What’s In A Domain Name?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Domain names are important for several reasons. Many search engine optimization experts will tell you that you need your keyword in your domain name and there are plenty of reasons why that is good advice. But it may not always be necessary. There are plenty of successful websites that do not have keywords in them. Here are a few:

• Google
• Yahoo!
• Flickr
• Twitter
• Dosh Dosh

The list could go on, but you get the point. You’ve likely heard of some of these companies. Why are they so successful without keywords in the domain names?

A part of the reason is branding. Yahoo! was started long before the process that we now call search engine optimization was important. There were no SEOs then. Yahoo! wasn’t even a search engine and didn’t own one. It was a directory. So why doesn’t it include the word “directory” in its domain name?

To be sure, including a keyword in your domain name has its benefits. SEO benefits as well as branding benefits. But as more and more domain names with keywords get taken, that leaves fewer options for new businesses who want a domain name with their important keyword in it. That’s not to say that all the good domain names are taken because I don’t believe that is true. But it bears repeating that domain names are important for every business and you should put a lot of thought into yours even if you dispense without the keywords.