Domain Name Strategies Maximize Profits
Whether you want to come up with your own original name or wish to buy someone else's, here are some strategies for obtaining a profitable domain name.
1. Do It Now!
If you do think of or find a good domain name, don't procrastinate. Register or buy it now!
I've thought of a good name, checked it for availability, and then slept on it. When I went to register, the name was gone. Years ago, one of my clients delayed in registering his company name and within a month someone else registered it.
The situation is even worse now. There is a lot of domain name speculation going on. Many simply register a name in the hope of selling it later to someone who desperately wants the domain. It's really true in the domain name registration world: If you snooze, you lose.
2. Register Dot Com
There are practical reasons why you should consider registering a dot com name if at all possible.
When you go to sell, dot coms generally seem to go for more money than other Top Level Domains. Why is that? It has been suggested that dot org or dot net are perceived to be second-rate because the owner either couldn't afford to buy the dot com name or their competitor had the foresight to register it first. (Obviously, an ISP having a dot net or a non-profit organization having a dot org would not necessarily be perceived in this way.)
Additionally, dot coms are easier for people to remember. If you have a dot org or a dot net, it is just one more thing for people to have to remember. First, people have to remember your website's name; then, they have to remember that your TLD (Top Level Domain) is not the
commonly assumed dot com. You could lose some traffic to your dot com competitor.
3. Is It Practical?
Do you have a business use for the domain name? Is your name short and memorable? Does it describe or brand your business? Does it infringe on any trademarks? Is it free of hyphens, numbers, and other extraneous or confusing elements? Give some careful thought to the above factors before registering or buying your domain name. It could be one of the best investments you ever made.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Domain Name Registration - Key Tips
Domain Name Registration - Key Tips
Domain name registration is a necessary, easy, and strategically important first step in establishing an online presence, whether for business or otherwise. A well-chosen domain name
registration can set you up for success with your new site in so many ways, the most prominent of these being increased search engine traffic. Here's some vital elements to consider when executing your domain name registration.
A good domain name registration, particularly for an online business, (which is the main focus of this article) is easily done, but at the same time requires choices that will impact your site's effectiveness. So here, in no particular order, are some things to bear in mind when doing a domain name registration. The extension - Will it be a .com, .net, .org, .info etc. Any of these will get spidered and indexed by the search engines, but if you can get a .com for your chosen name you'd be better off, as this extension is more common and carries an air of legitimacy with it.
Try not to have you domain name registration with your web host. The reason being that should you decide to part ways with your host, (and this isn't uncommon!) it's potentially a massive headache to move your domain as well. Split them up: you'll be glad you did!
Your domain name registration, purchased from a reputable company should run you somewhere between $1-10, depending on the extension and the amount of time you sign up for.
Probably the most important aspect of your domain name registration is the choice of keywords to use in your domain name. Try to use the main keyword or phrase you'd like to optimize the whole site for, and see if you can craft a domain name around it. The search engines seem to favor keyword-rich domain names. Nuff said. Keep it short if possible. A shorter name is easier to remember than a long one.
Don't use your company name unless it has your keywords in it. There's no point in ranking high for your name if no one is looking for it yet. Try to keep your domain name registration topically relevant. As search engines get smarter and smarter, sites that display total relevance will rank higher than catch all sites. Lastly, be sure to avoid other companies trademarks and copyrights in your domain name. For example, let's say you're an affiliate of The Sharper Image. It's tempting to use some version of that name to promote your affiliate site, but don't do it, unless of course you'd like to meet their lawyers!
To sum up, your domain name registration is easy to do, but important to do well. It can make the difference in whether you get found or not!
Domain name registration is a necessary, easy, and strategically important first step in establishing an online presence, whether for business or otherwise. A well-chosen domain name
registration can set you up for success with your new site in so many ways, the most prominent of these being increased search engine traffic. Here's some vital elements to consider when executing your domain name registration.
