How A Domain Name Can Influence SEO
[sg_popup id=”10″ event=”click”]Considering [/sg_popup]
how important domain names are to the branding of your company and SEO, you need to know a lot about how they work and what makes one great before deciding on a name.
Domain names fall in two top-level domain (TLD) categories: (a) generic, such as .com, .net, .org; and (b) country code, such as .au, .nz, or .in.
As you will find in the infographic by Hosting Tribunal, their price depends on the type of TLD you choose, with .com and .net being the most popular ones. But, unfortunately, most of the .com TLDs are already taken, and so you might have to get quite creative to get one that relates to your business.
When it comes to branding, you need to choose a domain name that best describes your business, like Insurance.com or PrivateJet.com, so that people can quickly identify the site with your brand.
The TLD you decide to go with can depend on your goals. Generic TLDs may have stiff competition but are great if you want to rank globally. Country code TLDs are best for those who have local businesses and want to rank high in their countries.
Previously, the age of a domain, including a keyword and having an exact domain match (EMD) in the domain name, was vital to SEO, but today things have changed.
EMD can be an excellent ranking factor only if you have a high-quality website and a target keyword added at the start of your domain. In this case, it can give you an edge over those sites entirely without it, or have it in the middle, or at the end.
Hence, to enjoy a high rank from your domain name you need to pick a short one that is devoid of hyphens and numbers so that users can easily remember it.
Also, an extended domain registration matters since search engines determine the legitimacy of a domain depending on its expiry date. This is because illegitimate domains tend to be used for only a year.
More so, you should always first determine that a domain name hasn’t already been registered before using it to avoid copyright and trademark issues.
For more on domain name facts and how to effectively use them, read the infographic below: