New 67 Character Domain Names.
New Longer Domain Names
Your domain name (yourname.com) can now be 67 characters long. Yikes I thought the first time I heard that. Many domain names are already too long to remember, what are they going to do with domains two and half times as long?
There turns out to be three good answers to that question:
(1) You may need a long domain to spell out your business’ full name. JimBobs-Emporium-AutoParts-CommunityCollege-and-Pizzaria.com now has a home.
(2) You can use a well-known sentence or phrase for your domain name. Just like the techniques country music songwriters use, people will be able to remember your phrase. DoesMyRingHurtYourFingerWhenYouGoOutAt Night.com
(3) You can list your most important keywords in your domain. Search engines tend to rank sites higher if the word people are searching with is included in the site’s domain name.
This week I used the keyword method and registered:
internet-marketing-plan-website-promotion-press-release-writer.com
Promote on Search Engines With a Long Domain
Search engines tend to list sites higher if the keyword people search for is listed in the domain name. If you type “shortcake” into a search engine, you will probably get sites like shortcake.com and Lilas-shortcakes.com.
Search engines have a slight preference for domain names where the words are set apart with dashes. It is easier for their computers to parse the name into recognizable words.
Many savvy entrepreneurs are hurrying to register longer domain names that include their most important search words.
I wasn’t sure if the search words I would use to find my site would be the same as the words prospects would use. Fortunately, Goto.com has a free service that lets you type in your keyword. It comes back with all the related keywords Goto visitors have used including the number of times the term has been used. See http://goto.com
Turns out people search a lot for internet, marketing, and marketing plan. They also like website promotion. Of all the things I offer, press releases are their favorite search term.
Keep in mind I won’t direct customers to this site, just use it for getting listed on search engines.
Registering Your Long Domain Name
As I write this, the usual domain registration places aren’t participating in the stampede to get long domain names.
Network Solutions who formerly was the sole registration service isn’t currently set up for the longer domains. You may have a bit of trouble finding a place to get your big domain.
Get a list of ICANN-accredited registration firms at:
http://whois.internic.net/regist.html
The banners above and below this article will let you register your domain with registrars.com , ICANN’s arm in the United States. They instantly granted my request for a domain name, but getting it transferred over to my host’s servers took three days due to a flood of new registrations. Since then, Registrars has hired several more people who handle the load.
If you are in a hurry to get your new domain set up, you will be smart to get your DNS information from your host in advance, then include it with your online registration application.
Dr. Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copywriting. See his 10,000 marketing ideas and popular promotion packages at http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at kevin@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.