A good domain name registration, particularly for an online business, (which is the main focus of this article) is easily done, but at the same time requires choices that will impact your site's effectiveness. So here, in no particular order, are some things to bear in mind when doing a domain name registration. The extension - Will it be a .com, .net, .org, .info etc. Any of these will get spidered and indexed by the search engines, but if you can get a .com for your chosen name you'd be better off, as this extension is more common and carries an air of legitimacy with it.
Try not to have you domain name registration with your web host. The reason being that should you decide to part ways with your host, (and this isn't uncommon!) it's potentially a massive headache to move your domain as well. Split them up: you'll be glad you did!
Your domain name registration, purchased from a reputable company should run you somewhere between $1-10, depending on the extension and the amount of time you sign up for.
Probably the most important aspect of your domain name registration is the choice of keywords to use in your domain name. Try to use the main keyword or phrase you'd like to optimize the whole site for, and see if you can craft a domain name around it. The search engines seem to favor keyword-rich domain names. Nuff said. Keep it short if possible. A shorter name is easier to remember than a long one.
Don't use your company name unless it has your keywords in it. There's no point in ranking high for your name if no one is looking for it yet. Try to keep your domain name registration topically relevant. As search engines get smarter and smarter, sites that display total relevance will rank higher than catch all sites. Lastly, be sure to avoid other companies trademarks and copyrights in your domain name. For example, let's say you're an affiliate of The Sharper Image. It's tempting to use some version of that name to promote your affiliate site, but don't do it, unless of course you'd like to meet their lawyers!
To sum up, your domain name registration is easy to do, but important to do well. It can make the difference in whether you get found or not!
Domain Name Registration and Privacy
Domain Name Registration and Privacy
The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few small details. When you register your first domain name, you get your introduction to one of them. There's a lot of information they want.
Your name, your email address, your physical address, your phone number. For each of 4 separate categories, and the Registrant, Admin and Technical categories are publicly available (for almost all TLDs - Top Level Domains, with the possible exception of .ws - Western Samoa).
Email addresses, which must be valid, phone numbers and physical addresses which also must be valid. I personally think it's both absurd and dangerous to make this information so easily available. Once again the right to privacy of law-abiding individuals is being abridged supposedly to help catch lawbreakers. Since this information would be provided under a court order, making it publicly available just invites abuse. Spammers, scammers, stalkers and the idle whacko can easily get this information. And it's a nice start on identity theft, too. However, for most people, the most likely result is an increase in the amount of spam you get. But, much worse can and has happened. So what solutions are there? Basically there two ways to protect your privacy if you are a private individual without access to a legal entity such as a company to own the domain name (note that if it is a company, you must provide accurate information. This only moves the problem to a slightly less personal level).
First you could lie. No, that's not one of the ways. Unwise and illegal too, and you are a law-abiding type, right? So, first, a proxy registration is one alternative. Essentially you make a binding legal agreement with a company which will register the domain name as if they owned it and then provide their own information to meet the requirements. For each domain, they will set-up a special email which they will monitor and forward to you, usually after spam filtering, if you want them to.
They, of course, retain your data and will also monitor physical mail. You will be notified of first class mail which appears to or could be legal documents or if registered or couriered mail arrives. They will, for a fee, ship such to you, if you agree and pay. Generally such items would be sent by courier. Phone callers will be directed to use the email or physical address shown in the WhoIs record Of course, under subpoena or other specified conditions they will provide your details. You will have full rights as owner - as long as you behave and don't violate the greement.
The other alternative, usually called "private registration", is a little different. Here your name would still appear as registrant. You would provide the names of the admin and technical contacts. But the address, email and phone number would be provided and monitored by the organization handling the private registration in essentially the same manner as a proxy registration. Thus with this alternative you remain in full legal control of your domain name since it is registered in your name rather than the name of a proxy.
On the face of it this second alternative sounds better, but your name is hanging out there on view and you may have valid reasons for not wanting that (perhaps the company you work for takes a dim view of moonlighting, or you have had a stalking problem or are doing something perfectly legitimate but don't want your name linked to it).In that case, a proxy registration is the only real alternative.
