In the previous lesson, we talked about branding your business and naming your product.
Once you’ve come up with a product name, you’ll need to register a domain. However, some domains are much better than others, so I want to take a few minutes to explain it to you right now…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
– .COM is usually the best, especially if it’s for the primary website of your business
– .ORG can be beneficial in gaining trust, and may be preferable for some information and service oriented websites.
– Country-specific extensions (ex. .CA, .IN, .JP) can be advantageous if you’re marketing exclusively to a niche within a certain country.
In general, I would prefer a domain with no hyphens. It’s debatable, but hyphens may create a visual advantage in some cases for SEO and PPC. However, it also makes the domain harder to remember, and more difficult to say out loud.
– If your product name is 2 or 3 words, it would be ideal for the domain to match it.
– If your product name is not available to register as a domain, you’ll want to check to see if that domain is currently in use. If someone is using that domain to sell a product in your niche, I would recommend coming up with a new product name to avoid conflicts.
– If your product name is long, you’ll need to come up with a shorter domain. (see example on video)
– There are hundreds of places on the internet where you can register a domain. Some are better than others. If you’ve already found a good and reliable registrar, feel free to stick with them.
– I recommend registering your domain with someone OTHER than your web host. (reasons explained)
– It’s important that you have good control over your domain (easily be able to change DNS, set up child name servers, etc)
– I recommend using www.LifeDomains.NET
(see registration walk-through on video)
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY:
You may want to consider getting your own domain sales business, like mine. There are always people who need to register domains, so if your business has anything to do with business or money, then this could be a good side business for you. Domain resellers are making as much as $37k per month with this opportunity!
Click here for info about getting your own turn-key domain business
(Includes bonus advertising credits and other freebies. See details on site…)
Action steps:
1) Register a domain for your business.
Use the guidelines from this lesson to register a good one!
After you’ve registered your domain, the next step is to get it hosted. There are good hosts, and there are bad hosts, and choosing the wrong one could be a costly mistake. Having been a web hosting company owner, it’s a subject that I know a fair amount about, and I’ll be sharing the important facts with you in the next lesson.
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below 🙂 (Feel free to let us know about your new domain, even if it’s just parked right now)
Have a great day!
Hello Jaco,
Here is a link that should help you to be able to view the videos properly:
I learn something very valuable regarding domain
itself today.
many thanks Eric
Hi Eric,
I enjoyed your video and learned a lot from it.
I especially like the tip about domain miss-spellings and how I can use to even promote affiliate products.
FYI I also registered a domain that was similar to that of a very popular and savvy internet marketer and ended up losing almost all my traffic to his site which was “cemented” in google.
Cheers,
Paul
Hey eric I got a question, my business is going to sell many info products, many eBooks and what not, I haven’t bought a domain yet. I wanted to know should I buy one for my first product or buy one for a main directory to all of my info products?
Thanks!
Joe
In general, the directory approach does not work as well for infoproducts. It’s better to have a good domain for each product. An exception would be if you’re going to take an approach similar to what I do here on this website (ericstips.com). If you have a main authority site, then you can sell various products from it.
Hi Eric
Thanks for this series of tips.
Domain registration .com or .ca
do you registar from the country you reside in.
I am in Canada.
Thanks John
Hello John,
Sometimes it’s good to register domain extensions based on your country, because some search engines search only that domain extension and language.
We register .com and .net when we are able to here in the USA!
yes there is a free ebook template but you would have to use photoshop to do that I have design ebook for few clients and my websites.
Hi Eric,
I’m enjoying the lessons. I just purchased this web site. I’m already thinking of different possibilities for it. I can’t wait to get through all the lessons.
Peter Young
Sorry,
the website was wirelesswebsites.com
Hi Eric
I am working on two different things at the same time and my question is: Should there be any connections or relationship between the domain name for my blog and the domain name for this information product we are now working on?
Thanks
i need to setup one ok
Eric, You did not get into the Different prices forA doname, also i do not know what i will be selling !!!
Hello George,
Here is the price chart for 1 year at http://www.lifedomains.net/
COM* 8.95
INFO* 9.99
NET* 9.95
ORG* 9.95
BIZ* 12.95
WS 15.95
Hello Ermine,
Have you been building a brand with your blog? If you have solid branding, you might incorporate that into the name of your products and domains.
In the case of EricsTips.com, the blog is the main domain! When Eric launches a new product, typically he selects a new name that best describes that product.
Eric,
On what you said about use the word BEST do you see any problems with the way I’m using it?
