a trademark attorney. It shouldn’t cost too much for an hour consultation.
Of course, if a webmaster would prefer zero percent risk, they can simply try to think of another domain name. When they go about doing this, they need to be more generic and less creative in what they come up with. Using search engine keywords for a domain name is one such strategy. Webmasters can also look into using dictionary terms. If all else fails they can take a generic term and combine it with a term that is less likely to be taken, such as their first and last name.
Either way, once a suitable domain name has been chosen, webmasters should consider getting it trademarked themselves, especially if they are using it to help brand their business. With an official trademark, a webmaster has more legal power should another company try to take them to court. And since there’s no shortage of domain name bullies, (companies that try to steal profitable domain names from smaller enterprises), a webmaster should use all legal avenues available to protect the rights of their business.
In conclusion, by checking whether or not a domain name has keywords that are part of a trademark, webmasters lessen the risk that they will have legal problems in the future. If there are problems, and a domain name arbitration proceeding does not rule in a webmaster’s favor, they can turn to The Domain Name Rights Coalition.
Thank you for taking the time with me to learn more about marketing, news, tips and tricks for your business success.
Sincerely,
Robert Lennon
(AKA) Magic Marketer
For more information on Magic Marketing and our products and services, please contact us here OR Schedule your FREE 30 minute consultation to learn how we can find, follow, and pre-select your hyper-targeted customer to reduce wasted ad dollars and increase quality traffic and your bottom line.
Recent Comments