Choosing which domain name extension can often be confusing to someone new to selecting domain names. The most popular is of course the .com extension, with the .net and .org following relatively close behind. Originally intended to have more specific uses for technical sites or organizations, the latter two extensions became popular for general usage as the .com versions of the desired names became more scarce.
If possible, in almost all cases, the .com version should be selected. This is the defacto standard for web addresses and anyone typing in a web address without the extension is likely to end up there. (Not always, but often). .Com just seems like the default web address extension to non internet marketing people and is a default unless given to them specifically as .net or .org. However, in search engines and indexing .net and .org both seem to get their share of the love as well.
In my personal experience the differences between these three domain name extensions is minimal from the impacts on SEO, search rankings, and indexing. Since I am writing an article on this, I must choose, so in order based only on anecdotal experience, my ranking based on preferred would be .com, .org, then .net from first to third preference.
Go with the version that is available in your chosen keywords with the above ranking of the top 3 extensions as your guide. In my opinion, stay away from almost all of the other domain extensions like .biz (more on .info in a minute) as in general they don’t seem to fare as well although with the right work, content, and linking they also could likely do ok, but be aware it will be many times harder with that working against you.
Based on the article headline, you are probably wondering about the .info domain. The .info domain appears to be a bit of an enigma. In doing keyword and site research, multiple .info domains have showed up in the top 10 of Google so it definitely can rank well as an extension. And at under a dollar a pop at some registrars for the first year, they can seem attractive from a cost standpoint.
This is how my first .info domain was picked up. I needed a few more domain names to get my free private registration so I added a few .infos to my cart for a buck each. From that has developed my experience that getting these .info domains indexed and ranking in Google is more challenging than the above mentioned (.com, .net, .org) extensions. I have a .info domain with over ten original posts on it written by me on an area of personal knowledge that has a few links back to it that is still not indexed by Google. Not even for just the homepage. It is still less than three months old, so maybe it is just stuck in the infamous “Google Sandbox”, but based on indexing experience with other sites, it should at least be indexed by now. Yahoo and Bing don’t seem to have the same issue, as the site went in to those two engines on approximately the same timeframe as other sites have done.
Armed with this information about domain name extensions, I hope you can go forth and make a better informed decision on a domain name selection. And if you decide to go with a .info domain and have a better experience, please come back and share it in the comments.
Filed under Build a Web Site, Domain Name Selection, How to Start a Web Business, Starting a Web Business by on Aug 16th, 2010. Comment. 
Should your domain name include dashes or no dashes? Does either choice impact the chance for search engine rankings, branding, and traffic potential? These are key and common questions asked by people trying to select domain names for use in online business. They are definitely good questions, because selecting a domain name and expecting better results than what occurs can be a disappointing result.
The consensus opinion appears to be that having dashes in a domain name negates a lot of the exact match domain ranking power that can be conferred by an exact match domain without the dashes. Limited anecdotal experience on my part also seems to bear this out, as any experience of mine with dashed domains has been slower and lower rankings than expected based on experiences with non dashed domain names. Granted that this is with only a limited number of samples, but it is another confirmation of the conventional wisdom.
That doesn’t mean that a domain name with dashes can’t be made to rank well, just that in comparison to a domain name with no dashes it will take longer and will take more linking and off page optimization factors. That boost of search engine rankings juice that seems to come with the exact match domain name won’t be there to get things kicked off.
Another concern with domain names with dashes is that they can be more difficult to communicate and remember. When sharing the name with others, you must remind them to remember to put the dashes in, and if they forget they will end up on another site and not at yours. With no dashes this is less of a concern, especially with the .com version of the domain name. Having the dashes can hurt your type in traffic which damages your branding efforts.
Exact match (or even non exact) domain names without dashes seem to be more effective at ranking well in the search engines when compared to domain names with dashes. The potential loss of type in traffic when someone forgets to add the dashes also seems to favor the non dash domain names.
If you decide to choose a domain name with dashes be aware that it may take longer to rank for your chosen target market and keywords and will likely require more time in building links, content, and other marketing strategies than if you choose a domain name with no dashes.
Filed under Domain Name Selection, How to Start a Web Business, Starting a Web Business by on Aug 11th, 2010. Comment.
This post is an index/table of contents for the 30 part Build a Website series of posts.
