Choosing a Domain Name

Author:  C. Small

OK.  You’ve decided on your niche (remember that’s what your website is all about) and now you’re ready to create your first website, right?  No, not yet.

Remember in my second post I mentioned the three (3) basic tools that you’ll need before you can create your website?  Below is a reminder:

·         A domain name

·         A hosting account

·         An autoresponder

For now, let’s focus on the domain name.

What exactly is a domain name?  Simply stated, a domain name is a specific network address that can be used to locate a set of web addresses or HTML pages.  For example, the domain name for one of my websites is http://www.create-wealth-on-line.com.  I have another website with the domain name:  http://exercise-and-nutrition.com.

If you visit the above sites, you will see that you can have a 1-page website or a website with many pages.  Any place that you go to on the internet has an address and embedded in that address is the domain name.  This is explained in more detail in:

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Doing a search on Google for a list of domain name registrars* will be a bit overwhelming because there are literally hundreds listed on the internet.  I use GoDaddy, which was recommended by my mentor, Chris Farrell.  However, if you know someone who uses another registrar and they’re pleased with their company you may want to go with them.

Choosing a Domain Name – Key Points

Your domain name is your identify, it identifies your website.  So, try to use words in the name that are related to your site’s theme.  For example, if your website is about weight-loss, those words should appear in the domain name such as http://www.healthy-weightloss-fatloss.com.

When choosing a domain name, you should also consider the following:

·         Make sure it’s easy for you and potential customers to remember.

·         Keep it short.  If it’s too long, it will be more of a challenge for people to remember.

·         Don’t get clever.  The purpose of your website should be to provide a solution to a problem that a specific group of people (your targeted audience) have, i.e. needing to make extra money, needing to lose weight, etc.  If you get fancy with your domain name, you may not get the volume of traffic that you anticipate to your website because no one will know what the site is all about.  In other words, the correct domain name can help drive traffic to your website.  (Wow, that was a bit wordy, don’t you think?)

·         Let’s keep this one short.  Use .com instead of .net, .org or some of the others.

Well that’s it for now.

If you would like to move along at a faster pace, feel free to click on the link below.

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Create Your First Website by 3:45 this Afternoon
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Best Regards,

Carolyn

Create Wealth On-Line

Click here to contact me.

*Note:  A registrar is an on-line company that you buy your domain name from.

"Everyone who got where he is has had to begin where he was."
- Robert Louis Stevenson

Using Keywords to Find Your Niche

Hello again.

I know you’re really quite busy with your website and working really hard to get traffic to your site, but I hope you will take a few minutes this Veteran’s Day to remember our military men and women both present and pass, who put themselves in harm’s way to protect this great country of ours.  So first and foremost, I salute all our active duty military and our veterans.  Thank you!

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Now in a previous blog I talked about finding your niche.  If you downloaded the ebook Create Your First Website by 3:45 this Afternoon, then you understand the term niche.

If you have not, let me very briefly define niche for you.  Niche marketing focuses on a specific segment of consumers.  A niche can be created by a need, a want, or a preference.  Home-based entrepreneurs, pet owners, computer users, chocolate lovers and gardeners are all examples of separate niches. Some consumers might belong to several of those niches.  Also some niches can be narrowed to a more specific focus.  Simply stated:  a niche is what your website is all about!


Finding Your Niche

If you’ve been researching keyword phrases and popular keywords you’ve likely found that many popular potential markets are quite broad.  When you brainstorm and research to come up with ideas for your new web business, it’s likely that the first ideas you identify are going to be broad markets.

It’s generally better to try to identify market niches (or submarkets of the broader market) to build your business.  Trying to compete with other businesses at a broad market level would likely require a substantial amount of time and effort, and probably financial resources as well.

