Choosing A Brandable Domain For A Flagship Blog
February 11th, 2008 by CourtThis article is part of my flagship blogging series.
In order to choose an effective domain name for a flagship blog, you will need to consider two very important factors:
- The flagship blog’s topic
- Brandability of the potential domain name
Using A Domain That Matches The Topic
Using a domain name that matches your topic can make it easier to remember and identify with. Some examples of great domain names that take advantage of this principal are:
- Techcrunch.com
- Problogger.net
- Treehugger.com
- Copyblogger.com
- SEOBook.com
- Lifehacker.com
- Consumerist.com
By taking a simple look at each of those domain names, a person that had never seen them before would probably be able to get a pretty good idea of what the sites were about.
On the other hand, there are plenty of sites that have been able to make it big without using a name that’s relevant to their topic. I chose to use CourtneyTuttle.com and no one would know what the site is about without first having a look at it. What will it mean for you if you choose a name that is unrelated to your topic? It will mean more branding work - which is ok if you have a plan to overcome the stumbling blocks that come along with it.
Brandability Of Domains
When you choose a domain, the most important thing you’re looking for is a name that can be branded. Here are some examples of some sites that have very strong brands:
- Problogger.net
- JohnChow.com
- Engadget.com
- Techcrunch.com
- Hostgator.com
- BoingBoing.net
- DoshDosh.com
- Shoemoney.com
- Google.com
- Apple.com
- SEOBook.com
- Digg.com
- GuyKawasaki.com
What is the common thread among all of these names? By looking closely you will see that they aren’t that much alike, except for the fact that they are all pretty easy to remember and simple. Some of them are people’s names, some of them are business names. Some are even made up names.
Keep your name simple and go with something that you can brand. You can use your own name if you would like but be very careful going this route. Unless you are 100% sure that you have found a topic that you will do for your entire life, I would choose something else.
The Truth About Branding Domains
The honest truth is that the real branding work comes long after the domain is purchased. I could have used a lot of different names with the same effectiveness as CourtneyTuttle.com. My branding is a work in progress and has little to do with the domain I decided to go with.
Keyword-In-Domain Question
Now when we talk about keyword targeting, I recommended going with domains that have your keywords in them. For flagship blogging, I would actually recommend staying away from this and going with names that are more brandable. The difference between the two sites of sites is very distinct - one relies on residual traffic and the other doesn’t.
Where Should You Register Domains?
It really doesn’t matter. I use ProudDomains.com for my domains because I like their hosting options, price points, and reliability. They have 24-hour customer service that you can call into and that’s a huge plus. Use whoever you want, it really doesn’t matter.
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February 11th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
What kind of blocks will I have to overcome for using my name as my brand?
I think that the “2 word” or syllable approach for any domain name is easier to remember and more likely to stick for a person trying to create a brand. Your list seemed to have this effect.
Toki
February 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Well Toki you’ll have to overcome the exact same obstacles I had.
No one is going to know who you are. They also won’t know if you know what you’re doing. You will have to establish credibility and expertise in your field - the key to creating a personal brand that sticks.
Even though you have to do this whether you are an individual or company, going with your own name puts more pressure on you as an individual.
February 11th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
So do you HIGHLY recommend a person’s first blog to be focused on keyword-sniping, and having a domain name with the keyword in it (rather than a unique, catchy name), just because making a successful flagship blog takes a lot of experience?
February 11th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to start with a flagship blog as long as you realize that it’s going to take some time.
Keyword sniping is quicker and easier, though. There are huge advantages to both methods so you simply have to pick the one that suits you - or you can use both.
February 12th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Nice info Court. I like how you broke down the domains in two separate categories. I think this is something that most people don’t give much thought to when choosing a domain.
February 12th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I was going through your ‘d-list’ of sites and since there were so many, I picked out the ones that I wanted to comment on, but I picked it out based on their domain name.
Having a domain name that tells me what your site is about does wonders especially with a list like that.
~Dawn
February 13th, 2008 at 5:06 am
I think the most important when choosing domain is not to keep it short, as most of really good domains are already taken, but to explain with the domain name some of the aspects of the content. And the most momorable domains probably have 2 words or part of them but still 2. This will both help you having a keywords in the name and make it easier for the public to remember it and give it regular visits
.
Good Luck!
Alexander
February 13th, 2008 at 9:32 am
While my little website is not just a blog, the ideas presented in this article were something that I thought about. I wanted the name of the website to tell people exactly what the site would be about without them ever having been to it. In this way, it is easier for folks to decide whether it’s a topic they are interested in.
While I’m sure this hurts traffic a little bit, it ensures that my target audience are the primary people that go and actually read my site.
Once again, thank you Courtney for a super imformative and well written article. Your advice has helped me in more ways than you can imagine:-) Anyone reading this, I highly suggest that you listen to what Ms./Mrs. Tuttle has to say…she knows what she is talking about!
http://www.livingwithanerd.com
February 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
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February 16th, 2008 at 10:55 am
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February 18th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Nice post Courtney, I would like to add two very important tips. First, when looking for a domain name, you should strongly consider purchasing a domain that is already in use and has some age. Any domain over 5 years old will do VERY well on Google in terms of ranking for keywords. Just be sure to check the domain wasn’t previously banned or blacklisted. Secondly, you should register your domain for the maximum 10 years…I found this incredible tip from reading Problogger and trust me, it has helped with my Search Engine rankings..I think the SE’s think a long registered name shows you are not a spam site and you are serious about business! Remember, money never sleeps!
February 18th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I like how you broke down the domains in two separate categories.I think s okay for sure
March 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
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March 25th, 2008 at 7:56 am
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June 25th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I’m a new here so I’m a bit confused. I have 180 keywords that i marked as Green, so Do i buy a domain and make blogs in it for many keywords or do I buy a separate domain for Every single keyword?