Anyone who an online business from home starts, faces the choice of a domain for their own website after the business idea has been found. Selecting an address from the multitude of options that is relevant and successful in Google's ranking often proves challenging. Since the domain is a critical part of the marketing concept, founders should choose their website's name cleverly.
The mystery of Google ranking factors
When experts talk about search engine optimization (SEO), they mean setting up homepages and their content with the goal of appearing near the top of Google's search results. Very few users type a website's internet address directly into the browser's address bar. SEO is therefore highly relevant, regardless of a domain's popularity. Founders should take this into account when they buy a domain.
Google keeps the algorithm that determines the order of displayed search results largely secret. Some of the more than 200 different factors have been confirmed officially. Others remain undisclosed to prevent targeted manipulation of the search results. Experts agree, however, that key criteria for ranking are the trustworthiness and the added value of a website's content.
Domain structure and options
The address of a website consists of three components that affect search engine optimization to varying degrees:
- “www.”: The subdomain has no impact on SEO.
- Extensions such as “.de” or “.com”: Google only differentiates based on country codes when it comes to relevance. A “.de” extension therefore receives a higher ranking in Germany than other country extensions.
- Domain name: The actual name of the website is the main component of the address and has the greatest influence on SEO. A distinction is made between keyword domains, brand domains, and combinations.
Keyword domains
Keyword domains contain desired search terms in the name. If founders invest time in good and relevant content for the search term on their own homepage, it will already be preferred in Google's ranking for that keyword. A keyword domain is therefore not strictly necessary. A keyword domain alone, without relevant added value for the search term, is even penalized by Google.
Using keywords in the website's name can make sense when there is little competition for the respective keyword. Often, however, the desired keyword domain or similar names already exist, so founders can hardly distinguish themselves from competitors with these domains.
Brand domains
With brand domains, owners use their brand or company name. These website names are particularly relevant for users because they are easier to remember due to their uniqueness. However, many hyphens, umlauts or numbers unnecessarily make correct entry more difficult. As part of the marketing concept, brand domains have a positive effect on image and corporate identity. Because brand names are not chosen arbitrarily, are authentic and distinctive, brand domains are in most cases the better option. As with keyword domains, it is advisable to check availability and possible similarities to already registered domain names beforehand.
Use audience-oriented domains
A suitable domain name is an important factor for the long-term success of a project. Therefore, a domain should not be selected solely for SEO reasons, but from the user's perspective. It's important, for example, that the name is not too complicated. Once the domain name is chosen, other aspects of SEO become relevant.Successfully doing SEO, is not an easy task that can be completed quickly, but definitely requires a lot of time and more than just the right domain name..