In case you're thinking you can hide out and do whatever sort of bad stuff behind a proxy or private registration, don't even dream about it. These outfits take it very personally if you misbehave and the legal agreements spell it out. If you decide to pursue a proxy or private registration, make very sure that you are working with a legitimate company with a track record. A domain name can be a very valuable
possession. Both your registrar and, if it's a separate organization, the entity that does the proxy or private registration must be quality, legitimate outfits. Registrars offering extremely low prices which are way out of line with the going rates - unless it's a special - just might be after your credit card and identity. Also, this time, actually read the agreement and TOS so you do know what you're doing and what could happen under what circumstances.
Wondering why I'm writing about this? Well, it's because I'm getting more and more spam and I started doing some research on possible solutions. And I figured, I wan't the only one looking to do something about the problem. And then, I discovered that some registrars will provide free proxy or private registration with your domain name purchase. So think about it and do some checking before you buy a domain name. Your privacy is a precious possession.
The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few small details. When you register your first domain name, you get your introduction to one of them. There's a lot of information they want.
Your name, your email address, your physical address, your phone number. For each of 4 separate categories, and the Registrant, Admin and Technical categories are publicly available (for almost all TLDs - Top Level Domains, with the possible exception of .ws - Western Samoa).
Email addresses, which must be valid, phone numbers and physical addresses which also must be valid. I personally think it's both absurd and dangerous to make this information so easily available. Once again the right to privacy of law-abiding individuals is being abridged supposedly to help catch lawbreakers. Since this information would be provided under a court order, making it publicly available just invites abuse. Spammers, scammers, stalkers and the idle whacko can easily get this information. And it's a nice start on identity theft, too. However, for most people, the most likely result is an increase in the amount of spam you get. But, much worse can and has happened. So what solutions are there? Basically there two ways to protect your privacy if you are a private individual without access to a legal entity such as a company to own the domain name (note that if it is a company, you must provide accurate information. This only moves the problem to a slightly less personal level).
First you could lie. No, that's not one of the ways. Unwise and illegal too, and you are a law-abiding type, right? So, first, a proxy registration is one alternative. Essentially you make a binding legal agreement with a company which will register the domain name as if they owned it and then provide their own information to meet the requirements. For each domain, they will set-up a special email which they will monitor and forward to you, usually after spam filtering, if you want them to.
They, of course, retain your data and will also monitor physical mail. You will be notified of first class mail which appears to or could be legal documents or if registered or couriered mail arrives. They will, for a fee, ship such to you, if you agree and pay. Generally such items would be sent by courier. Phone callers will be directed to use the email or physical address shown in the WhoIs record Of course, under subpoena or other specified conditions they will provide your details. You will have full rights as owner - as long as you behave and don't violate the greement.
The other alternative, usually called "private registration", is a little different. Here your name would still appear as registrant. You would provide the names of the admin and technical contacts. But the address, email and phone number would be provided and monitored by the organization handling the private registration in essentially the same manner as a proxy registration. Thus with this alternative you remain in full legal control of your domain name since it is registered in your name rather than the name of a proxy.
On the face of it this second alternative sounds better, but your name is hanging out there on view and you may have valid reasons for not wanting that (perhaps the company you work for takes a dim view of moonlighting, or you have had a stalking problem or are doing something perfectly legitimate but don't want your name linked to it).In that case, a proxy registration is the only real alternative.
In case you're thinking you can hide out and do whatever sort of bad stuff behind a proxy or private registration, don't even dream about it. These outfits take it very personally if you misbehave and the legal agreements spell it out. If you decide to pursue a proxy or private registration, make very sure that you are working with a legitimate company with a track record. A domain name can be a very valuable
possession. Both your registrar and, if it's a separate organization, the entity that does the proxy or private registration must be quality, legitimate outfits. Registrars offering extremely low prices which are way out of line with the going rates - unless it's a special - just might be after your credit card and identity. Also, this time, actually read the agreement and TOS so you do know what you're doing and what could happen under what circumstances.
Wondering why I'm writing about this? Well, it's because I'm getting more and more spam and I started doing some research on possible solutions. And I figured, I wan't the only one looking to do something about the problem. And then, I discovered that some registrars will provide free proxy or private registration with your domain name purchase. So think about it and do some checking before you buy a domain name. Your privacy is a precious possession.
