Domain Names: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a domain name suffix and what should i buy?
The suffix for this domain, OnlineMarketingConsultants.com.au is .com.au, for Google.com the suffix is .com, most countries have their own local suffix extension. If your market(ie your prospects and customers) are all in one country then get a domain with a suffix for that country, so if your customers are from Australia, buy a .com.au, if your prospects are in the UK, buy a co.uk. However if your prospects are in more than one country then you should strongly consider a separate website for each country or at least redirect a local extension to your main website.
How Much Do Domain Names Cost?
There are a very wide range of domain prices quoted in Australia, we have our preferred registrars but they change regularly, email us if you wouild like to know our latest reccommendation. You should not be paying more than $24 for 2 years(ie $12 per year).
For .com domains look no further than namecheap.com. Around $10 per year will be the cost and great value.
Exact match Domains vs Brandable Domains
An Exact match domain name is where the domain contains an exact phrase that you would like to rank well for eg CreditsCards.com.au if you want to rank well when people type “credit cards” into Google. Google certainly does give exact match domains a level of help to rank well but it is certainly not the only factor(there are over 200 elements to their ranking algorithm), in general an exact match domain should rank on page 1 for its exact match phrase if there are a range of other factors in place and if a great website built and optimised to be Google friendly is built on an exact match domain, it should certainly be an advantage to rank number 1…….but it is not an absolute given.
A Brandable domain refers to a domain where keyphrases are not taken into account and a new brand is established. An example of which would be cocacola.com, though sometimes a hybrid brandable domain may include a keyword.
In 2012 should you be targeting brandable domains or exact match domains? Well hedging your bets is the best advice, a brandable domain is probably the best long term option but you may well be giving up some short term qualified traffic as ranking high in Google with an exact match from scratch will happen sooner than with a brandable. Understanding your business plans and traffic projections before deciding on a domain name strategy is fundamental to launching a new website. For example if you plan to run a substantial Google adwords campaign from launching the website and planning to target a good organic presence over a 6-12 month period with a new domain, then brandable is probably the way to go.
Can Domains be Considered a long term investment?
Yes Indeed here are the top 20 domain names sold to date, in some cases the domain was included with an ongoing business in most not:
Here are the top reported Australian domain name sales(some sales are kept private):
What is the ideal domain name length?
As short as possible for getting direct type in traffic but exact match and brandable domains have intrinsic advantages that make a shorter domain name, in a world where short domain names are rarely available, low on the list of priorities.
Should Second Hand Domain Names Be Considered?
Yes. This is probably the most important domain marketplace going forward. Buying “aged domains” or “dropped”(let go by previous registrant) domains can provide great opportunities. An aged domain that has good history in Google can have great benefits regarding SEO and could easily be the ideal answer for a business startup or a new website,because new domains are not treated as generously by Google as a domain with history.
Domain names are often badly chosen and misunderstood, new startups would do well to consider acquiring their domain name or names before they decide on a trading name.
