Ten Domain Traffic Tips

All websites need domain traffic. There's no point in putting a website online if nobody knows it's there. That much is obvious but with billions of websites on the Internet, people aren't going to stumble across your site by accident. So you need to generate domain traffic. There are literally hundreds of ways to do that though some are better than others. It often pays to be creative and innovative when finding ways to generate domain traffic. Here are ten suggestions to help you:

1. Anyone can create a free blog on sites like WordPress.com or Blogger. Tell people what you're up to or write blog posts that are interesting, informative or controversial. If you can generate interest about your site, you can drive domain traffic to it. If you're not sure what you could write that might be interesting or informative, just remember your writing for people just like you. Whatever interests you or your family and friends is likely to be interesting to other people as well.

2. Share your photographs on sharing sites like Flickr (provided you don't mind the whole world seeing your photos of course). You can share personal photos to generate interest in you, and your website; or you could post photos about your product (if you have one) or generic photos related to your subject. For the best results, post especially interesting, imaginative or funny photos. Add tags to the photos that consist of words and phrases that your target audience might use to search on. That way, your profile is more likely to come up in their search results.

3. Join social web sites. There are hundreds of social sites and bookmarking sites on the Internet. The most popular and well-known are Facebook and Twitter. Join as many of these as you are able to easily manage. You can use the social sites to connect with other people and raise your online profile. Make sure you have a link to your site in your profile and/or signature on each of these sites. You can add interesting links on bookmarking sites that you, and people who connect with you, are interested in. The more interesting links you have bookmarked the larger your following will become.

4. Post comments on blogs and forums. There are forums on the Internet related to just about any subject you can name. Find interesting discussions on blogs or forums that you have an opinion on. Join in the conversation by posting comments on them. Include your URL in your post. Bear in mind that you are joining a community of people like you. Always remember to be respectful and act like a 'good citizen'. You may want to say something that is controversial, and that's okay, but you should never be offensive. You don't want your posting to be deleted. Nor should you do any direct selling or self promotion. You want to be seen as knowledgeable and someone who others can trust.

5. Include a link to your site in your forum signatures and/or profiles. Links in profiles can be found by the search engines. Links in your signature will be shown at the bottom of all of your posts so people can link to you to find out more. Backlinks such as these are a key component in driving domain traffic.

6. Build your website on the WordPress.org platform. WordPress is free; it's easy to install on all of the best web hosts; and is loved by the search engines. You can install free themes and plugins for WordPress that will enhance your site. Look for add-ons that make your site user-friendly and interesting. Users want to see and experience new things.

7. Find other sites that have similar or complementary subjects to yours and contact the webmasters. Ask if they would participate in a link exchange (where you put a link to their site on your site if they will do the same for you). Don't do this with just any website though. You don't want to send any of your domain traffic to sites that may be illegal, immoral or spammy.

8. Adding video and audio to your site can increase your exposure. Include audio and video that is interesting and intriguing. Upload videos to video sharing sites like YouTube

9. Include an RSS feed on your site (easily done with WordPress) and submit it to RSS sites. People who are interested in your subject can then find you through the RSS feed.

This last tip is one of my favorites:

10. Submit articles to article directories. If you write articles on your subject, or get them written, you can put links to your site in the resource section; usually at the bottom of the article. If you want to know more about how to write an article check my post on my blog on the subject (link below). I find article submission is one of the best ways to generate domain traffic.

There's one last point I want to mention. As paradoxical as it might seem, you don't want to focus on domain traffic when you use these tips. Remember that domain traffic is really people! By far the best way to get traffic to your website is to connect with people. You will find greater success by giving your readers what want than you would with all of the secret SEO tricks put together. When you reach out to them with information and products that are interesting to them, you provide a valuable service.

Five Cool Domain Names Ideas

Today I have cool domain names ideas for you that make you have a clue on how to get started in owning a unique name just for your website. That name will be yours and yours alone no one will use it as long as you don't fail to renew it once it expires. There are many sites that have got tools for creating website names. When you use such tools, make sure that you stick searching names that are within your niche market.