Earn Money With Parked Domains
Earn Money With Parked Domains
Do you have domain names that you aren't using? Did you know that these domains can actually be a source of revenue for your online business? There are several companies on the internet that will pay you to redirect your domain to a landing page, with PPC links related to the keywords in your domain. You can earn real money every time one of your visitors click one of the links on your landing page, in addition to guaranteed ad revenue for each and every unique visitor that you recieve. Considering the fact that you can earn up to $5.00/click (depending on industry) with this type of program, there is no doubt that domain parking can be an extremely lucrative practice. If you would like to learn more about how to start earning money with your unused domain names and be recieving paycheques by the end of next month, take a look at
http://www.domainsponsor.com
Do you have domain names that you aren't using? Did you know that these domains can actually be a source of revenue for your online business? There are several companies on the internet that will pay you to redirect your domain to a landing page, with PPC links related to the keywords in your domain. You can earn real money every time one of your visitors click one of the links on your landing page, in addition to guaranteed ad revenue for each and every unique visitor that you recieve. Considering the fact that you can earn up to $5.00/click (depending on industry) with this type of program, there is no doubt that domain parking can be an extremely lucrative practice. If you would like to learn more about how to start earning money with your unused domain names and be recieving paycheques by the end of next month, take a look at
http://www.domainsponsor.com
Earn Money With Parked Domains
Earn Money With Parked Domains
Do you have domain names that you aren't using? Did you know that these domains can actually be a source of revenue for your online business? There are several companies on the internet that will pay you to redirect your domain to a landing page, with PPC links related to the keywords in your domain. You can earn real money every time one of your visitors click one of the links on your landing page, in addition to guaranteed ad revenue for each and every unique visitor that you recieve. Considering the fact that you can earn up to $5.00/click (depending on industry) with this type of program, there is no doubt that domain parking can be an extremely lucrative practice. If you would like to learn more about how to start earning money with your unused domain names and be recieving paycheques by the end of next month, take a look at
http://www.domainsponsor.com
Do you have domain names that you aren't using? Did you know that these domains can actually be a source of revenue for your online business? There are several companies on the internet that will pay you to redirect your domain to a landing page, with PPC links related to the keywords in your domain. You can earn real money every time one of your visitors click one of the links on your landing page, in addition to guaranteed ad revenue for each and every unique visitor that you recieve. Considering the fact that you can earn up to $5.00/click (depending on industry) with this type of program, there is no doubt that domain parking can be an extremely lucrative practice. If you would like to learn more about how to start earning money with your unused domain names and be recieving paycheques by the end of next month, take a look at
http://www.domainsponsor.com
Domain Name Registration and Privacy
Domain Name Registration and Privacy
The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few small details. When you register your first domain name, you get your introduction to one of them. There's a lot of information they want.
Your name, your email address, your physical address, your phone number. For each of 4 separate categories, and the Registrant, Admin and Technical categories are publicly available (for almost all TLDs - Top Level Domains, with the possible exception of .ws - Western Samoa).
Email addresses, which must be valid, phone numbers and physical addresses which also must be valid. I personally think it's both absurd and dangerous to make this information so easily available. Once again the right to privacy of law-abiding individuals is being abridged supposedly to help catch lawbreakers. Since this information would be provided under a court order, making it publicly available just invites abuse. Spammers, scammers, stalkers and the idle whacko can easily get this information. And it's a nice start on identity theft, too. However, for most people, the most likely result is an increase in the amount of spam you get. But, much worse can and has happened. So what solutions are there? Basically there two ways to protect your privacy if you are a private individual without access to a legal entity such as a company to own the domain name (note that if it is a company, you must provide accurate information. This only moves the problem to a slightly less personal level).
First you could lie. No, that's not one of the ways. Unwise and illegal too, and you are a law-abiding type, right? So, first, a proxy registration is one alternative. Essentially you make a binding legal agreement with a company which will register the domain name as if they owned it and then provide their own information to meet the requirements. For each domain, they will set-up a special email which they will monitor and forward to you, usually after spam filtering, if you want them to.
