A hidden trick that domainers are aware of that business owners do not understand is using keywords as the domain name itself.

Most search engines including Google have their own code of what an important site is. An important site is given priority listing so these sites generally appear at the top of the much desired search results.

I could go on about a ton of topics why search engines favour one site over the other including SEO and Backlinks but I am just going to concentrate on one topic that will help your business grow.

Keywords are actually the search term your internet browser will type into the search engine. Lets say for example you wish to find a dog trainer in Wellington. Most people would type “Wellington Dog Trainer” and find what they are looking for from the results.

If you chose www.wellingtondogtrainer.co.nz you are helping yourself in the search engines. I do have to point out though that this is not the only thing you have to do. To get top ten listings you really must combine SEO with some linking but for the most part you would certainly help your site reach the rank you desire.

The power of using keywords as domain names are evident in some sites that appear high in the ranks and it is no surprise they get a lot of organic traffic. And of course more traffic means more sales.

Some people would prefer to be branded. That is ok too and can be done as a redirection. I suggest those people purchase a keyword rich domain name and put the website on and have a redirection for their name and brand. This way you will receive the traffic the keyword name will bring.

I know for a fact the price of a good New Zealand domain name will come as a major shock to the multitude of business owners looking to set up a website.

The grating sounds of “Oh my god” “How can you charge that?” and “I am NOT paying that for a name when my website has cost me $$$ twenty thousand or so.” Will be ringing non politely through the phone lines and email pages of the NZ Domainers. Phew!! I bet you can hardly wait.

At the end of the day though we are the ones who tirelessly sat through the Expired Domains Auctions or like many an old time domainers sifted through phone books and search engines checking out the availability of a winning name.

Some of us sat on these name for years and years, with incredible dedication paying the registration fee with no way of ever really knowing when this name would ever sell.

As a point of interest my friend told me of a program On TV featuring a young couple wanting to set up a fashion business. Along came the business mentor to check them out and help them along their way. The young lady told him she had labels for her clothing already made and was wanting a shop to sell her goods out of one of the most prestigious streets in her city. The business mentor said not to worry about a shop but to build her prescence online and avoid the huge price of the lease for the premises. She could always do that later but first set up a website so she could start selling right away.

Next came the clincher! She needed a domain name for her website.

“OH!” she said. “What is that?”. This was explained to her and she immediately went to a registrar to register her prized label name.

So what happened?

You guessed it correctly. The .co.nz had gone… In fact they had all been gobbled up the org.nz the net.nz were all gone. It was a mighty fine name. She was very unimpressed realizing she had wasted all her money on the labels. In the end she had to pick an obscure name which would have resulted in damaging her brand and label all because she did not do her research or was not willing to pay the price for the Premium Name.

The moral to the story is business owners need to do their research into what they will need today and tommorrow and they cannot get upset at the domainer who has beaten them to the punch.

Do we abuse the owner of a house that we had dreamed of but had been beaten by a moment perhaps by a better offer. Of course not.

So when that business owner, boy I have had it, already tells you the name you own is really his by autonomy remember you had the foresight, dedication and cleverness to secure it first. Thats your good fortune and its what makes the business world go round.

Many New Zealand businesses are reluctant to take their business to the web. Most brick and mortar businesses fail to realise the power of having an online prescence and more importantly attracting new customers through their website.

Nowadays, people like to jump online and search for the services they need. Fetching the yellow pages out of the kitchen cupboard is too much of a hassle so being able to go to Google and search for the local painter or plumber will yield better results.

Most people are aware of such businesses that digress from building a website. “I rely on word by mouth advertising” or “I have built my reputation up I don’t need a website”.

These people will get left behind. New immigrants, new neighbours, new people moving to the surrounding areas will not have any such information about your business and therefore those businesses will be missing out on a heap of new customers.

So the next challenge once you have set your mind on setting up a website is picking a domain name. The very first port of call. To the average business owner this may appear like the easy part but in fact it is not. Most business owners will choose a name that quite frankly people will not remember. Unless you have built a reputation on branding your name right from the start you are going to find it hard pressed to pick a domain name that will benefit you in the long run.

For example: Jim a plumber living in Auckland may want to call his domain name JimsPlumber.co.nz but AucklandPlumber.co.nz will yield better results.

Why?

When people search for a plumber in Google they usually type in the search term and locality.

What does this mean?

JimsPlumber.co.nz will not even feature in the results of Google if he had a website under this name. Unless he spent a fortune on SEO he has fat chance of appearing the search engine.

However!

If he chose AucklandPlumber.co.nz he will more than likely appear somewhere near the top of the listings so long as he has done some SEO.

Natural listings from the search engine are free. You can gain hundreds of visitors to your website just by picking the right domain name. Don’t make the mistake like most businesses do and pick an obscure name. Choose your domain name wisely and you will reap the rewards!

Out of interest you may pick more than one domain name. In the example above you could buy JimsPlumber.co.nz and AucklandPlumber.co.nz and redirect them to your website. The sky is the limit.

So go forth and pick a domain name. It is exciting and worthwhile your effort!

The very first time I heard the term domain name I had no idea how much passion and enthusiasm I would aquire for those precious vessels.

My name is Linda Cole, born in Wellington New Zealand and I am now what I consider a New Zealand Domainer with the odd .com thrown into the mix.

In the early days of my domain journey I was not really aware of the power these little babies could have and sold some pretty damn good portfolios for the price of a good used car.

Then came my awakening and began to see the beauty of the whole domain name game. I collected more domains with the help of Expired Domains and many hours of research to find the gaps left in an already competitive market. 

I have now in my possession a portfolio which can be viewed at my website that I feel reasonbly proud of and will endeavour to help it grow in readiness for the .co.nz boom which so many of our domainers talk about.

My special interest has always been in the business arena, the bricks and morter businesses where I believe a great domain name can really make a difference. An example I will give you is of a recent conversation I had with a prospective buyer for one of my better real estate names.

As you can imagine this chap wanted this name for pretty much nothing and proceeded to explain to me like I was without any education that I could not possibly be asking that price for a simple domain name. After all he said my website cost me huge $$$$$ so how can you compare that to a name.

I gently, kindly tried to tell him that this name could yeild more power than he could ever imagine and though it was a very pretty website it was the name that people would remember.

Well he then seemed to think I was living in a fantasy world and we politely parted. The outcome of this true story and I mean no harm to the person in this story was he proceeded to buy a name for the price of registration that quite frankly I cannot remember as I am writing this now. Also I know he has spent a fortune on SEO. I have a feeling he may kick himself down the track.

As I say on my website New Zealand Business is still dragging its feet but it will not be long before they will all realise the POWER OF A DOMAIN.