DAY 2: BRAINSTORMING YOUR DOMAIN NAME
Estimated time requirement: 20 minutes
1. Do this exercise even if you already have a domain
name (mywebsitenamehere.com).
Why? Because in just 20 minutes you can gain a good understanding of how to
help more people find you, remember you, and trust you. . . and that's important.
2. Remember your ideal website audience member?
Yesterday you envisioned the kind of person who you'd like to reach, and thought
about the problem, pain, need, or desire they're carrying. Today we're going to
step into their shoes again, and think about what they do with that.
Here's an example: Say I am the concerned parent of a son who has just
entered first grade, and it has come to light that he shows signs of dyslexia. I
want to know more, and I want to find help. Now. It used to be that I'd have to
haul down the Yellow Pages and look for a helping professional in its endless
pages. Nowadays I park myself in front of a laptop, tablet or phone, pull up
Google, and type in some words. These are called "keywords" and
"keyphrases."
What do you think I will search for? "Educational therapist dyslexia Denver"?
"Dyslexia specialist Colorado"? "Help for dyslexic children"?
Your audience members' needs are incredibly important to them. What do YOUR
people look for? This is where your knowledge of the audience you want to help
will really come in handy. Take a moment and think about the individuals and
businesses you are helping with your work. What do they need—and what will
they sit down and type into Google when they're ready to start looking for you?
Your Turn:
Fix your ideal audience member firmly in your mind. Find a magazine photo or
internet picture that brings them to life, if need be. Take a few moments and jot
down some keywords and phrases below that your ideal audience members
(clients, supporters, donors) might use to find you:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
3. Choices, choices.
People choose different kinds of domain names, and as long as you can picture
your website audience typing it in to find you, you're on the right track. Here are
some possibilities, and when they're most appropriate:
YourFirstnameLastname.com. (example: SethGodin.com)
Best when: You are the website's sole focus and you have lots of other
marketing irons in the fire with your name & URL in them.
Pitfall: If people don't know your name, you will have to rely on other marketing
methods to get people to find you. If you ever build a team or partnership, you
may have to change your domain name.
YourCompanyName.com. (example: Syzergy.com, Elevate.com)
Best when: You are doing other things to teach people your company name and
identity, like print advertising and social media.
Pitfall: If you are trying to organically reach strangers who are searching for a
specific product or service, unless they've heard of you OR you are planning to
market your name heavily, you may be missing out on some traffic
KeywordOrKeyphrase.com. (example: BestDyslexiaTherapists.com)
Best when: You want to maximize search engine traffic.
Pitfall: A bit impersonal, but when they arrive at your website you can make up
for that with warm personal touches.
**Recommended:
CompanyWithKeywords.com. (example: MadsenDyslexiaTherapy.com)
Best when: You want to maximize search engine traffic and add an element of
"you" in there.
Pitfall: Domain names can be slightly longer, such as ElevateHRConsulting.com,
TargetLifeCoaching.com, WebsitesForGood.com!
Your Turn:
Dream up at least 5 domain names that contain some of the keywords your
desired audience might use to find you. Don't worry about carving these in stone,
just try them on for now, and see how they feel.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
4. Other considerations and things to check out.
A. You don't have to choose just one name. Because a name can be reserved for
as little as $7.00/year, if you're undecided, you can reserve more than one.
Alternatives can easily be set to redirect to your primary account.
B. You might, for example, want a secondary name which ALSO takes people to
your website, or a separate website or page for a specific product you plan to
offer, or even a "landing page" in your website that highlights a certain service,
product, or program.
C. Try your name out on a friend, colleague, or stranger. Tell them your domain
name idea, without telling them anything about what you do for a living, or what
you sell. Ask them what they THINK you do or sell. You may be surprised by
the answers.
D. Curious whether a name you love is available? Go to http://godaddy.com and
type it into the search box to find out.
E. When considering a domain name, ask yourself how someone might mistype
or misspell the name. Is it singular or plural, is it a made-up word you're going to
have to spell on the telephone a hundred times, can it easily be mistaken for
something else? When in doubt, check with a friend or colleague, or even better,
someone not close to you.
F. Planning to make a big financial splash around your new name? You may
want to be sure it's not trademarked or copyrighted, to avoid future trouble.
Check http://uspto.gov and http://copyright.gov respectively.
Well done, you! File this completed worksheet away in your WEBSITE folder,
and we'll talk about it when the time comes to put all the pieces together.
Tomorrow we'll chat about your "menu" - the pages you'll need to tell your story.
Questions? You can always write to us at [email protected]