At Rave Retailer, we don’t want to just reach out to the folks who have already started their business and are just looking for ways to improve their online digital strategy. NO! While this is a group of people which we wish to serve, we also want to help the NEW online, small business owner. The person who is starting from absolute scratch, in any way we possibly can.
As a new, small business owner looking to start an online business, you have one key thing that is crucial in your business to-do list. This is reserving the domain of your site. This should be the name by which your business is directly associated, or directly named even. What you have to ask yourself is what criteria you should be using to select your specific domain name, your online identity essentially. Let’s dive into some of that criteria to consider!
Keywords
As we have discussed in past blogs, using keywords within your business related pages will do you a lot of good in ensuring success for your business. Consider the industry of your business. Are you looking to start up an outdoor recreational outfitter? In your domain, think about how you could add keywords that are associated with the outdoors or outdoor ideas, such as brands like Black Diamond or Bass Pro Shop, as a couple examples. Within the names themselves, you hear ideas or words that are common within their fields. Same with a music site of sorts, such as Guitar Center or Drum Workshop (DW). Anybody who wants to shop for specific items to your brand will be able to find you in their searches if you incorporate terms or keywords that are relevant, such as these.
Dot Com, Dot Org, Dot Net
Relevancy online can also come from some degree of conformity. Not a degree of conformity where you are losing your creative voice in the process, just in small ways that make online viewers perceive you as legitimate or professional or uniform with other businesses. Let’s put it this way. Say you are looking for a business to do painting for all of the rooms in your home. You do a quick search for companies in your area that could provide such a service, and you find two in particular. One is TrustedPainters.com, and the other TrustedPainters.painters. You would probably want to go for the .com versus the .painters options, just because it is familiar and uniform. For that reason, when picking out a domain, be sure to go for the most appropriate .com as opposed to creating a more personalized option.
Trademarks
Your goal is to create a business. Your goal is to create a way to satisfy the needs of a particular market. Your goal is to stand out within your industry. Your goal is NOT, however, to find yourself in any legal predicament over a matter of trademark infringement. For that reason, be sure to do your research when considering your domain name. Make sure you are not including any names of already-established companies or this could mean trouble for you. This section is simply a public service announcement to anyone out there that may overlook a small detail, thus making for huge legal consequences. Just be careful, aware, and original, and you should have no problem.
Avoid Hyphens or Numbers in URL
Imagine you are talking with a stranger on the subway. You both are talking about your lives and endeavors, and through talking with this individual, you realise you share a mutual love for baking. Let’s now pose the hypothetical scenario that you have, at this point, already obtained a domain of your choosing and have gained a little momentum for your online business. The individual with whom you are speaking quickly asks, while stepping off the subway at his or her stop, if you could tell them where to find the business online. You want something quick and easy to remember. One way to immediately simplify your domain name is to keep it to words and ditch the hyphens or numbers. Think about how you can effectively convey the message of your business without using these complex characters, and you’ll find ease from there.
Social Media Accounts
To run an online business today, or any form of business for that matter, it is entirely called for that you adhere to your business different social media platforms. As you peruse the options of what you would like your domain name to be, also go on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites to see if the handles, or account names, that reflect your desired domain name are available for your use. It is best practice to ensure that the name for your accounts across all platforms be identical if possible. This will make for optimal brand recognition, no matter what site a consumer is viewing you from. So, match sure your social media matches!
Conclusion
In conclusion, the quality of your domain name and how you go about selecting and implementing it will determine a lot for your brand’s success online. As a new online business owner, consider these points for thought and apply them as you are getting your operation started. To learn more about getting your business website started up and choosing the right domain or brand identifiers, contact the experts at Rave Retailer today!