Why a Domain Name?

Domain names can be a great tool for you business. I have quite a few domain names and use them for various purposes. So why would someone need a domain name anyway?

To direct people to YOUR website

Many people in network marketing or direct sales have a corporate website, but usually the url is something like www. Mycompany.com/12345 Well, what happens if a potential customer or business partner mistypes the number or just leaves off the numbers all together? You could be wasting your marketing efforts.

To Send People to Specific Pages of Your Website

Domain names are great for directing people to specific pages or sections of your website. You may want to keep your customer pages and business opportunity pages separate. With a domain name you can forward your prospects to the section you want them to see. This is also great for people who may be promoting more than one product or service too.

Domain names can also be handy for directing people to different landing pages on your website. When you are marketing in different places - ezines, forums, online ads, etc. you want to know which advertisements are bringing in the best results, so you can create different landing pages to track where your prospects are coming from. Domain names can be useful if you aren't using banners or linked graphics.


Ability to Change where the Domain Name Takes your Prospects

This allows you to have control of your marketing and be an independent marketer. What if you are promoting a health and nutritional product you really love and then the company changes the product or makes other changes within the company that aren't in alignment with what you want to promote? If all your marketing is directing people to a corporate site your could be directing people to that company for quite a while and losing business. If on the other hand you had a domain name, you could simple search for a new product/service and change the forwarding on the domain name to the new product or service.

The other advantage this has is that you can reserve a domain name you like and direct it to your corporate site and if you build a personal website you can then use that domain name for your personal site. Having your own personal website allows you to promote yourself and I recommend people set up a simple personal website if they are serious and in this for the long haul.

So How Do You Choose a Domain Name?

Generally you want a domain name that is easy to say and remember. You probably want to spell it out when leaving your domain name on a voice mail, but it makes it easier if it is not too long or difficult to has too unusual a spelling. Often using your names is good for at least one domain name so you are branding yourself and help prospects recognize your name.

I have had several occasions when downline members have asked me for help in choosing a domain name because every one they try is “taken”. Some good ways to find a domain that isn't already in use is to play around with reversing words and using an online thesaurus to try similar words. So if bestbooks is taken, try greatbooks or kidsgreatbooks. I usually try to avoid vowels or the same consonant in two words being next to each other because the domain name becomes less readable. So
theemporium or funnyyoyos may not be the best choice.

Where to Get a Domain name?

You can get domain names at a lot of places, but I like having all my domain names at one place since it is easier to keep track of them. I have had my domain names with GoDaddy for about 4 years or so and have been happy with the easy of forwarding, checking my account, etc. GoDaddy also have some nice features like having emails with the same domain name. I haven't used this service since I have my own website with email addresses , but it does create a professional image when your domain name and email address match.


Domain names are useful tools and can be a great beginning for people who are serious about becoming Independent Marketers.