Choosing a good domain name is crucial to the success or failure of your business. You may wonder how something so small and slight could have an impact on your business, but the best way to compare this is to think about how important location is to an offline business? If you do not have a good location, you are likely not going to get many visitors. The same holds true for a good domain name as well.

Here, you will discover the six qualities that a good domain name must have to ensure maximum success.

1.) Memorable

A good domain name must be memorable. Yes, we have the option of bookmarking a site that we enjoy; however, the hard truth is that many people do not take advantage of bookmarking. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that your domain name is one that is easy to remember and makes an impact. It should be easy, memorable, and straight forward.

Avoid complexity and it is usually a good idea to avoid initials in most cases. The only exception to this rule would be if the letters represented the website name or business and was still easy to remember.

2.) Short and Sweet

Twenty characters is the maximum that you should use for a good domain name, ten is even better. A long and complicated domain name is not going to help you. Your best bet is to keep it short and sweet. A great domain name is less than ten characters; a good domain name is less than twenty characters. A bad domain name goes over twenty characters.

3.) Be Choosy On Your Extension

There are several domain extensions available to you such as .com, .net, .org, .tv, .info, .gov and so on. However, some of these work better than others and are more memorable at the same time. It is important to understand that some extensions also have restrictions such as .gov is reserved specifically for government websites. The .com domain name extension is the best by far, because it is the most widely used.

The .net extension is the second best, but be prepared most people will type .com before they will .net if they cannot remember which extension you use. The type of extension you use might also have a bearing on the type of website. Some people have come to expect certain things when a particular extension. For example, .org is typically used by not-for-profit organization and educational websites. The .info extensions are generally used for informational websites.

4.) Spelling Means Everything

Having a difficult to spell domain name could cause you some trouble. Again, many do not even make use of bookmarks; therefore, if your domain name is hard to spell, they may end up at a competitor’s website.

A good domain name contains only words that are easy to pronounce, have a good combination of words or letters that are used in every day language, and does not contain foreign words that may be difficult to non-native speakers.

5.) Tells a Story

A good domain name should be descriptive and tell a story. In other words, when your visitors, customers, or potential customers see your domain name they should instantly be able to tell what they are going to find. For instance, if it is your business, a business name is good.

6.) Avoid Fancy Symbols

It is never a good idea to use numbers or hyphens within your domain name. Even if your domain name is memorable, many people will not pay attention to the symbols, which could lead them to someone else’s website.

The keyword selection process is close to one of the most important parts when it comes to creating your PPC ad’s, so you want to ensure that you get it right. 

Selecting the correct keywords for your campaign is essential. It’s no use paying for underperforming keywords that will just run your campaign funds dry.

So you want to know which keywords are classified as the “right keywords”? Then check out the follow tips.

1. Start with a List

Generate a list of keywords based on words defining your product, location, product/services etc. Carefully consider what terms users are likely to use in searching for your products/services. It is essential to use the keywords searchers use, rather than the ones you and your organization use to describe your product/service.

2. Choose Specific but Not Popular Keywords

You’ll need to select keywords that are specific to your product or service offering, but you need to be careful not to select keywords that are extremely popular, as this may deplete your PPC funds sooner than expected.

3. Use Phrases instead of single words.

You stand a better chance of winning the search engine wars as this helps to narrow down exactly what people are searching for.

4. Consider misspelled keywords

Everyone makes mistakes when they are typing, so who’s to say that your searchers don’t make this same mistake when typing in search queries ” take advantage of this.

5. Constantly Change Your Keywords

Keywords should be evaluated frequently for performance. This can be done by reviewing your website statistics to see which terms are being effective in driving traffic to your website.

So don’t waste your hard earned money on keywords that just won’t give you customers. Take these tips into account when evaluating your keywords and see the customers start knocking down your door.

About the Author:
Courtney Mills is a contributing writer for ineedhits.com.

According to Forbes magazine (April 29, 2008), Houston ranks #7 among top recession-proof cities in the United States.

The articles authour Joshua Zumbrun writes:

“Nationally, home prices are falling, unemployment is on the rise and the economy is expected to grow slowly–or even contract–in the first half of the year. But some cities are doing just fine.”

