Finding the right domain name can be a tricky business, and indeed, can mean the difference between success and failure in the online marketplace. As such, it is important to consider the following before choosing a domain name:
• FOR NEW SITES: Depending on your branding angle, pick a domain name that is either highly brandable (meaning that it can be easily and positively associated with your product or service) or has your primary keywords in it. Use a short and memorable domain name. It is fine if it does not have your keywords in it if it is memorable. For serious, long-term websites, a memorable domain name will be one of the key ingredients to success.
• If you are going to be working in competitive fields, or if you will have large sites, you may want to use a different domain for each different language you are targeting.
Examples of domain names I own: BlackHatSEO.com, SEOBook.com, FattyWeightLoss.com, and Threadwatch.org
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Picking a Domain Name
Picking a Product
You may read this title and think that you have already accomplished this step, and that your product (or your vision for your product) is already refined, wrapped, and ready for purchase. However, there are many key questions that should be considered before bringing your wares or service to customers:
• Are you interested in the product you are trying to sell? If not, why not choose a different product?
The Internet makes marketing anything a possibility. You are far more likely to succeed if you are interested in what you are trying to sell. Also, it is far easier to sell people what they want than to get them to want your product. Create something the market wants.
• Is the marketplace for your product oversaturated?
Examples: Posters, credit cards, prescription drugs, hosting, generic site design, and ink refills are all oversaturated markets. Breaking into these markets can be exceptionally difficult, so think carefully about what would make your product different and needed.
• Is the product something people would want to order over the web?
• Is there something you can do to make yourself different than everyone else on the market? (Please note: “cheaper” usually is not a legitimate branding/business model for most websites in a hyper-competitive market.)
Example: No other e-book covering SEO was supported by a blog that keeps up with the SEO industry every day (at least, not when I first wrote this one).
Another example: In 2002, I created a SEO “worst practices” directory. To this day, nobody else has made a site like it. It earned me thousands in the first year with a marketing budget well under $100.
In the end, ask yourself -- Would people want to link to your site without you asking them to? If not, what creative or original ideas can you add to your site to make people want to link to it?
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Use the Image Viewer Interface
When you do a normal Google search and then click a search result, you're sent to a web page. That's not how Google Image Search works. Instead, you're sent to an image viewer that gives you more information about the image and takes some actions on the image, as this task shows.1. Click a Search Result
When you see an image that you want more information about or that you want to use, click the image thumbnail on the search results page.2. Get Information About the Image
At the top of the page that appears, you find information about the image. You see a thumbnail of the image, the size of the image in pixels and kilobytes, and the URL of the web page on which the image is found. There also might be copyright information about the image. (For more information about images and copyright, see About Images and Copyright Law.3. View the Image on Its Original Page
The bottom half of the page shows the image on the page on which it was found by Google. If you want more information about the image, it's a good idea to read through the page.4. See the Full-Size Image
Click the See full-size image link located at the top of the image page to launch the image in its original size in a browser window.5. Save the Image to Disk
To save the image to your computer's hard disk, right-click the image on its source web page or in the full-size browser window. From the context menu that appears, select Save Picture As. Then select the folder to which you want to save the picture and click Save to save it.