Get as many names as you can and don't forget to save them using either Microsoft word or excel spread sheet for later scrutiny. If you would like something a little more efficient, there are many great domain name software for assisting you in analyzing demand and supply of certain keywords. Check individual words to see if they're available. If a dot com is obtainable and it looks great after scrutinizing, grab it. Don't wait!

Five Cool Domain Names Ideas

1. Go for Dot Com. It's the extension that majority of internet entrepreneurs use. Any other Top Level Domain Name (TLD) such as dot net or even dot info is simply likely not to be used by surfers, unless this seems better than the dot com. For instance, if you're involved in networking, then dot net is more natural. If your site is about information, you need to use dot info. An example of this is "seosecrets.info."

2. Do Away With Dashes and Numbers. If it's a choice between talk-domain.com, talkdomain101.com and talkdomain.net, take the.net. People are not likely to type the dashes or the numbers on their browsers, unless of course they're a fundamental element of the actual name.

3. Use Least Amount of Letters. Another cool domain names tip is to use the least amount of letters as possible to explain what you do. If for example one owns a group called the unlocked, unlocked.com would be the perfect domain name. If that person finds that it's already registered then she should consider registering unlocked.org. Keep in mind, each and every extra character is a possible typing error.

4. Use Your Site Concept. If you can't think of a descriptive domain name, use another method based on your site's content (concept). Choose a memorable but brief title that will stick within people's minds. Get a great logo and include the actual name inside your market niche. This is called branding and this is a great way of owning a good domain name. This has been tried and tested to have worked very well.

5. Ask People. Ask people around you for ideas including your sweetheart, friend, attorney and business consultants. They're more than likely to give some tips. Many great ideas have come from visiting places and by brainstorming deeply.

If you're able to save a few dollars with your own domain name or by buying a cheaper website name, do it. Use some money to get yourself positioned better within the search engines results or Google AdSense placement.

Most newly created domains aren't expensive, they cost between $10 onwards. The bad news for you to bear in mind is that it might take you a while to come up with the perfect name using these cool domain names ideas.

Domain Name Tips - Should You Use Hyphens in Your Domain Name?

This article looks at the advantages and disadvantages of using hyphens in your domain name. It will give you a better idea of whether hyphens in your domain name are going to benefit your website or not.

Advantages of hyphens

• Hyphens can give you the option to obtain a good TLD (Top Level Domain), such as a .com, if the name without hyphens is already registered - but, make sure to check the related disadvantage below.
• They can help to make your domain name easier to read, if it is lengthy or confusing without.
• Hyphens can avoid misinterpretation of your domain name by humans.
• They can help to clarify the words for search engines, if there is room for misinterpretation.
• Hyphens are very useful in the extensions of your URL. They are even recommended in this case by Matt Cutts of Google, as it can help to clarify what is often a long string of words.

Disadvantages of hyphens

• If you are speaking your domain name, whether this is in person, by phone, on radio or television, it can be awkward if your domain has hyphens and it will be harder for people to remember. Maybe a single hyphen in a domain name with two words is not too difficult, but you are likely to test the patience of a chat show host, as well as listeners, if you are having to spell out your domain name and are telling them where to insert hyphens. There is also the risk that someone may confuse an underscore for a hyphen, or that they may think the word hyphen is a part of the domain name.
• Possibly the most important reason to avoid hyphens is that domains with hyphens look less professional than those without, although this view is changing. This is a slightly unfair legacy from the fact that a lot of domains with hyphens were spam sites many years ago.

So which is best?

