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Domain Names For a Profitable Online Business

Don’t take choosing your domain name lightly. Rest assured, the profitability of your online business hinges on the name you choose. The single best piece of advice I can give you is to make choosing a domain name for your site special. Take this task seriously while you’re starting your business website! Any Internet based business can be profitable after a diligent amount of research, hard work and effort but it can be much more profitable and decisively quicker based on the domain name that you choose.

The reason for this is because having a profitable online business is all about getting targeted visitors to your website or blog. A site with 250 daily unique targeted visitors can earn just as much money if not more than a site with 1000 daily un-targeted visitors.

If you don’t already have a well established online business you should know that it has much to do with targeting  a niche market and narrowing certain words down that are used by people searching for the product of that particular niche. Most people use a keyword tool to determine what words are searched most often.

Targeted visitors are acquired either by organic keyword search or paid keyword search. By applying this technique you are actively seeking visitors by creating ads or links using the keywords that your visitors are most likely to type into the search box.

For example, if your business specializes in duct tape then you may want to seriously consider using the term “duct tape” in your domain name. By doing so you are greatly increasing the chance that your site shows up whenever anybody types the term “duct tape” into a search box. You should also be creating ads and links with more specific keywords such as “red duct tape” or “best duct tape”.

The point, however, still remains the same. If you want to specialize in selling duct tape online then you are definitely going to want to use the term “duct tape” in your domain name. If your name is Jake then your domain name could possibly be DuctTapeByJake.com. Easy right? Notice I put the words Duct Tape before the word Jake. This is because I want the search engines to know that “duct tape” is the most important term.

Try to keep the domain name simple and not too long. Even with all of today’s new Internet technology you still want your domain to be easy to remember. It’s much easier for somebody to recommend DuctTapeByJake.com than it is for them to remember and recommend DuctTapeInAllSizes&Colors119076.com.

Either way, when your domain name consist of one or two of your site’s primary keywords you are absolutely going to have much more targeted website traffic as long as you are applying the right amount of keyword density throughout your content. The end result will be a more profitable online business.

Now… let’s say that you are in the duct tape business but you instead opt to choose JakesTapes.com as your domain name. This isn’t a terrible name but you need to understand that it may be much harder for you to get targeted traffic to the site. Search engines and people may mistake the site for a business that sells cassette tapes or possibly even other tapes such as masking tape or scotch tape. You might get a bunch more traffic but a good portion of the traffic will arrive and leave quickly because it’s not what the visitor was actually looking for. Essentially you’re working harder for less sales and that’s no good!

Many people ask how Google got away with naming their domain Google.com. The answer is by way of excellent business branding. They branded that name Google very well before it became the world’s most popular search engine.

It’s okay to go with a completely off the wall domain name if you are (A) already a well established business or (B) you understand it’s going to be a much longer tougher road attracting targeted website customers or (C) You have tons of money to pay for PPC advertising and other paid targeted SEM plans. Of course, you always have one or two people like me who are just gluttons for punishment and simply must do things the hard way. Actually I chose the name of this site because I thought it might be memorable and it was also before I knew everything I now know about domain names and traffic.

The idea is to be smart and do your research before you just pick any old domain name.

You’ll be very happy you did later on in the process.

Best Wishes!

Blogging for Success!

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” ……..Herman Cain.

For those of you who have read my articles and previous posts you know and understand I am big on using the words “multiple streams of income”. The reason is because I personally believe that to be very successful online you need to set up multiple ways to get paid. If you are going to make alot of money then you should be experimenting with many different online ideas and concepts. I have listed multiple ways to do that on this website and blog and will continue to list more in the future. Today I want to discuss what I call the “central bank” for your online career. If you really want to make a living from home and earn enough money to make a difference in your life there are 2 main factors that will help you succeed in your quest. First you must create your website and then follow it up and drive traffic by building and promoting your blog.

