Choosing between a brandable domain name and a keyword-rich domain name can be challenging. What factors should businesses consider when deciding whether to choose a brandable or keyword-rich domain name, and how can they find the right balance?
Choosing the right domain name is crucial for a business as it's an essential element of its identity in the digital space. Both brandable and keyword-rich domain names have their advantages, and the decision should be based on individual business needs and goals.
Let's start by defining both:
Brandable Domain Names: These are unique and typically don't contain generic keywords. For instance, "Google.com" or "Netflix.com." Their significant advantage is that they're memorable, foster uniqueness, and allow for broad market potential.
Keyword-Rich Domain Names: These feature relevant keywords for your business or industry. e.g., "OnlineShoeStore.com" or "BestPizzaChicago.com." They may improve SEO (depending on the search engine's current algorithm), and they give an immediate understanding of what the website is about.
When deciding between a brandable or keyword-rich domain name, businesses should consider the following factors:
Nature of the Business: If your business model is niche-specific, a keyword-rich domain may be beneficial. However, if your business model is broader or you hope to expand into other areas in the future, a brandable domain might be a better choice.
SEO Strategy: Some believe that keyword-rich domains can boost search engine rankings. However, Google's algorithm continues to evolve, and the impact of having a keyword in your domain name has lessened over time. Instead, Google places more importance on useful, relevant content and user experience. Keyword-rich domains can still signal relevance to visitors initially but should be backed by high-quality content for SEO.
Brand Image and Memorability: Brandable names are generally more unique and easier to remember, which can drive direct traffic. They can also enable you to build a distinct brand image.
Business Growth and Expansion: Brandable names provide more flexibility if you plan to expand your business offerings or pivot in the future.
Availability and Price: It can be challenging to find a keyword-rich domain that has not already been taken, especially in a saturated market. Similarly, a unique brandable name can be costly if it's highly sought after.
Balancing between both options can be done this way:
Instead of entirely focusing on brands or keywords, consider a hybrid approach. That is, creating a memorable, brandable domain name that also includes an industry keyword. This approach gives you the flexibility and identity of a brandable name, plus the potential SEO benefit of keyword inclusion.
Factors to consider when choosing between a brandable and keyword-rich domain name:
1. Legality and Trademark Issues: Ensure the domain name chosen doesn't infringe on existing trademarks or copyrights. This applies to both brandable and keyword-rich domain names. Legal issues could be potentially disruptive and costly to your business.
2. The Target Audience: Consider what would resonate more with your target audience. Brand names can evoke emotions and connect more deeply with users, helping your target audience remember your business. Keyword-rich domains, on the other hand, can convey the nature of your business clearly and quickly.
3. Competition: Consider the competition in your niche. In some heavily saturated fields, a brandable domain might give you an edge by differentiating your business. On the other hand, a keyword-centric domain might help a company compete in less crowded, more specific fields, or when the focus is more on the offerings than the brand.
4. Longevity: Trends come and go, and keyword fads change rapidly. A brandable domain name that doesn't rely on current keyword trends may age better and remain relevant in the long run.
5. Pronunciation and Spelling: Brandable names should be easy to pronounce and spell. Avoid quirky spellings, unusual word combinations, or anything else that might confuse someone hearing your website's name orally.
6. Domain Extension: The '.com' extension is globally recognized and lends credibility to your busineess. Unfortunately, finding a '.com' with popular keywords can be challenging and costly. You may have to be creative or venture into other extensions like '.io', '.tech', '.net', etc.
In terms of finding a balance, consider these tips:
1. Brainingstorming: Brainstorm a list of words that reflect your brand's mission, value, products, and services. Mix and match them to see if you come up with a unique, yet relevant, domain name.
2. Using Modifiers: If you are keen on including keywords but find all good domains taken, consider adding modifiers (like 'best', 'top', 'my', etc.) to your keyword.
3. Compound Words or Phrases: You can create a memorable brand name by combining two relevant words, like "Facebook" or "Snapchat." These names are both unique (brandable) and suggest something about the service (keyword relevance).
