"New Trend Shows Domain Branding More Important
Than Ever Before."
by Wayne Ford
On Feb. 6th, 2003, websidestory Inc.,
[websidestory.com], a web analyzation company released a report showing
that the majority of websites are now visited by direct navigation,
instead of using search engines and web links.
Direct Web Navigation is when a visitor locates a
site by typing the domain directly into the browser or from a using a
bookmark.
According to websidestory.com, in 2/2001 48.14% of
sites were found through direct navigation and the other 51.85% through
search engines and weblinks.
As of 2/2003 that percentage has risen to 64.43%
and only 35.55% were found through search engines and links.
This study however does not diminish the
importance of search engines and links for initially finding a website.
But it does give evidence that a domain and site
that a visitor is able to remember will be returned to directly in the
future.
Note I said ‘able to remember’ and not ‘worth
remembering.’ Sure your site should be of such value that it is worth
remembering, but if you don’t have that solid brandable domain that
sticks in the brain like glue than it won’t matter.
How many times have you wanted to return to a cool
site, but couldn’t remember the domain to get their? Of course you
could search for it at a search engine, but this takes more time and
effort. The more steps you put in front of your prospects, the less
likely your site is to be found.
This is why domain branding is so important. For a
very low investment any online business has the power to intensely
leverage their marketing.
Think about it. Your Domain name is the most
important marketing tool you have. Your domain is the first thing your
audience sees and your first chance to generate a response from a
consumer. Do they visit or move on? This decision is hugely impacted by
the effectiveness of your domain.
The entire basis of marketing is getting someone's
attention and your domain must do just that. It becomes extremely
powerful to use a brandable domain name to leverage your marketing to
the maximum.
Put simply a quality, short, memorable domain will
always lead to an increase in sales.
Nobody knows this better that large corporations
who have spend millions on solid brandable domain names. In one famous
example venture capitalists in California paid $7.5 million to acquire
Business.com. Even forsalebyowner.com fetched $835,000.
A little off topic but still interesting, is
Ex-marine Darryl Pollock who registered the domain IraqiFreedom.com and
has received offers into the thousands (Note: He has been qouted saying
that if he were contacted by the pentagon he would 'completely
cooperate with them.')
Crazy isn't? But big business knows that these
domains are worth because that domain will bring in sales for years and
years to come. They can build it, promote it, brand it and it will work
for them forever. Even two word, hyphenated domains are grabbing some
pretty prices, checkout these recent Afternic and Ebay sales:
Internetbank.com $92,800 E-Privacy.com $35,080
eloans.net $6,060
Ez-HomeLoans.com $4,725
venture-capital.net $14,510 officetravel.com $2,625
qalaxycafe.com $1,890
When you are marketing your site, business,
product, service, you must be seen, heard and remembered by your
audience. Consumers are bombarded with messages all day every where
they travel. You must stand out and the most cost effective way to do
this is logical domain branding.
So what domains are memorable and what makes a
domain brandable?
Find out and see examples in Part 2 of our special
domain branding articles series.
Get Part 2 now, by sending a blank email to
mailto:10336@QuickPayPro.com
Wayne Ford is the owner of http://www.domainheat.com
, a
leading supplier of daily expired and soon-to-expire domain lists. He
also has just released a new 2-tier affiliate program that pays up to
75% on a whole library of internet marketing products and services.
Join free at http://www.gotprofit.com | 