Hello Melvin,
That should be ok, since you’re not making unsubstantial claims about a particular product or service. Just try to avoid using it in any PPC advertising!
HEY ERIC.
HOPE THIS MESSAGE GETS TO YOU, IVE TRYED TO SEND QUIT A FEW MESSAGES BEFORE AND NEVER FIND THEM IN THE COMMENT AREA SO I DON’T KNOW IF THIS ONE WILL GET TO YOU.I WANT TO USE CLICKBANK TO PROMOTE PRODUCTS WITH THE SAME THEME.I DON’T HAVE MY OWN PRODUCT,SO IM GIVING OUT OTHERS PRODUCTS. I LOOK UP A GOOD DOMAIN NAME THAT SEEMS TO HAVE A HIGH RANKING,BUT THE ,COM IS TAKEN,.NET,.ORG,IS AVAILABLE.I WAS WONDERING SINCE IM PROMOTING OTHER PEOPLES PRODUCTS,SHOULD I USE THE .INFO WHICH IS AVAILABLE, SINCE IM JUST OFFERING INFO,TO A NICHE? HOPE YOU GET THIS. TAKE CARE.. MIKE
Hello Mike,
To quickly find your comments and replies, use (control+f) to search for your name, or comment text.
Here are some of Eric’s comments on .info domains and SEO:
“I’ve used some .info domains, but not specifically for SEO. So I do not know the answer, but my hunch is that they are slightly worse for SEO than the main top-level domain extensions. I believe this to be true partially because .info domains have been sold under several super-cheap promotions over the years ($1.99, etc), and thus were snapped up by a lot of spammers, sploggers, etc.”
Eric,
Thank you for the information in this lesson. What about using subdomains? I have several relational products in mind that would go very well together to make a larger system. I also own the domain name for our company. What are your thoughts about this type of domain name: http://www.infoproduct.warlandenterprises.com? Or, is it better to have a new domain name and website for each product? I’m a little foggy on how it all fits together. Thanks for your help.
Dena
Hello Dena,
Yes, you could use subdomains or simply pages for your ebooks or products. That’s what Eric does at Eric’s Tips. See examples below:
http://www.ericstips.com/listbuilding/
http://www.ericstips.com/monthlyincomeformula/
Micah,
Thank you for the info.
Dena
Hi Eric,
I don’t know how far behind I am with the lessons but I am happy again to receive this lesson. I have registered my domain at Godady aproximately one year ago. At that time I didn’t know a lot how a domain should be combined and what I wanted to have was not available. I hardly wait the next lesson. Thank’s a lot! Marija
Great lesson, Eric! Thanks!
A Question for you. If I do a few micro- niche sites to start with, should I use a separate domain name for each site,as they will be different topics?
What do you think? This has been a [pressing question lately Thanks! Mary
Hi Eric,
I seek your advice please
I am considering buying an exact match domain but with the suffix 1 (number) at the end ie: bodybuilders1.com Would I achieve success with this sort of domain name or are suffix numbers no good?
I would appreciate your thoughts on this please
Thanks
Hello Mary,
In general, root domains are far better than subdomains, because search engines are much friendlier to them, and they are easier to remember.
However, if you had a review site or could somehow tie each of the items to your brand, subdomains could still work well for you.
Hello Paul,
This strategy has the potential to make people think that your site is not the official domain for your niche.
It’s usually better to find names that aren’t in use yet.
Hi Eric,
You said on your video, “Choosing & registering your Domain Name” that you once owned a hosting business. Please, please then can you help me extricate myself from the clutches of “CoolHandle.com” which I joined in April this year (because of Plug-InProfits.com I had subscribed to) – that was where I was told to register. Since then,(27th April this year) they have taken nearly $1,000 from me in bits and pieces – and keep taking money monthly from my account (which is now overdrawn)! I am done with requesting almost daily that they cancel my 2 accounts and refund me. They say I have to wait my turn and it will be prioritised in due course!! I am beside myself.
What can I do, as I want to completely disassociate myself from them and go with you 500% and all that you recommend. I love your site, your coaching, your tips – the lot, and your honesty and integrity. As a very inexperienced newbie, I’m finally feeling that through you “real guys” I have found the light at the end of the tunnel.
Please help me escape the clutches of CoolHandle and to receive monies owed to me.
Yvonne
Hello Yvonne,
Hosting doesn’t cost anywhere near that much!
See Eric’s recommended host for sample pricing:
http://ericstips.com/hosting/
Also, if they aren’t responding to your requests, you should immediately request a chargeback from your bank, if you used a credit card. Or, if you paid via PayPal, you could open a dispute, and elevate to claim as soon as they allow you!