Among them Houston and its surrounding metro area including The Woodlands and Conroe where many MH1 Web Design and Hosting clients are based. Of the 2008 Houston market, the article summarizes:

Median home price: +1.1%
Unemployment: 4.2% (from 4.5%)
Key growth: Natural resources, +5.9%; construction, +4.7%

Call it Energy City, USA. Houston’s economy has been so robust that it’s one of the few cities in the country where manufacturing is growing. The city’s future is heavily tied to energy, as the home to ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Plains All American Pipeline, Halliburton and Reliant Energy.

Read the Forbes article in its entirety: http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/29/cities-recession-places-forbeslife-cx_jz_0429realestate.html .

Keywords are important, but there’s a wrong way and a right way to deploy them.

While seeding content with keywords is useful — there are mistakes that everyone makes when trying to get their sites noticed by the search engines. Be careful not to repeat these freshman errors; at best you may alienate users, at worst your site will be excluded from search engine databases.

The ‘relevenace’ of a page is decided by a number of factors, including the number of times a specific searched for word appears. Search engines are alos designed to seek out and ignore deliberate repetition. So, if you have a site about garden gnomes and your place the words “gnome, gnome, gnome, gnome..” in your keywords, your page may get filtered out.

Similarly, it is unwise to put keywords in your pages that attract hits that don’t have anything to do with the content within. So, leave references to podcasting, and Kelly Clarkson out of the keywords for your online flower shop. The practice of keyword stuffing is no longer thought of as good search engine optimization practice. Balance is everything.

Source: Practical Web Design magazine

Businesspeople possess a unique opportunity to be more than just a cash funnel to their customers. A few steps to improve the company blog can work wonders for customer relations.

The next competitor to you doesn’t have to beat you on price if he or she has the customer’s love. In this century, any illusions you still entertain about controlling the customer relationship need to be pummeled from you forthwith.

Fear not, I have a large club full of ideas and a decent reach. We’re going to improve your company blogging today…

You don’t have one? Please get one. Easy free solutions from Google’s Blogger or from WordPress exist.

Committing time to blogging will be a problem? I’m terribly sorry. I don’t have a tissue handy.

See, the time used to blog shouldn’t be viewed as a consumption, but as an investment. You don’t complain about taking money to the bank, do you?

I’m letting you in on a big secret about human nature, one that few people understand well if they do know it. People want to believe in something. Your customers want to believe in your authoritative voice on the topic of whatever it is you have to place in a virtual shopping cart.

They long to understand that in a world of beeps, boops, and boings, someone listens. You are in a business which I expect you understand at least in a nominal fashion. Share that understanding. Yes, the difference between Product Version 1 and Version 1.1 may be nominal, trivial, and pedantic to discuss.

It’s a piece of information you understand. Conveying it through the company blog says “I know these things, I know them well, and you’re a better consumer for doing business with me.” People want this, conveyed a little more gently, probably. 

The investment you make consists of details, provided through a blog. It’s marketing, brand reinforcement, and an ongoing solicitation to do business with an absolute professional. Provided, naturally, you communicate that way.

Blogging quality ranges from outstanding to “did this person skip grammar and spelling in school” types of bloggers. Spellcheck fixes a multitude of sins, and having a trusted person look at your post to find the stuff spellcheck missed will grab most, if not all, of the rest.

No matter how much work you put into blogging, you’re going to make a mistake somewhere. My personal demon: writing billion for million and vice versa. No idea why, but I’ve done it a couple of times and had it pointed out to me. Sometimes even politely.

This is how you handle a mistake you made, in blogging and I think elsewhere in the business. Acknowledge it, fix it, and move forward to the next issue. People seem to want contrition as much as they want to believe in something. Provide a reason to forgive; fix the problem. Letting a mistake simmer to boiling over the proverbial pot will leave you regretting it.

As for the negative comments you will see at some point, gain what you can from them. The most annoying person in the world may have a valid argument. These days, they expect to be able to express it; worthy complaints merit a decent response.

I can’t tell you how to be interesting, funny, and compelling with your writing. We’re all different, in blogging and elsewhere. Write honestly, authoritatively, and regularly (a post a day, you can manage that), and leave no one the option to claim you aren’t trying to embrace your customers.

About the Author:
David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.