Should Your Domain Name be Your Company Name or Should It Use Keywords?

I was recently approached by a friend who wanted my advice on choosing a domain name.  An associate of his was getting ready to launch a new business web site.  The debate was over whether he should use:

1. His company name as the domain name (ex. www.BlueValleyLandDesign.com ) OR
2. A domain name that utilizes keywords (ex. www.Denver-Landscaping.com)

Most of the time my answer would’ve been a no-brainer – use the business name.  After all, most people assume that your domain name matches your company name.  It makes it easy for people to remember your web site address and share it with others.

In this case, however, I recommended going with keywords.  The reason?  The business name included the last name of the owner.

“Well, so what?” you might be asking.  “It’s common practice for people use their first or last names, and sometimes both in their business name.”

That’s true.  And it’s really not a good naming convention, in my opinion.  Particularly when it comes to web businesses and domain names.

The reason for this is value.  Let me explain. When selling a business web site, the web site’s primary value is almost always weighed by its search engine rankings.  And search engine rankings are, of course, completely 100% attached to the domain name.

Now think of this:  Is a prospective buyer going to want to own a business named Suzy’s Web Design with a domain name of www.SuzysWebDesign.com?  Unless their name is Suzy, probably not.  But a business and domain name that is generic, such as Smart and Savvy Web Design and www. SmartAndSavvyWebDesign.com would be appealing to a much larger population.

I really never even considered this until I sold my web design web site last year.  My business happened to have a generic name with a matching domain name.  Its sales appeal was its search engine rankings, its longevity, and its reputation, in that order.  After the transfer to the new owner was complete, I got to wondering if he still would’ve been interested in buying it if it had a domain name of VikiNygaardWebDesigns.com.  I kinda doubt it.

So what do you do if you are basically stuck with a company name that uses a personal name?  My recommendation would be this:  Use two domains.  Use a keyword-rich domain name for the search engines and then point your company domain name to the keyword-rich domain name.  The keyword-rich domain name would be the domain name where all your web site files are located and would be the one that the search engines would crawl.  The company domain name is the one you would use for advertising and sharing with your customers.

For example, www.Denver-Landscaping.com is a keyword-rich domain name.  I would upload all the web site files to this domain name, then point the company domain name to it.  The domain name that is pointed will never gain search engine rankings.  The domain name where your site files are located will.

“But I have no intention of ever selling my web site.”  Believe me, neither did I.  Like most people who start a business, I expected to stick with it a long time, but life and circumstances changed.  The opportunity unexpectedly came along for me to sell and the timing was right.

When you buy a domain name and build a web site, don’t just think about the here and now, but consider how your choices will impact the future as well.  Doing so might mean all the difference between a web site that holds value in the eyes of prospective buyers and one that doesn’t.

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