They, of course, retain your data and will also monitor physical mail. You will be notified of first class mail which appears to or could be legal documents or if registered or couriered mail arrives. They will, for a fee, ship such to you, if you agree and pay. Generally such items would be sent by courier. Phone callers will be directed to use the email or physical address shown in the WhoIs record Of course, under subpoena or other specified conditions they will provide your details. You will have full rights as owner - as long as you behave and don't violate the greement.
The other alternative, usually called "private registration", is a little different. Here your name would still appear as registrant. You would provide the names of the admin and technical contacts. But the address, email and phone number would be provided and monitored by the organization handling the private registration in essentially the same manner as a proxy registration. Thus with this alternative you remain in full legal control of your domain name since it is registered in your name rather than the name of a proxy.
On the face of it this second alternative sounds better, but your name is hanging out there on view and you may have valid reasons for not wanting that (perhaps the company you work for takes a dim view of moonlighting, or you have had a stalking problem or are doing something perfectly legitimate but don't want your name linked to it).In that case, a proxy registration is the only real alternative.
In case you're thinking you can hide out and do whatever sort of bad stuff behind a proxy or private registration, don't even dream about it. These outfits take it very personally if you misbehave and the legal agreements spell it out. If you decide to pursue a proxy or private registration, make very sure that you are working with a legitimate company with a track record. A domain name can be a very valuable
possession. Both your registrar and, if it's a separate organization, the entity that does the proxy or private registration must be quality, legitimate outfits. Registrars offering extremely low prices which are way out of line with the going rates - unless it's a special - just might be after your credit card and identity. Also, this time, actually read the agreement and TOS so you do know what you're doing and what could happen under what circumstances.
Wondering why I'm writing about this? Well, it's because I'm getting more and more spam and I started doing some research on possible solutions. And I figured, I wan't the only one looking to do something about the problem. And then, I discovered that some registrars will provide free proxy or private registration with your domain name purchase. So think about it and do some checking before you buy a domain name. Your privacy is a precious possession.
The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few small details. When you register your first domain name, you get your introduction to one of them. There's a lot of information they want.
Your name, your email address, your physical address, your phone number. For each of 4 separate categories, and the Registrant, Admin and Technical categories are publicly available (for almost all TLDs - Top Level Domains, with the possible exception of .ws - Western Samoa).
Email addresses, which must be valid, phone numbers and physical addresses which also must be valid. I personally think it's both absurd and dangerous to make this information so easily available. Once again the right to privacy of law-abiding individuals is being abridged supposedly to help catch lawbreakers. Since this information would be provided under a court order, making it publicly available just invites abuse. Spammers, scammers, stalkers and the idle whacko can easily get this information. And it's a nice start on identity theft, too. However, for most people, the most likely result is an increase in the amount of spam you get. But, much worse can and has happened. So what solutions are there? Basically there two ways to protect your privacy if you are a private individual without access to a legal entity such as a company to own the domain name (note that if it is a company, you must provide accurate information. This only moves the problem to a slightly less personal level).
First you could lie. No, that's not one of the ways. Unwise and illegal too, and you are a law-abiding type, right? So, first, a proxy registration is one alternative. Essentially you make a binding legal agreement with a company which will register the domain name as if they owned it and then provide their own information to meet the requirements. For each domain, they will set-up a special email which they will monitor and forward to you, usually after spam filtering, if you want them to.
They, of course, retain your data and will also monitor physical mail. You will be notified of first class mail which appears to or could be legal documents or if registered or couriered mail arrives. They will, for a fee, ship such to you, if you agree and pay. Generally such items would be sent by courier. Phone callers will be directed to use the email or physical address shown in the WhoIs record Of course, under subpoena or other specified conditions they will provide your details. You will have full rights as owner - as long as you behave and don't violate the greement.
The other alternative, usually called "private registration", is a little different. Here your name would still appear as registrant. You would provide the names of the admin and technical contacts. But the address, email and phone number would be provided and monitored by the organization handling the private registration in essentially the same manner as a proxy registration. Thus with this alternative you remain in full legal control of your domain name since it is registered in your name rather than the name of a proxy.