1) Keyword research – 1
2) Keyword research – 2
3) Keyword research – 3
4) Buy domain name
5) Get Web Hosting
6) Setup Domain and email, Change nameservers
7) Install Wordpress, Setup FTP
8 ) Plug-ins
9) Themes
10) Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools
11) Privacy policy, Disclaimer,General, and contact form
12) Pages vs Posts, Wordpress Setup
13) Submit url to Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing)
14) Add Articles and Content – (Outsource possible)
15) Twitter/RSS
16) Squidoo and Hubpages
17) Ezinearticles
18) Adding Youtube videos
19) Adding Images
20) Backlinks
21) Build Traffic and Links – Social Networks
22) Build Traffic and Links – Blog Commenting
23) Build Traffic and Links – Forum Commenting
24) Build Traffic and Links – Article Marketing
25) Build Traffic and Links – Directories, DMOZ
26) Add Forums – Taaki/SMF
27) Monetize the site
28) Build a future plan
29) Add an Opt-in form, Email List, Aweber
30) Advertising page, Guest posting, User Generated Content
As part of documenting the process of starting a web business by the building a niche site or focused content site strategy I want to kick off a post series that goes through the process of building a new website from beginning to end starting from scratch and ending with a site that has good solid content and the ability to have monetization channels for revenue.
I want to do this both to benefit myself by forcing me to document the process in more detail, and also to share the beginning knowledge with the readers of this site. Getting started can be a struggle and getting a first site up gives you the confidence that it can be done.
Getting over the first site hurdle can be hard to overcome and I hope this series will be helpful for both those trying to get their first site up and will also provide insight for those who already have sites up and running as well. I should say that it isn’t intended to be a total beginner’s series as it will start at ground zero and end with a functioning site, so it should provide value for both beginner and intermediate level readers.
The general goals of this series are:
1) Educate the reader about and document the process of building a site from scratch.
2) Determine how to pick a site that has good search traffic that has potential to rank well in search or otherwise obtain organic, unpurchased traffic
3) Have the potential for adding monetization strategies. While the goal will to build a solid content site that adds value to a reader, we are also investing time and resources in building the content and traffic so reasonably desire a monetization possibility.
4) End up at the end of the series with a solid website property that can stay in my portfolio of sites.
As a general guideline here, I will plan to focus on a topic that interests me as the guiding principle in this website building case study. While there is nothing wrong with selecting a topic for your niche based solely on monetary factors (we are talking about web “business” after all), when possible I try to select a niche that I also have some interest in or knowledge about. This makes it easier for me to maintain interest in the project as well as making it easier to add my own content.
The plan now (subject to change) is to split this into 30 smaller posts each focusing on a bite sized chunk of getting a website up and running. I want to keep them short enough that they don’t go into information overload while being long enough to provide actionable content that makes sense in the order being presented.
Well, now just to get started…..
Filed under Build a Niche Site, Niche Site Series, Starting a Web Business by on Jul 15th, 2010. Comment.
There are many ways that people use a website to start their web business and make money online. Each of these different monetization strategies below will cover some of the top possible options, but is not an all inclusive list.
Affiliate Marketing
In affiliate marketing, you will list some product or service for sell, and if a buyer clicks through and then subsequently makes a purchase then you will gain some share of that sale in the form of a commission or a pay per click or action. The percentage varies from a few percentage points to 75% and higher. Informational products have in my experience and research had the highest payout percentages per sale. Some of the top affiliate marketing programs on the internet are Amazon Affiliates, Ebay Partner Network, Clickbank, Commission Junction, and PepperJam. In addition to these major affiliates, there are many others, and most sites and retailers have some affiliate program for someone wanting to promote their products.
Advertising
Google Adsense is the top dog in the online advertising market and for good content based websites can be a good choice to bring in some revenue. There are other smaller advertising companies including Kontera, Adbrite, and also Yahoo has an ad network. Advertising in this form is done by the ad publisher evaluating the content of your site and placing relevant ads on the site. The compensation method is typically in a pay per click model in which you only earn money and the advertiser only pays money if a web browser clicks on the ad. It is appropriate to mention here that you should never click your own ads as Google will ban you from Adsense for doing that and I imagine that the others will as well.
If you build a site with good traffic and targeted traffic, it will also be an option to sell advertising directly to an advertiser without using an intermediary. This could take the form of text or banner ads placed on your site for the advertiser.
Blogging/Niche sites/Forums
More the medium that provides the basis for the affiliate marketing and advertising possibilities than a money method in itself, these are choices of how to deliver the great content that will bring the traffic and rankings. To succeed at starting a web business the website must provide some reason for users to visit, and the search engines to rank them so they can be found.
Starting a blog or site on a topic (often called a niche) and delivering solid original content about the topic is a common and popular way to get traffic from the search engines. If that traffic arrives, then the methods above can be used on those sites to produce revenue possibilities.
Starting a forum is another possibility to provide content and obtain visitors to your site who will ask questions and participate in the community on the forum. Forums are considered harder to start up and maintain than blogs or websites, but once they are established are often considered “stickier” in that users stay longer and return more often as repeat visitors.
Reseller Hosting/Build Websites
Selling hosting space as a reseller and/or website design and website building to others can be a way to make money with an online business. This can require a little more technical knowledge than some of the other strategies, but is another option.
