How to Choose a Domain Name for Niche Marketing

November 23, 2009 By Jackie Lee 45 Comments

choosingadomainname

In niche marketing, no matter which particular strategy you’ve chosen keywords are well… key. This stands true when it comes to choosing a domain name as well. The domain name you choose is like the first way you show google what your site is about.

Choosing a domain name is not hard, but there are some things you want to try to keep in mind when deciding, and of course it’s a little different depending on which strategy you’ve decided to follow, so let’s go through them and get an idea of how to choose a domain name for each niche marketing strategy. (mind you ~ these are guidelines ~ please do NOT let this trip you up and keep you from getting started ~ something is ALWAYS better than nothing)

First though, let’s talk about what domains you should use, as it’s always a question.

.com
.net
.org

top three in that order. Get them if you can. They work the best in search engines, and give people assurance that this is a real site.

I know .info is cheap ~ (just FYI they renew at full price the next year), and yes, I have used .info in the past, and they rank ~ it takes more work to get them there and keep them there has been my experience.

Keyword sniping:

As you can tell by the title of this strategy keywords are crucial to this strategy. You must have your exact keyword in the domain name. When I was studying with my coach on this method he told me it was fine to have extra words at the end or beginning of the keywords, but that was a couple years ago and I think times have changed. I believe there is a little boost in the rankings for having the exact and only the exact keyword in your domain name.

Ex. keyword is: crock pot replacement parts ~ domain name would be: www.crockpotreplacementparts.com

What do you do if you can’t get that? Try to get the .net or .org. Can’t get those? Then I’d look for another keyword unless it is just too perfect then I’d try the .info ~ but really ~ there are a million keywords out there, I’d stick to one that fits the criteria.

Microniche Sites:

Same criteria as above.

Niche Blogging:

This is where it gets a little different. You are going to be writing a bunch of posts on related topics, so you want to pick a keyword that has good search volume, low competition, but ALSO encompasses the rest of your keywords.

Ex. If you are doing a site all about crock pots ~ cooking, crock pots, parts etc ~ you wouldn’t want to choose crock pot replacement parts as your domain keyword because it’s too specific. You would want to find something that is more general to use ~ but it still needs to be a “good keyword”. Best crock pot fits the bill. With good search volume, and well within the guidelines of competition. (now whether that’s available as a domain name or not is another issue ~ but you get the example)

Something general enough to encompass all the keywords you will be talking about in your site, but still a good keyword.

*** I am using the exact same search volume and competition criteria for these keywords as I use when I do Squidoo lenses. Just FYI.

Niche domination:

Again, because you are targeting specific keywords you want the exact keyword you are targeting in your domain name. Even if this is for Squidoo ~ you still want it to be the same. If you have to start using extra stuff in your url to get the domain name you might want to rethink your niche, because other people on squidoo are doing it too ~ there’s plenty of niches out there ~ why not pick one where you don’t have to compete.

Authority Blogging:

This one gives you the most leeway. You can really choose anything niche related or even your name. This is a long term project, and you’re building your brand more than a keyword. Your content will be what you target your keywords to. So whatever sounds good/works good for you is what will work.

ex. problogger.net, entrepreneurs-journey.com, roadtobikeacrosskansas.com ~ whatever your topic, you can choose your domain name.

When you’ve decided on a domain name go ahead and grab it cheap for your new site.

Hopefully I’ve made choosing a domain name a little more clear. If you have questions ~ please ask them in the comments section. Let’s get started!