The "Fashion" in Domain Names

I've written about this topic before, but as I "travel" around the web I continue to see domain names that puzzle me.

Pondering this subject recently, I realized that a "fashion trend" is responsible for some of the domain name confusion.

In the beginning the trend for domain names appears to be the shorter the better. This was particularly important when people had to type your URL into their computer's browser from, for example, someone's business card or remember it from meeting you at a networking event.

The arrival and then popularity of social media sites has changed this domain name landscape.

Nowadays it is much more likely that someone will simply click on your website URL on your social media profiles (or from your URL appearing in search engine results) to check out your site.

This means that the length of the domain name is less important than in the past.



I asked someone recently what her URL stood for, and she seemed surprised that I could not figure out what the initials meant. (Would you know that "sb" stands for small business?)

But, remember, changing your URL to something that is clearer does not mean that you have to get a new website.

You only need to get a new domain name (keeping the old one, too) and have that new domain name redirected to your website.

In fact, you can even use this technique to send people to a specific section of your existing website.

For example, Yael and I both bought the URLs of our names three years ago in order to protect our brands. It is only this week, though, that we redirected the URLs to specific pages of our individual author blogs. (See www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com and www.YaelKMiller.com )

(You can also use shortened URL services to send people to a specific section of your site. I do this with http://budurl.com/PZMbooks to send people to a display of the covers of my four books.)

In conclusion, just because you know what your URL represents does not mean that this is clear to others. Check out your domain name now in light of having a recognizable URL to put on your social media profiles.

If your domain name is confusing, get an additional URL now that is clearer.

© 2011 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic, LLC, which offers "done for you" and "do it yourself" social media services including marketing-focused WordPress websites.

Visit Phyllis' "about" page on Google Plus.

View information on Phyllis' books and ebooks at http://budurl.com/PZMbooks