On the face of it this second alternative sounds better, but your name is hanging out there on view and you may have valid reasons for not wanting that (perhaps the company you work for takes a dim view of moonlighting, or you have had a stalking problem or are doing something perfectly legitimate but don't want your name linked to it).In that case, a proxy registration is the only real alternative.
In case you're thinking you can hide out and do whatever sort of bad stuff behind a proxy or private registration, don't even dream about it. These outfits take it very personally if you misbehave and the legal agreements spell it out. If you decide to pursue a proxy or private registration, make very sure that you are working with a legitimate company with a track record. A domain name can be a very valuable
possession. Both your registrar and, if it's a separate organization, the entity that does the proxy or private registration must be quality, legitimate outfits. Registrars offering extremely low prices which are way out of line with the going rates - unless it's a special - just might be after your credit card and identity. Also, this time, actually read the agreement and TOS so you do know what you're doing and what could happen under what circumstances.
Wondering why I'm writing about this? Well, it's because I'm getting more and more spam and I started doing some research on possible solutions. And I figured, I wan't the only one looking to do something about the problem. And then, I discovered that some registrars will provide free proxy or private registration with your domain name purchase. So think about it and do some checking before you buy a domain name. Your privacy is a precious possession.
Why is a domain gateway page a MUST? II
Why is a domain gateway page a MUST? II
3--Higher order ratios & portability:
The biggest reason for having your own domain gateway page is that with a domain site (such as www.your-name.com) you will get a higher ratio of orders (signups) to visitors because you will
loose fewer of your potential clients to the company site.
If you ever decide to move your domain to another host provider or begin to promote a new product/service, all the hundreds or thousands of links across the Internet that are currently
pointing to you will continue to point to you. That is not the case if you have a web page such as
http://www.some-other-company.com/your_name/. If you ever move your sub-page to someone else's domain, you will loose all the work and effort you put into building links to your original page.
4--Domains names are cheap:
You can get your own domain (your-name.com) hosted by a good web site host provider for as little as $20.00 per month w/ a $20.00 set up fee (and sometimes cheaper). You will charged $35.00 per year to have the name registered with Internic. You will be billed the first two years Internic fee in advance. So, for the cost of one or two orders (depending upon what you are marketing) you can pay for your domain name and site set-up. If you want a company with a specialty in low cost domain gateway pages visit http://www.johnsons.net/.
It is possible to make money with the many affiliate and associate programs. I know of people who do nothing but work their associate programs and are making thousands of dollars a
year at it. With a little knowledge and advance planning, you can also.
3--Higher order ratios & portability:
The biggest reason for having your own domain gateway page is that with a domain site (such as www.your-name.com) you will get a higher ratio of orders (signups) to visitors because you will
loose fewer of your potential clients to the company site.
If you ever decide to move your domain to another host provider or begin to promote a new product/service, all the hundreds or thousands of links across the Internet that are currently
pointing to you will continue to point to you. That is not the case if you have a web page such as
http://www.some-other-company.com/your_name/. If you ever move your sub-page to someone else's domain, you will loose all the work and effort you put into building links to your original page.
4--Domains names are cheap:
You can get your own domain (your-name.com) hosted by a good web site host provider for as little as $20.00 per month w/ a $20.00 set up fee (and sometimes cheaper). You will charged $35.00 per year to have the name registered with Internic. You will be billed the first two years Internic fee in advance. So, for the cost of one or two orders (depending upon what you are marketing) you can pay for your domain name and site set-up. If you want a company with a specialty in low cost domain gateway pages visit http://www.johnsons.net/.
It is possible to make money with the many affiliate and associate programs. I know of people who do nothing but work their associate programs and are making thousands of dollars a
year at it. With a little knowledge and advance planning, you can also.
Why is a domain gateway page a MUST?
Why is a domain gateway page a MUST?