Build Your Website

• First you need to set up your own website. I have recommended a few methods to use in previous blogs. Look into HostGator Web Hosting and also check out Ken Envoy’s newsletter and his company Site Build It! Both HostGator and Site Build It are miles ahead of their competition in terms of usability and customer service. Try HostGator first to keep the cost down and if you can afford them both then absolutely go for it.  You are only increasing your chances of stronger profits. These are both outstanding companies and the best part is they will both pay you very well along the way if you choose.
• Take your time and think of a great domain name. Preferably using a keyword related to your business.
• Think in terms of Business Branding. You want your site and it’s name to be known well!
• Learn as much as possible about and try to find niche products.
• Add great content that is helpful to your visitors and easy on the search engines. (Mostly all typing and copy and paste)
• Make your website “Sticky” – (Great stuff that people keep coming back for….useful…helpful)
• Add secure and safe check out procedures if you have a web store  or plan on selling your own product.
• Do not publish too soon!!!!
• Learn about and apply proper use of meta keywords and descriptions for each page on your site.
• Make your website easy to understand and follow.
• Make your site easy to access by all browsers.
• Learn all there is to know about Search Engine Optimization. (Lots of  SEO info. on this blog)
• Always test your site before publishing as well as an ongoing basis for broken links and errors.
• Use “Keywords” in your titles on each page.
• Add alternative text to your site’s images so the search engines can read them. Remember search engines only read text.
• Monetize your site by adding Google Adsense. Let Google pay you for your advertising space.
• Add affiliate links if you wish. I actually recommend it even if you are selling your own product on the site. Do not be embarrased to offer affiliate links. Just make sure the ads are related to your site’s content and also make sure they are products that can benefit your visitors. There is nothing wrong with a company charging a fee for a great product. People don’t expect great things to be free. The company should be paid and so should you for allowing them to advertise on your site.
• Write a good “about us” page so your visitors understand and know who you are and what you do.
• Add a privacy policy
• Test some more and when you’re absolutely ready go ahead and publish it to the world.
• Sumit your new website address to all the major Search Engines, Directories…ie…Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Bing, Aol, All The Web…etc….etc.
• Start building one way back links to your site. (Very important in gaining new traffic)
• Sign up with Google Analytics to track your progress and your visitors to see what works and what doesn’t.
• Stay on top of it.
• Enjoy what you do.
• Keep success in your mind.

Now Build and Publish Your Blog

• Most good web hosting companies will offer you a blogging platform at no additional charge. I will discuss WordPress.org because it is offered free with the HostGator Baby Croc Package and because WordPress.org in my opinion is the best blogging platform offered today in regards to Usability and Design.
• Sign up for the WordPress.org account.
• Take a day or two to read about WordPress and understand the different functions, plugins, themes, tools, links, profiles, etc which are now at your disposal.
• Choose a usable blog theme. Make it a custom theme if you can afford it.
• Click plugins on the left side of your WordPress control panel and then click add new plugin.  In the “add plugin” search box type “All in One SEO” or “Platinum SEO” . Download and activate one of these two plugins. I personally prefer Platinum SEO because it has a few more helpful tools at your disposal in the settings. Take the time to learn how these plug-ins work.
• Decide on a title for your first blog post. Use keywords in your titles and don’t take the title process lightly. A good title can make the difference on small amounts of visitors and huge amounts of visitors.
• Keep the body text between 250 and 650 words.
• Write great content related to your website and useful to your audience.
• Be careful to not write too many sales ads.
• Sprinkle keywords carefully into your article like an hourglass. Maybe one in your title. A few in the opening statement. A few less in the body. A Few more in your closing or summary. Don’t over do it.
• Keep your readers first in your mind. SEO tactics should be second.
• Use Post tags on each article.
• Create links to your website.
• Keep up with all the great plugins to make your life easier
• Learn about and add an Rss Feed.
• Have an opt in email form to build a customer database.
• Add Google Adsense to your blog to gain more money from Google for allowing them to advertise on your site.
• Add affiliate links and advertisement to your blog but make them helpful and useful to your readers and visitors. Think again in terms of niche products.
• Always publish your post only after testing and making sure everything is in place and working order and to your satisfaction. Never hurry!
• Add your blog to social marketing and bookmarking sites…ie…Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Blogger.com, Blogged.com, Technorati..Delicious, Stumble Upon,..etc…etc. Use social book marking  and marketing to your advantage website and blogs advantage. There are millions of interested readers out there.
• Like your website the success of your blog requires creating quality one way back links to it as well. Add more back links. Make sure the links are websites which are related to your site’s content with higher Google Page Ranking if possible. This will secure even more traffic and visitors.
• Get a rhythm down. Don’t write too little and don’t write too much. Once a week or so should be sufficient.
• Be aware of Google Page Ranking but don’t get too tied up in it too soon. Good Page ranking also comes with good content unless your niche is very competive in which case it will take longer to rank high and will require more quality back links than other niches.
• Be sincere!
• Be friendly!
• Partner and Network with as many people and businesses you can. Hopefully related to your website and blog content.
• Enjoy yourself! Have a blast. Interact with your visitors!

And the list goes on and on! If I missed a few due to time restraints feel free to add your ideas in the comments. Feel free to link to this page or bookmark it and use it as a reference while you’re working. Remember you will never stop learning. The day you do is the day it’s over with! Perform all the steps listed here and you will be well on your way to a rock solid income to be proud of. You will be blogging for your own success.

Best Wishes!