4. Consulting a Naming Service: There are online domain name generators or naming agencies that can help you combine keywords in unique ways to create brandable names.
Ultimately, the domain name should support the overall business strategy and align with the brand's persona and values. Both brandability and keyword-centric options offer advantages and can be successful when implemented effectively.
Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each approach.
Brandable Domain Names
Pros:
Uniqueness: Brandable domains are often original and unique, helping set your business apart from competitors.
Versatility: They're not tied to a specific product or service, allowing for future growth or changes in business direction without the domain name becoming irrelevant.
Memorable: Brandable names are often more memorable, making it easier for customers to recall and return to your site.
Brand Identity: A brandable name can more effectively communicate your brand's personality, values, and mission.
Cons:
Visibility: They may be harder to get noticed initially since they don't communicate what your business does upfront.
SEO: Brandable domains may need more substantial SEO efforts to rank for related keywords, as opposed to keyword-rich domains.
Pronunciation and Spelling: If chosen poorly, a brandable name could be hard to spell or pronounce, leading to difficulties in finding your site.
Keyword-Rich Domain Names
Pros:
SEO: They can potentially improve search engine rankings as they tell search engines what your site is about.
Clarity: They communicate immediately what your business is about, giving potential customers a quick understanding of your products/services.
Trust: If someone is looking specifically for the service or product in your domain, they might see your site as more relevant and trustworthy.
Cons:
Scalability: If your business expands into different products or services, your domain might become limiting or irrelevant.
Memorability: Keyword-rich domains can often be less unique or memorable than brandable domains, especially if they're generic.
Availability: High-value keyword-rich domains are often taken, and getting hold of them can be more expensive.
Trademark Issues: There could be more chances of running into trademarks or copyrights infringement issues, especially with popular industry keywords.
While these pros and cons can help inform your decision, remember that they aren't absolutes. For instance, SEO benefits of keyword-rich domain names are not as potent as they were in the past, Google has moved towards favoring quality content and good user experience. Likewise, a well-chosen brandable name can become highly memorable and rank well with a robust SEO strategy. Therefore, it's a matter of analyzing these factors against your business's specific objectives and circumstances.
Brandable Names
Pros:
Flexibility: Brandable domains often offer broader flexibility when it comes to rebranding or pivoting your business because they aren't tied to specific keywords.
Customer Perception: They can help you build a brand image that's perceived as more authoritative or trustworthy as your business scales.
Cons:
Initial Traffic Acquisition: It might be challenging to drive organic traffic until you've established a reputation and built some level of brand awareness.
Requires Marketing Effort: You will need to invest in marketing efforts to communicate what your business is about since the domain name itself doesn't specify your offerings.
Keyword-Rich Names
Pros:
Immediate Understanding: For small businesses and start-ups, a keyword-rich domain can give an immediate understanding of the services you provide.
Potential for Direct Type-In Traffic: Sometimes, users might just type in what they're looking for in the address bar, and if that's your domain name, they'll land directly on your website.
Cons:
May Appear Spammy: If not chosen carefully, they can sometimes give an impression of being less trustworthy or spammy.
Lack of Uniqueness: It might be challenging to distinguish your brand from others as keyword-based domains often lack the uniqueness.
Marrying Both Approaches
To make the most out of both worlds, marketers often try to create a domain name that's both brandable and includes central keywords to their business. This way:
You can imply what your business does to the users (thanks to the keyword)
Create a unique and memorable impression (with the brandable part)
Consider Amazon, for example. While "Amazon" is a brandable name, they have registered multiple domains like "amazonbooks.com" or "amazonmusic.com" which are both brandable and keyword-driven. These allow quicker understanding and relevancy for user searches, which increases trust and click-through rate.
Whichever route you choose, consider your long-term business goals and strategies, potential growth areas, your target audience, as well as availability and legality of your chosen domain name.
A unique, brandable name can stand out in a crowded market, while a keyword-rich name can drive traffic initially. Ultimately, consider which approach aligns with your business goals—do you want to build a lasting brand or capture immediate search traffic?
A clever blend of both could give you the edge you need.