When someone visits http://www.company_site.com/?your-id=xxxxxxyyy the tendency that happens quite often is that the /?your-id=xxxxxxyyy part of theURL will get left off the URL (web address); so you are no longerget credited for the order. Another common problem is that a visitor gets the long complicated URL wrong (ie:http://www.collector-club.com/DET/members/101321/index.shtml); so again it is a lost order for you. What happens if they come backto the main site in the future and don't put in your id#? You got it. It's another lost order for you.
Another problem with associate program self-duplicating pages is that some search engines don't accept the /?your-id=xxxxxxyyy portion of a URL. As you go out and market your site across the Internet, some (many) of the search engines will not accept the/?your-id=xxxxxxyyy in the address, so will drop that part of the address.... thus, people get dumped into the main company site instead of your site.....more of your orders get lost or redirected to the main company site.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not bashing associate programs or the way their self-duplicating pages are set up. I am simply providing information to help you use those programs more effectively.
2--Business centered marketing:
With your own domain name, you can do all of your marketing by promoting http://www.your-name.com vs. another web site name. This will also allow you to have your email address as you@your-name.com (it can be automatically forwarded into wherever you currently check your email, so nothing on your end has to change). This puts the focus of your marketing efforts around YOU and YOUR domain name vs. the vendor company's domain name and creates a business centric marketing stategy for you. You can then set up additional businesses around this same name to market additional products.... such as http://www.your-name.com/company2/ and http://www.your-name.com/company3/. Now, what happens if someone drops off the /company2/ portion of that URL? They are dumped into another of YOUR companies and you never loose a potential client!
Here is an example of business centered marketing model that I use. I have two sites in which I promote (among others).
Here are their cumbersome URLs:
http://www.collector-club.com/DET/members/101321/index.shtml
http://www.outsource2000.com/?id=908596093
I market these two sites as:
http://ahwa.com/netdetective/
http://ahwa.com
My email is sent out as me@ahwa.com. When I join other associate programs, I create new gateway pages on my own domain such as http://ahwa.com/new-program/. My entire business and marketing strategy is centered around MY domain name, not someone else's.
When someone visits http://www.company_site.com/?your-id=xxxxxxyyy the tendency that happens quite often is that the /?your-id=xxxxxxyyy part of theURL will get left off the URL (web address); so you are no longerget credited for the order. Another common problem is that a visitor gets the long complicated URL wrong (ie:http://www.collector-club.com/DET/members/101321/index.shtml); so again it is a lost order for you. What happens if they come backto the main site in the future and don't put in your id#? You got it. It's another lost order for you.
Another problem with associate program self-duplicating pages is that some search engines don't accept the /?your-id=xxxxxxyyy portion of a URL. As you go out and market your site across the Internet, some (many) of the search engines will not accept the/?your-id=xxxxxxyyy in the address, so will drop that part of the address.... thus, people get dumped into the main company site instead of your site.....more of your orders get lost or redirected to the main company site.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not bashing associate programs or the way their self-duplicating pages are set up. I am simply providing information to help you use those programs more effectively.
2--Business centered marketing:
With your own domain name, you can do all of your marketing by promoting http://www.your-name.com vs. another web site name. This will also allow you to have your email address as you@your-name.com (it can be automatically forwarded into wherever you currently check your email, so nothing on your end has to change). This puts the focus of your marketing efforts around YOU and YOUR domain name vs. the vendor company's domain name and creates a business centric marketing stategy for you. You can then set up additional businesses around this same name to market additional products.... such as http://www.your-name.com/company2/ and http://www.your-name.com/company3/. Now, what happens if someone drops off the /company2/ portion of that URL? They are dumped into another of YOUR companies and you never loose a potential client!
Here is an example of business centered marketing model that I use. I have two sites in which I promote (among others).
Here are their cumbersome URLs:
http://www.collector-club.com/DET/members/101321/index.shtml
http://www.outsource2000.com/?id=908596093
I market these two sites as:
http://ahwa.com/netdetective/
http://ahwa.com
My email is sent out as me@ahwa.com. When I join other associate programs, I create new gateway pages on my own domain such as http://ahwa.com/new-program/. My entire business and marketing strategy is centered around MY domain name, not someone else's.
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