When building a business there is little more important than selecting an
appropriate company or product name. Names can be distinctive, unique or
descriptive.
The problem with descriptive names is that they are very difficult to
legally protect. For example you could call your software "word processing
software" or "text editor" but neither are distinguishing or unique. A
competitor could enter the market and use the same name funneling your
traffic and benefiting from your product reputation. Distinctive names can
be trademarked and protected. As a result many developers combine
distinctive and descriptive by adding a company or brand name: "Brand Text
Editor" or "Brand Word Processing Software".
Tips for finding a name that is just right.
Brainstorm - Spend time making a list of words. The words might be generic
or descriptive. If the words are descriptive use words that elicit a
positive image or response. Some words automatically convey a specific
feeling. Use words that elicit emotions that you wish to relate to your
product or service.
Examples:
Lion = Power, Strength
Eagle = Sharp, Clear
Cheetah = Fast
Safe = Trust
Oak = Solid
Use a Thesaurus
Use a thesaurus to locate synonyms of words on your brainstorm list.
Jumble
Merge the words and mix the order of the words and see if any combinations
are appealing, unusual, distinctive or unique.
Selecting a Name
When company names appear in a list they are often alphabetized. As a
result businesses will often select a name that uses an "A" to appear at the
top of the list.
Search Engine Search
Search the major search engines including: Google, Yahoo, MSN using the
chosen product or company name. How much competition is there? Will using
the name for your product or company cause unnecessary product confusion. If
a savvy company in another niche has strong search engine ranking for the
name you want, consider selecting something different. Keep in mind you will
be competing with the existing search results for search engine placement
for your brand.
Domain Search
Conduct a domain search to determine the availability of domains that
resemble your choices.
Name Selection Tips
a. Memorable
Names and domains should be memorable and not excessively long.
b. Easy to Read
Domain names should be easy to read in print, remember the letter "l" and
the number "1" can appear very similar in some typographical fonts. If you
are using either character in your domain make sure it is clear and will not
cause confusion.
c. Easy to Say
Company names, domain names and product names should be easy to say and
easily understood. Test the names by saying them outloud, and make sure
other can clearly understand what you are saying.
d. Easily Spelled or Not Easily Misspelled
Domain names should be easy to spell. If your heart is set on a domain with
tricky spelling, purchase the domains of common misspellings and protect
your traffic.
e. Hyphen Controversy
If you are registering a multi-phrase domain name you may be unsure whether
to purchase the domain with hyphens. The best way to handle this is to
purchase the domain both ways with and without hyphens and use a redirect.
f. .com Is King
Avoid purchasing domains with obscure endings. The .anything domains can
cause confusion, stick with the standard domains for your primary website.
g. Be Careful
Be careful how the word is read! Multi word domains can be interpreted a
number of different ways.
Examples:
therapistfinder.com
The Rapist Finder
Therapist Finder
molestationnursery.com
Mole Station Nursery
Molestation Nursery
speedofart.com
Speedo Fart
Speed of Art
h. Foreign Appeal
What does the selected name mean in other languages? This is particularly
important if you are selling in a global marketplace. Big companies have
been known to make serious oversights in this area. Chevy Nova required a
rename when Chevrolet realized that Nova meant "no go" in the Spanish market
(not a great name for a car!).
i. Not Too Narrow, Not Too Broad
Many companies fall into the trap of creating a company name that is too
narrowly focused. Your company name should leave room for expansion or
change as your business grows. While descriptive names are common they are
better suited to product names than company names. Select a company name
that allows you to expand your product line should you choose to.
j. Test It
Once you have narrowed down the list of company or product names ask others
what they think about your selection. You might find that certain names have
negative connotations, or do not elicit the reaction you were expecting.
k. Controversial Names
Names can suggest product usage or quality by using certain kinds of words.
Avoid using terms that generate negative connotations. Avoid controversial
terms.
Example:
Demon Software - negative connotations alienating Christians, why reduce
your market?
Liberal Software - while politics might be important in your personal life,
do you really want to reduce your selling market by alienating
conservatives?
Selecting keywords and keyword phrases sounds like a simple task but the
reality is that choosing the right keywords can be a challenge.
There are two main components to selecting good keywords, relevance and
popularity. If you select a keyword or phrase that is highly relevant but is
never searched on, you will not prosper. Conversely, if a word is incredibly
popular but not relevant to your offerings you will not have a good
conversion. So, while you might have web traffic, none of the traffic will
be targeted. The key to selecting good keywords is striking a balance
between relevance and popularity. The more relevant a term to your product
or service offering, the more likely the website visitor will convert to a
sale.
Generic keywords result in lots of impressions (views) but usually result in
few click-throughs. More than that, generic keywords do not result in
qualified traffic. Unqualified traffic is less likely to convert to a sale.
Keep in mind, keywords can vary based on the searchers age, culture, region,
education or knowledge. In other words, you need to define your target
audience, then select keywords or phrases your target audience would likely
use when searching for your product or service. You may need to create
multiple keyword groups to target different audiences or demographics.
Example:
Say you have bird watching software, hobbyist might search "bird watching
software" while professionals might search "orthinologist software". If you
have both a low end, and a high end version, it might be appropriate to
target both audiences.
Keyword phrases should be 2-4 words in length. Single words are too general,
searchers now rarely search on a single work. Additionally, multi-word
phrases are of a higher quality and they are "lightly filtered". According
to a OneStat.com survey from February of 2004:
81% of all searches contain more than one word.
19% of searches contain one word
32% of searches contain two words
26% of searches contain three words
13% of searches contain four words
10% of searches contain five words
Keywords should be used as a filter attracting visitors who have a a genuine
interest in your products or services.
1. Misspellings
Optimizing for common word misspellings will increase your audience, the
easiest way to capture misspellings without compromising your professional
image is to use forums where users are posting, or use actual questions from
your customers in a FAQ or an "ask us" column. The questions there are posed
in the customer's real words, and may contain the misspellings.
2. Stemming
Word stemming is the practice used to capture traffic surrounding a single
root word and its derivatives. When searching for keywords make sure to
optimize for a word's various forms and word stems.
Example:
orthinologists and orthinology are word stems.
3. Synonyms
Synonyms are different words with similar or identical meanings. The best
place to locate synonyms is the thesaurus.
Thesaurus - http://thesaurus.reference.com/
4. Geo Modifiers
If you are targeting a specific region you can use geo (geography)
modifiers which will use locations to filter your traffic.
Example: chicago custom software
5. Purchase Modifiers
Studies show that individuals interested in purchasing often will use
purchase indicators in their search terms. Enhance your listings by
selecting keyword phrases that include purchase modifiers.
Example:
buy +
purchase +
compare +
shop +
6. Combination Tumbling
Be sure to mix and match words and word order to increase your search
phrases.
Locating great keywords can be a bit tricky and time consuming, but it is
undoubtedly time well spent!
Regards Gerald Crawford
Webcraft.ws Stellenbosch
PO BOX 12216 Die Boord 7613 Stellenbosch South Africa
Telephone: +27-021-8833027 (office)
Cell: +27-0720390184 (mobile)
SMS: 0796343545
Skype: webcraft.guru
Fax: 0865657300
After Hours: 0881242372
Website: http://www.webcraft.ws
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
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Blog: http://webcraftws.blogspot.com/
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