First, it can be as well to consider registering both domains (with and without hyphens), if you suspect that someone may try to piggyback off the success of your site, by using the version that you haven't registered. If using hyphens I'd rarely recommend using more than a couple, maybe three, more than that and I'd start looking for a different domain name. They can be used to split a couple of phrases, rather than every word. It is also worth noting that hyphens will not have any effect upon your ranking by the search engines, at least not to any noticeable degree when compared to all other factors. Ultimately, there is no single answer that suits all sites, you will need to consider the points raised above and see which carry more weight for your domain.

How to Get a Domain Name for Free

How to set up a domain name

It is so important to select a domain name which is easy to remember and which represents you and your new website. The easiest it is to remember, the more hits you will receive.

We will see the following concepts regarding a domain name:

· What is a Dom. Name

· The Free Dom. Name

· Own Your Dom. Name

· Tips on Selecting a Dom. Name

A domain name is the word wide web address for your website. Technically, it is text which corresponds to a numeric internet protocol (IP) address of a computer on the internet. It is a unique address that only one site may have. It is the name, or address, people type into their internet browser to find a website, such as yourcompanyname.com.

How to get a domain name for free.

If you are using a web builder program, you can find many with a simple search at Google, odds are that you have a free domain that came with the program you purchased. Usually these URL's include the name of the web builder, fake builder, your name might look like "yourname.fakebuilder.net"

Obviously this name is much longer and more difficult to remember than you would like. It also confuses your potential customers to see another company name as part of your website address. Although it is free, it may cost you more in the long run because of the loss in marketing value you may encounter. It may be very difficult to market a long, cumbersome name.

How to purchase a domain name

The best option is to purchase your own name. Reasons for having your own name include the following:

· It is easier to remember.

· Search engines will rank you higher.

· It helps people find the site more easily.

· It allows for creating name recognition.

Domain name selection tips

Choosing a name will be one of the most important steps in developing your online business. Therefore, it is critical to invest the time necessary to select the best available name. As you select one, keep the following tips in mind:

· Always look for short names.

· Make sure it is easy to spell as possible.

· Whenever possible choose something catchy and easy to remember.

· In order to receive a better search engine ranking, include your main keyword phrase, or at least part of it, in the name.

· Choose the correct domain for your business for example:

I. The.com domain is reserved for -profit organizations

II. The.org domain is for non-profit orgs

III. The.net is for internet service providers and other internet business.

Domain Name Tips and Do Nots

Choosing your domain name can have a greater influence on your website than you might think it could. You have to choose a name that people will be able to remember and revisit easily while also choosing something that is personal to your or your company. Here are a few tips on how to choose the best name and what not to do when choosing a name.

The most important thing about your domain name is that it needs to be easy for users to remember and use in the future. If you have a name that nobody can remember, then they probably aren't going to be visiting your site as often as they would if they could remember it easily. You should select a name that is easy to remember while also being unique to your company. Just remember, not only does the user need to be able to remember the name, but they also need to be able to visit it easily. That means you should be cautious not to use a name that someone might not be able to spell.

Having a name that people can't spell easily can cause confusion and frustration when someone is trying to access your site. They may spell it wrong without realizing they are spelling it wrong and then go to the wrong site, or get a message that the site is not available, and then give up on visiting the site of your company all together. You don't want people to give up on accessing your site simply because you have one of the domain names that they can't spell. You should be cautious and careful that the site is easy to spell for most of your potential visitors.

When you're considering the spelling of your name, also consider this "what not to do" when it comes to domain names: don't name your site something that could be confused with something else. Remember that your site will not have spaces between the words when you view it on the Internet, so don't choose something that someone could read wrong. For example, some companies have gone through the whole domain registry process only to find that the name they selected actually reads as something perverted when the spaces aren't included. Then you have to select a whole new name and go through the process all over again!

Also remember to register a name that is something you will want to have for a very long time. Registering a domain that you may not want to use in years to come doesn't makes sense because then you will be forced to build your image all over again when you create a new site. Also, switching the names can confuse the people who want to visit your site and you certainly don't want to lose business or viewers that way (or at all)! Just remember these helpful tips when you are registering a domain and you shouldn't have any problems!