Buy and Sell (Flip) Websites and Domain Names
Much like “flipping” houses in the real physical world, this is doing similar activities in the virtual world. A website or domain can be built from scratch and sold for its traffic, revenue stream, or potential (or any combination of these). Or an existing website can be purchased, then improved and resold. A popular online marketplace for buying and selling websites is flippa.com.
Sell Your Services
If you have a skill that translates well to a virtual work style then that can be an option as well. For example, resume writing, graphic design, bookkeeping, consulting, and copywriting can all be done for others as a service you offer with out a fixed office space. With a website, computer, and relevant software and skills these types of services (and others) could be sold online.
Sell Physical Products
Often combined with a drop shipper who will sell to you at wholesale prices and ship orders on request so that no inventory is maintained, selling products can be a way to start an online business. It is also an option to buy inventory that you own and then resell, but this increases the upfront monetary investment and increases the risk since it could not sell at all. In addition to using a website, using Ebay for selling physical products is a common choice.
Complement an Offline Business
For someone who already has an existing business without an internet presence, then establishing an online component to your business can be very valuable. With many bricks and mortar companies still not really strong on the need for an internet presence, it can often be relatively easy to rank highly in search results for local listings for city and product/service. This can drive significant targeted prospects to the physical location who otherwise may not have visited.
With this list of 8 ways to start your web business adventure hopefully you will have some ideas now of the direction to go for getting a site strategy up and running and how it can bring in revenue from that traffic.
Filed under How to Start a Web Business, Starting a Web Business, Ways to Make Money Online by on Jul 15th, 2010. Comment.
Starting a web business. The url address of this website seemed an appropriate keyword to use that captured the spirit of what I (and you, the visitor) did, are doing, or are thinking about doing.
It is likely you are here because like me you wanted to find a way to make money online by starting an online business so that you could either supplement your full time income or replace your full time income. In time, I think that the dream of most of those who go into online business is to have it become their full time revenue source and allow them to have freedom from a 8 to 5 office desk job.
For some the dream is to travel the world with their newfound freedom, for others it is just to be able to stay home and take care of the kids instead of working in the rat race. The goals and aspirations of those who want to start an internet business are as varied as their are people trying to get into the marketplace.
If you have spent some time searching and reading around the web before finding your way here, then you may be confused, overwhelmed, and lost in information overload. I know that is how I was as I started scouring for every piece of information I could find about web business. In addition to the confusion, many of the marketing that you may have read has focused on the millions you can earn overnight in internet business, and it is hard to know where to start. Not that we don’t all want to make lots of money, but sometimes the goals seem set kind of high by the top internet marketing “gurus”.
While a lot of marketers make it seem so easy, and it can eventually be after things are up and running, getting started is a lot of hard work. Assuming there is no technology hurdle, which is a big assumption, then the process of doing keyword research, finding a domain, getting hosting, installing Wordpress, building links, article marketing, niche building, tracking traffic, building traffic, RSS, Twitter, Hubs, affiliate choice and signup, monetization strategies, and on and on is really a lot of stuff to take in and absorb. Especially for those trying to start a web business part time while working full time it can be a real challenge. I try to spend an average of at least a couple hours a day on web work of some type that improves value of my web properties and it is hard to find the time in the day while working a full time job with family responsibilities as well.
The technology hurdle can be a large barrier to entry for many people trying to break into internet business. I am a pretty tech savvy guy who has built websites and chat rooms before, work with computers all day (not programming though), have used the internet for over 15 years, and can do some light programming in two different languages and I had a tough time setting up my first self-hosted Wordpress blog. The important thing is to tough it out and learn how to do what you need to do. Once you learn it the first time, then it will go a lot faster and easier the second time.
Last, but not least, one piece of advice I read while doing my research, and what ended up being the best advice received is to just do it and take action. Yes, learn, and continue to learn, but put a time limit on the process when you will have taken some action to build a web property. Even if it is as simple as registering a domain name then that is a positive action that will make you feel like you have accomplished an important goal, which you will have done by the way. The first domain I registered and then loading it onto my hosting account gave me a huge sense of accomplishment and motivated me to continue building sites and adding content.
I am hopeful and optimistic that this site will help those searching for how to start a web business with some guidance. The plan is to have informative posts based on my experiences and research that will not only help me transmit information to the web and share knowledge, but also help me refine my own thinking on these topics.
One of the first things I want to do is a site setup walkthrough of setting up a site with the key steps involved so that it can be followed along and tracked by those searching for information on starting a web business. Most people online (myself included) don’t really like to share their niches and sites to help avoid those markets being entered, but a site built for this purpose of research and information could be one way to provide valuable content to the reader.
Filed under How to Start a Web Business, Starting a Web Business by on Jul 14th, 2010. Comment.