Should you pay a lot for a domain?

The need for a short, memorable domain was discussed in a previous post. Finding that perfect domain name for your company, however, can prove to be a challenge. Single-word .COMs have long been taken as well as many two-word combinations. Most good .NETs and .ORGs are also unavailable. Some of these names are in use but a good number are currently in the possession of domain speculators who are willing to sell it for a price as a “premium” domain. Should you pay to buy a good domain name or look to register an unused domain? What are some ways to get a good name?

Domain name prices are arbitrary

When looking to buy a “premium” domain from a seller, the first thing you should know is that the price set by the seller is almost entirely arbitrary. The seller determines the price, be it reasonable or outrageous. Do not think that a high-priced domain is worth the price it is listed. Some domain speculators buy what they think is a good domain and set an exorbitant price, hoping someone will pay, and a few actually do.

Is it worth paying a lot of money for one of these so-called “premium” domains? It depends on your needs, your budget, and the domain itself. A good number or domain names for sale are worth the price and some are being sold for less than they are worth. Again, the price is set only by the seller. If you determine the price is reasonable, it is within your budget, and fits the needs of your business, it may well be worth paying a premium price for a good domain.

All top level domains are not the same

Top level domains (TLDs), such as .COM, .NET, .ORG, .US, and .INFO, vary greatly in value. The top level domain .COM remains the most popular choice. The next most popular in the United States are .NET, .ORG, .INFO, and .BIZ. There are many popular country-specific TLDs, such as .CN (China), .DE (Germany), and .UK (United Kingdom).

The price for a good .COM can range from hundreds to over a million dollars on sites such as Sedo.com, depending on the name. Most good two-word .COMs are in the $500-10,000 range. The price of .NETs and .ORGs are usually substantially lower.

Here are some of the top domain sales for 2009, according to SEDO:

1. Russia.com – $1,500,000
2. Call.com – $1,100,000
3. Server.com – $770,000
4. Brazil.com – $500,000
5. Resumes.com – $400,000
6. Software.co.uk – $249,000
7. Hotel-Reservation.com – $211,800
8. NewBrand.de – $177,600
9. Made.com – $130,000
10. Rent.co.uk – $104,000
11. Keyboard.com – $100,000
12. 64.com – $89,000

You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good domain

There are many ways to get a good domain name for your business without spending a lot of money. The domain aftermarket lets you get a used (and therefore more valued) domain after the previous owner let it go. You can also look for alternatives to .COMs for the desired name. There are many programs that help you generate a name for your business as well. Contact me if you would like help in finding a good domain for your business.

Do not feel you need to spend a fortune to get the name that is “just right”. There is a possibility the large investment may not pay off, and you may be out thousands of dollars. The thousands that may be spent to buy the “perfect” domain may be better spent on getting your website in order and running smoothly. Even the most expensive domain would not save a poorly-done site.

Also, do not limit your search to only .COM if you need a particular phrase or wording. Although some will naturally type .COM, the number who do this is minimal, probably around 5%. The unused .COM version will also not rank in search engines, so the only way to lose a customer is if they mistakenly type .COM.

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Did you get the website?

Now more than ever, every successful business that advertises needs an easy-to-read, memorable name. The reason is simple: People are bombarded by myriad ads from all sources and the only way to get customers is if your ad stands out, or is easily memorable. Something unique may make the potential customer notice your business, but if they forget the domain how will they find your website? Where does this apply? Everywhere. Your domain is displayed on billboards, television, car and truck graphics, newspaper and magazine ads, business cards, and anywhere else you write your contact information, as well as heard through various media. The last thing you want is for a potential client to forget your website and go to a competitor. What can help with this?

Shorten your domain name

Finding a good short domain name can be quite a challenge, especially for one and two-word .com domains. Some have, therefore, decided to use domains with an unnecessarily high number of words for their website. The domain name may be keyword-rich (www.autoimportsautoexports.com) or contain the entire business name (www.atlantaautoimportcompanyinc.com). While this may work, there are some pitfalls. A long domain will almost certainly be forgotten because of there being too many words. In addition, many words tend to run together and make it difficult to even read. How short should your domain be?

Unless two of the words are a phrase (“web designs” in dreamwebdesigns.com) you should try to keep the domain under three words, if possible. You may be able to abbreviate your words (Federal Express to “FedEx”) or remove unnecessary endings, like “inc”, “company”, “solutions”, and “group”. You may have to search to find the right domain or even buy the domain from a reseller, but it may pay you back many times. Long domains also have a small chance at true success. Case in point, out of the Alexa top websites by traffic, only about a third have more than one word and the average length of the domain without the top-level domain (.com, .net, etc.) is about 6 letters.

Remove the “www”

As was discussed in the previous post, the “www” is entirely optional for the domain name on the Internet. The same applies to ads, and even more so because of the need to economize advertising space. Do not worry about your site not being found. All webmasters should have a system in place to redirect all “non-www” requests to the “www” version, if you wish to keep this in your domain. Not having the “www.” at the beginning of your domain advertisement let’s the potential customer focus on the domain name, and not the extra 10-syllable “du-bu-yoo du-bu-yoo du-bu-yoo dot” phrase.

Capitalize the first letters or words

Having all lowercase letters, as well as the “www.” prefix, makes the domain more difficult to read in many ads. A very simple way to make the words stand out is to capitalize the first letters of all words in the domain name. For example, “AtlantaAutoGroup.com” is easier to read and more memorable than “www.atlantaautogroup.com”.

Do not forget typography

Having proper typography will also make the difference in a memorable domain. The font chosen has to be readable and simple. Contrast has to be great enough to see the letters clearly. Proper use of white space, or negative space, can make the words more readable as well. Care must be taken when advertising on a surface that is slanted, such as a rear car window. Normal text can be so distorted by the angled surface that it can be impossible to read.

Join Dream Web Designs in coming articles as I discuss more on how to improve you online business.

World Wide Web

Everyone who uses the Internet is familiar with the letters “www”, which prefix most websites. An increasing number of sites, however, have chosen to go without the prefix, along with the extra dot. Whether to use this or not is purely a matter of choice, although because of a longstanding tradition, many still include it in their domain. It comes from when the World Wide Web was just starting and the “www” prefix was used to differentiate it from other Internet protocols, like mail and file transfer protocol (ftp). As it turns out, the World Wide Web (www) and websites became the most popular use of the Internet, and the “www” stuck. But what are the pros and cons of using “www” before your domain?

Pros of using “www”:

• The domain looks more balanced
• People are used to it
• Some browsers may default to the “www” version (not a problem if you use a redirect)

Pros of leaving out “www”:

• The domain name is shorter, faster to type
• The domain can be read much more quickly because of having ten less syllables (du-bu-yoo du-bu-yoo du-bu-yoo dot)
• Less redundancy
• Reduces ad space and ultimately costs

For SEO, it makes no difference if “www” is used

For search engine optimization, use or non-use of the “www” prefix is in theory insignificant. Modern search engines, like Google, use highly complex algorithms to determine relevant search results and use of this subdomain appears to have no influence on rank. In fact, Google offers the choice between the “www” version and the “non-www” version for website indexing. Therefore, on a search results page, the domain will appear as the webmaster has selected or with the prefix by default.

Dream Web Designs uses the “non-www” version for many sites. The main reason is that I believe in simplicity and clarity and use of the “www” does not contribute to this. Join me in the next article when I’ll discuss the subject of how to advertise your domain.