| If local businesses do not have a presence on the | | | | sending people to the website of the business with |
| internet, they risk losing customers to their local | | | | that .com domain name. |
| competitors that do have a website. | | | | What names should you consider for your business |
| More and more consumers are first checking things | | | | domain name? Let's say Smith's Best Cleaners is the |
| out on the web before getting in their cars to visit a | | | | name of your business. Imagine you get the domain |
| local business. From restaurants to cleaners, an | | | | name and promote this on flyers or in local ads. How |
| effective marketing-focused website creates a | | | | memorable is this domain name going to be? |
| relationship with potential and current customers. | | | | When considering what domain name to get, ask |
| How does a local business start getting an online | | | | yourself: What are the most compelling attributes of |
| presence? | | | | my cleaning business? Do I have the lowest prices? |
| In the beginning there is the name. And, of course, a | | | | The quickest turnaround time? The longest hours? |
| local business already has a name - the one that's on | | | | Do I have 24-hour drop off? |
| the front of the business. | | | | Now there's a thought. What if you have or could |
| Yet this may NOT be the name you should get for | | | | add a 24-hour drop off service and use that concept |
| your website. So let's talk about choosing the URL - | | | | for your website domain name? Then you could get |
| the domain name - for your business website. | | | | the domain name This domain name stands out |
| How easy or hard are you going to make it for | | | | because it promises a distinctive benefit. |
| customers or potential customers to find you on the | | | | Of course, to protect your business name, you |
| web? | | | | would also get the domain name and have this |
| Here are some of the considerations when choosing | | | | domain name redirect to You do this just in case |
| a good domain name: | | | | someone who does remember your business name |
| Is your business name really hard to spell? It's | | | | correctly types that name. |
| probably not a good idea to use your name. | | | | Yet, look at what you've done for marketing your |
| Or is your business name a weird spelling of a | | | | business by choosing a compelling benefit name for |
| common name? Then maybe it isn't a good idea for | | | | your website domain name rather than your business |
| you to use your business name. | | | | name or a common benefit such as "best cleaners" |
| Is your business name so common that this isn't a | | | | (whatever that means - best at what? price? getting |
| good idea (for example, Smith Cleaners)? | | | | out stains?). You've started an automatic marketing |
| Is the name of your local business so unmemorable | | | | campaign with a strong benefit premise that can |
| that people might not remember it (for example, | | | | make you stand out in your local market. |
| Best Cleaners)? | | | | That's using the deceptively simple act of choosing a |
| Is your already taken by someone else? If you get a | | | | website domain name as a smart marketing |
| .net or .net domain name, you may actually be | | | | technique. |