Hello Micah,
Thanks for your reply. A chargeback from my bank would cost me quite a bit which I absolutely cannot afford, so am going to TRY and transfer both a/cs over to Hostgator. Is that a difficult process? Being a complete newbie I’m finding this all very scary as I’ve run out of money and I’ve found CoolHandle to be very ruthless! Hope the transfer is not too difficult to handle!!
Hello Yvonne,
No, Hostgator makes the domain transfer process very smooth.
Typically, chargeback fees are applied to the vendor. How much does your bank want to charge you to process the reversal? If you can still get the bulk of your money back, it might be worth it.
Eric, you are a scholar among men. Thanks for that tip. I have registered a few domain with no knowledge and understanding. I thought the domain name and the hosting has to be under the same umbrella. This is a wake up for me. Also, thanks that information of owning your own domain company. Love it.
Mark
Thanks Eric.
I have already a domain and hosting account for a site which I am building now as an affiliate to promote someone’s product. What if I use the domain also for my digital product, which means when my digital product is ready I can replace what I am promoting with my own digital product?
Hello Nzeribe,
Yes, that would not only be fine, but it’s also very smart.
It’s great when you can monetize your domains, even when your original business idea for them isn’t ready yet.
So, what is your take on your actual business name being the domain name? For instance, (your name or alias)enterprises.com?
Hello Gerard,
That’s a great idea many businesses are capitalizing on, as it can help with SEO.
Just make sure the domain name won’t be too long!
Thanks Micah for your consideration and encouragement. Appreciate it. Am looking forward to making some on line any time soon.
That was supposed to say “make some money on line…..”
Eric: What’s your input re: what Micah has said? Thank you for your help in everything.
Hi Eric,
My vision is having an Internet business earning a million dollars a year in about 3 years time. I would have enough resources for my family including my three grandchildren (so far) to live in reasonable comfort. I would also have a large house in a nice neighborhood and be able to travel with my entire family once or twice a year.
My immediate goals for this year includes building my own website by the end of this month (August 31, 2012), finishing all these lessons (100 to 120) by September 30, 2012 and earning my first $1,000 by December 31, 2012. Once I have the feel of this business and encouraged by early success, I would confidently proceed to consistently work to achieve my million dollar dream. This will come about with the Will of God and the help of wonderful people like you.
Ben
Hello Gerard,
Eric essentially covers this here:
“Matching up with your product…
– If your product name is 2 or 3 words, it would be ideal for the domain to match it.
– If your product name is not available to register as a domain, you’ll want to check to see if that domain is currently in use. If someone is using that domain to sell a product in your niche, I would recommend coming up with a new product name to avoid conflicts.
– If your product name is long, you’ll need to come up with a shorter domain. (see example on video)”
we have registered 2 different domains thru 2 different sites i am confused as to if i should keep them both. NetworkSolutions.com and Wix.com… what do you think of them both
Hello Allen,
Those are both great domain names. NetworkSolutions.com is about as professional a name as they come. Also, it’s not often that you can secure a domain that is only 3 letters long!
Great job!
Dear Eric,
Thank u very much for the educative lesson 23.
It gave an interesting reading and as a newbie, I confirm that I gain many things which will be put into practice sooner than later.
Best regards,
M.O. Falola
Perhaps I am wrong but to see the “org” used at the end of a business domain makes me cringe. To the best of my knowledge if it is thus designated it denotes a non-profit organization and should be used exclusively for non-profits. It is misleading and leads to incorret assumptions.
Moving right along with you Thanks Eric – Gary
Hi Eric,
Thanks for all the great tips. I did post a question on facebook and not sure if you managed to view for a response. So far I’ve bought two of your products in a short period of time. The first one was via Twitter and the second one a few minutes ago….via your email “Erics Tips”. The downloading was quite a pain but I’m sure I have no reason to worry as my success will depend on my efforts and your assistance.Will stay in touch.
OK Eric,,,,,,
I got kinda burned out, been trying for years to make money online, I follow Jim cockrum, he directed me your way, I got your imt course? So now im registering my name today. plus I want to try the domain business.
what is the difference between life domain regester and godaddy?
Lifedomains.net is the same company as Godaddy, it’s just my reseller account. So the features are basically the same, but my prices are often better than the Godaddy site. Thanks
Somewhere along the line you mentioned that it is possible to make money on the internet without spending any. So how do I do this? Domains cost money, as does PPC ads. You even warned against spending money, remember?