Choose and Register Your Domain Name
At this point we’ve covered how to do keyword research for a niche blog. You should have in front of you a list of 50 or more keywords that are related and relevant to your niche topic. If you’re having trouble getting a list put together I have some keyword lists I’ve done that you can buy to get started.
The next step on the process of building a niche blog is to give it a name. You do this in two ways.
1. The domain name
2. The blog name
While these can be the same they certainly don’t have and sometimes shouldn’t be.
What is in a name?
The domain name you choose will, of course, be what everyone sees when they see your site in the search results. It is also one of the major things Google looks at when ranking sites. There is much discussion about how much having an “exact keyword phrase” as your domain name can help you in the search rankings. I think for micro niche sites it’s probably much more important, for niche blogging you want something that is going to fit these three criteria.
- Choose something very relevant to your niche.
- Choose something that has some search volume (it doesn’t have to be a lot, just some)
- Make sure your domain name encompasses all of your keywords.
What does this mean?
You don’t want a domain name that has nothing to do with the keywords you’ve chosen. Make sure your domain name really speaks to what your site is about.
It’s worth it to find a keyword that has some search volume ~ so you will get some traffic just from the keywords in the domain name itself ~ however ~ it doesn’t have to be the biggest keyword in the bunch. You will get plenty of traffic to the site because you will be targeting a specific keyword on each post of your blog ~ this will bring plenty of traffic so you don’t have to focus on the domain name being a hugely searched keyword.
The MOST important part of choosing a domain name for a niche blog is to choose something that encompasses ALL of your keywords. Remember, this is going to become a resource for people ~ start thinking now about how you are going to serve your reader ~ and not so much about how this blog is going to make you money and you will be well ahead of the game.
When someone sees your domain name you want them to feel some trust that you are going to provide them for whatever it is that they are looking for.
Here’s an example:
Let’s look at my mountain bike blog. I have keywords about a lot of different kinds of mountain bikes, various brands of mountain bikes, various types of mountain bikes. When I go to choose a domain name for this site I want to pick something that tells what they’re going to find ~ but also encompasses all the keywords I’ve chosen to target.
So Giantmountainbikesforsale.com ~ would NOT be a good choice. Since I am going to be targeting not only Giant bikes, but also Specialized, Bianchi and so many others.
Here are some good possibilities:
usedmountainbikes ~
buymountainbikes~
I finally settled on MountainBikeforSale.net
You see how that will include any keyword I have that is related to mountain bikes being for sale ~ which was the original premise of the site.
Now don’t go look yet ~ because there’s nothing there lol. ~ I’ll be building the site and doing tutorial lessons with it as we move through this process.
So that covers choosing your domain name.
Choosing your blog name.
While it’s not hugely important at this point ~ you wont’ really need to name your blog until we get the site set up, but it is worth talking about for a moment.
This is another piece of SEO. The title tag.
What you name your blog will become your title tag. You know ~ the blue strip at the top of your browser where it says the name of the site? That’s a huge indicator for Google as to what your site is about. So I suggest you use a couple main keywords as the title of your blog. Let’s say you were only able to get a singular version of your keyword as the domain name ~ in your title you can use the plural ~ this is important especially if the plural has more search traffic.
Ex.
mountainbikeforsale.net ~
As you can see mountain bike for sale has much less search volume than mountain bikes for sale.
However ~ I could not get mountainbikesforsale.com/.net/.org ~ as they were all already taken.
I can however use mountain bikes for sale as the title of my blog ~ which I will do. That way I can capitalize on the search volume of the plural as well.
We’ll talk more about the blog title when it comes time to make it, but just be aware your title doesn’t have to be the same as your domain name ~ and you don’t have to use the domain name as the title of your blog.
How do I get my domain name?
Unfortunately I’ve already purchased my domain name for this site or I could walk you through it. But it’s a pretty simple process. I’ll take you as far as I can go without buying another domain. Let’s take a look.
1. Go to GoDaddy ~ You can really use any service you want to buy your domains. I stick with GoDaddy because it’s who I’ve always used, the customer service has always been excellent, their prices are great and there’s usually a coupon code out there that will save you money. So my tutorials will be using GoDaddy ~ but again you can use anyone.
*** With that being said ~ I do NOT use GoDaddy for any other service other than buying domains. They are excellent with domains but not so much for hosting and other things. We’ll get into hosting shortly, but for right now just know there are better hosting options than GoDaddy. ***
2. Create an account at Godaddy.
You will see a “create an account” link at the very top of the page. Click it, and fill in all the information they ask of you. It’s been a while since I’ve done it so if you have questions ask and I’ll try to help more. If you already have an account you do not need to create another ~ you only need one account at GoDaddy.
3. Check for domain availability.
Enter the domain you’d like in the search box.
Then click Go. It will tell you if the domain is available, if the .com is not available look below and see if the .net or .org is available.
If either of them are go for it. If not you’ll have to try again. Go back to the search box and put in another option for your domain name. You’ll notice on the right hand side of this page GoDaddy gives you some other options/ideas for domain names ~ you might take a look at them, they could spark some ideas for other things to try.
If you have micro niche finder you can check on domain availability right from the search area. It will tell you if the .com/.net/.org is available for any keyword in your list. This makes it much less frustrating when you come to get your domain.
If you don’t have MNF ~ don’t worry, and if your domain name has already been taken don’t get frustrated, just go back to the drawing board and try again. It may take a few tries depending on your blog topic.
Once you’ve found something that is available. Click the box next to it and then hit the “add” button at the bottom of the options.
Then you want to continue with registration.
**** GoDaddy makes a LOT of money with ADD ONS ~ it’s like impulse buying at the grocery store. They put those slim jims and candy right there where you think you need it while you’re waiting, but you DON’T. There is nothing that GoDaddy will offer you through this process that you need for niche blogging. Do not be tempted to spend additional money you do not need to spend. Put your blinders on and just go through the process to buy your domain name ****
Popups will come at you asking if you want to purchase something else, additional domains ~ you do NOT need them. Just click the “no thanks” link at the bottom of the pop up.
If you are already logged in you’ll come to the registration page ~ if you’re not it will ask you to login. Just fill in your username and password and hit secure login. Then you’ll be taken to the registration page.
Again ~ lots of additional options to choose from none of which you need.
Check the length of registration on this page. It apparently defaults now to 5 years ~ if you can afford it go for 2, if not then just go for 1 year registration.
There are many sites available that offer “godaddy coupon codes”. These are codes you can use at checkout to save some money on your domain registration. If you google godaddy coupon codes you will find many sites. Look through them, find a code that works for what you’re buying and then enter it in the coupon code area in the checkout area at GoDaddy. I’ve done this in the video so you can see how to do it ~ although the code I picked didn’t work ~ which sometimes happens, just go back and find another one until it works.
Once you’ve clicked continue with checkout, click whatever button it asks so you can pay and then you’re done.
That’s all there is to registering a domain. Now your domain name will be in your account at GoDaddy. To use it for a niche site the next step will be to point your nameservers at your hosting account. That’s what we’re going to do tomorrow.
*** If you are not going to do your niche blog on your own hosting ~ like you’re going to do it at Blogger ~ you DO NOT need a domain name. You only need a domain name if you have hosting and you are going to host your own site. (this is the best of the options and I highly recommend it. It’s what I will be using for all the tutorials for niche blogging. ***
Today’s Action Steps:
1. Choose a domain name.
2. Register your chosen domain with GoDaddy.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 6:25 am and is filed under Startup Guide. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
