What domain name should you use?
The name of your web site, your URL or web address, is an important detail that often gets overlooked. When Dr. Schlobowski finds out that Schlobowski.com is available, should he jump on it? If your name is available with a dot.com attached, it can’t hurt to buy that domain name. There’s no rule against having multiple domain names, and you can probably do it at very low cost unless you have a popular name. But you don’t want that to be your main address. Your primary domain name is usually the one you want on your stationary, business card and all your marketing.
For your primary domain name, you want something that is meaningful to prospective patients, not something meaningful to you, like your name. This is important for two reasons because the name must help attract both kinds of web site visitors, shoppers and investigators (see post on what practices need from a web site, located below). The investigator, who has seen or heard your web address is more likely to remember it and be able to spell it if it means something to them. That’s why Oaklandfamilydentist.com is better than schlobowski.com. If they forget your address or spell it wrong, they’ll never even get to see what the site looks like.
The Shoppers are more likely to find sarasotadentalcare.com than “your name” dot.com as well, since the search engines are influenced by the name of your URL. All other things being equal, the site name that uses descriptive words about what you do and where you are will be found by a search engine sooner than one without those words.
Just remember – concentrate on benefits, not features. The fact that your name is Dr. Schlobowski is a feature. The consumer is only interested in facts, like the proximity of your office to his house and your ability to fix his toothache. Since that’s what they are looking for, that’s what will attract the search engines as well.