Instead, you can increase our chances of success by identifying a market niche.  Using a weight loss market example, you might focus on keyword terms such as “fat burning foods” or “low carb diets”?  By targeting a market niche, there would likely be much less competition from other businesses, so you’ll have a greater chance of bringing targeted visitors to your site.  And this, of course, is the first step in making money from your website.

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If you don’t already have a niche market in mind, one of the best ways to find one is to consider the things you’re already interested in – your own hobbies and activities.  Think about the hobbies and interests of your friends and family, too – are there any niche markets on which you can build a web-based business?

By identifying market niches in this way, you can cut down on the amount of time that it takes you to learn about the market itself.  If you already know a lot (or at least more than the average person), then you’ll be able to get your business up and running much more quickly than if you had to start from scratch and take the time to get up to speed on the subject.

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Tools that Can Help 

If nothing comes to mind right away, there are a couple of brainstorming tools that you can use to help.  First, you can try the ever-popular Google Keyword Tool to help you generate ideas, based either on words and phrases, or by the content of existing web pages.

Another great way to get ideas is to see what shoppers are actually searching for when they’re already on a shopping website.  If you go to the Search Compare page and click one of the categories listed, you’ll then be taken to a page that lists the terms that people have searched for within the category you clicked. 

This can be a great way to see the plethora of different concepts that exist (and that people are searching for) within a particular product category.

These are just a few ideas that can help lead you to a niche that’s right for you if you don’t already have one.

Closing Thoughts 


Don’t be afraid to surf around the web exploring different possible market niches.  This kind of exploration can help confirm that people are actually looking for these types of products (and are willing to spend money on them).  This is a critical consideration when you’re determining which market niche to launch your business.




Take care.

Carolyn

Create Wealth On-Line
Click Here to Contact Me.

Basic Types of Websites

Hello Everyone,

How’s your web business going?  What type of website did you create?  Are you selling something?  Are you sharing information about yourself or your organization?  Perhaps you decided to teach something or provide entertainment?  Take a look at the list below to see which category best describes your site.  

Basic types of websites on the internet

Commercial Website

This website is one of the most common types on the internet.  Its purpose is to sell products or services. Commercial websites are used for promoting a business or service.

Organizational Website

An organizational website should not be confused with a company or commercial website.  The intent of an organizational website is to encompass the interests and opinions of a niche group and is created solely for that purpose.  In this type of website people with similar interests communicate with each other, usually by chat or message boards. 

Personal Website

The purpose of this type of website is to provide information about an individual or group. This type of website is run by an individual or a small group (such as a family) that contains information or any content that the individual wishes to include such as information on a hobby, i.e. coin or stamp collecting.

Educational Website

The purpose of this type of website is to provide information about an educational establishment or to present information in an educational manner.  It should focus on high quality content to enrich the learning experience of its readers.  

Entertainment Website

The purpose of this type of website is to entertain and provide amusement.  Examples:  celebrity websites; military leaders; famous pets; music downloads; and many more possibilities.   

News Website

This type of website is used to provide information about current events, dedicated to dispensing news and commentary.

Blog

A blog is a website that is used to log online readings or to post online diaries; may include discussion forums or chat rooms. 

Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject; however, some function as more personal online diaries.  A typical Blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

Combination Website

Some websites are a mixture of types.  For example, a business web site may promote the businesses products, but may also host informative documents, such as white papers or provide news for its visitors.  Remember, information is the soul of the internet and if used wisely articles and informational pieces are a good way to get visitors to your site and to keep them coming back. 

Other Types

There are also numerous sub-categories to the ones listed above.  The above information is intended to help you get started.  Or, if you already have a website and it’s not producing the desired results, you may want to go back and reanalyze your site to see if you have a specific focus for your site and if the content supports your purpose.  

 

Wishing You Much Success,

Carolyn

P.S:  By the way, I hope you’ve had the chance to take a look at the Create Your First Website by 3:45 this Afternoon eBook and/or the A Web Business…explained course.  If not, check them out.  Without a doubt these products will help guide you to a successful on-line business.