Does Your Domain Name Impact Your SEO & Social Media Marketing?

Deciding on a domain name will be the first, and arguably the most critical, decision you will make when starting a website. It will have a direct impact on your SEO and your social media marketing campaigns.

How good is a keyword domain?

Acquiring a domain name with targeted keywords has for long been the desired strategy for many SEO marketers. It was hoped that this would increase rankings on popular search engines, such as Google. These EMDs, or exact match domains match the keyword phrase, sometimes word for word. This has two distinct advantages. First, the keywords in the domain name constitute a ranking factor. Secondly, it encouraged webmasters to use the keywords in the anchor text as they linked to the site.

Times have changed, however, and this strategy is no longer effective largely thanks to Google’s updates on EMDs. There are statistics to back it up as well, and the conclusion is that going forward, EMDs are even less useful. You can still use them, but the inclusion of the keywords shouldn’t be the end goal when choosing your domain name.

Better Click through Rates

A premium keyword domain can have some high CTRs on listings and ads. It has been noted that ads with a domain name that match the exact product they are selling performed better than those that did not. Does this give domain names an advantage in improving CTR?

There are, however, some factors to consider before buying them. The keyword phrases for the domains must have significant search volumes. Most of these are already taken so buying them is quite expensive. They need to end in .com, otherwise the domain will be of less value.

A brandable domain is better

The brandability of the domain is equally if not more important than matching keywords. Your domain sets the foundation for your brand to grow. It will be your company’s identity, and it is how users will find you online. Google also has a liking for brands and for this reason your SEO should go beyond links and keywords.

Creating a good brand starts by getting a brandable domain name. How do you choose one?

• Go for a .com extension, always.
• Choose a name that is easily remembered. It will increase how well you are perceived.
• Choose the words wisely, as they will communicate what your brand is all about.
• Choose a name that is easy to spell out, or write down. If you use numerals in the name, buy out the domain with the spelled out number.
• The name should be short and unique enough to stand out amongst the competition.
• The name should also inspire trust and sound like an authority.

There is a high possibility that the name you have in mind has been taken already. But you can still find one if you persist in your search. You can use existing words that haven’t been used before (use a thesaurus if you must), create new ones or simply combine different ones to form a hybrid.