• By Cathy Goodwin
• Published 05/7/2009
• Writing for the Web

Online marketing starts with your domain name. Your domain name creates your service brand, on and off the Interent. Your domain name sends a message to your clients and prospects, even before they arrive on your home page. In fact, your domain name is your first copywriting challenge. It is worth investing some time in choosing a strong name that will showcase your business. It is never too late for you to choose a strong domain name that brands your service effectively. Even if you have been online for a while, you can change your domain name easily. Just buy a new domain name and set up a redirect to your site. If your new name is stronger than the old one, you can arrange to rename your site. Just make the old name a redirect so you won’t lose your earlier visitors who bookmarked the old site. When a site fails to bring the results you hoped to achieve, first check to see if your domain name creates a negative branding image. For instance, suppose you are a relationship coach. You target clients who seek companionship. You might think “boredandlonely” would be a great domain name. To take another example, suppose you’re a health coach with a site “TooTiredToMove.”

These names will relate to your clients’ needs, but in a negative way. These domain names describe problems, not solutions, Every time a prospect comes to this site, she thinks, “That’s me… bored and lonely! How depressing is tha

t?” Or he says, “I’m too tired to do anything.” Your prospects don’t want to identify with being bored, lonely, tired or sick. They want to click on a solution. To create a money-making website, start by choosing a domain name based on your hottest benefit. What will your visitors enjoy after they have been your clients for awhile? Prospects will feel optimistic when they click on a site named “Great Relationships” or “Unlimited Energy For Life.” You can also use an action phrase that invites your website visitors to imagine themselves moving toward solutions. “Meet Your Soulmate” might be a good name for a coach who helps people find great life partners. “Wake Up To Energy” or “Energize your life” will motivate the visitors to a health coach. Alternatively, your site can brand your service as a solution. “Your Relationship Coach” would be a start. “The Energy Answer” would be appropriate for a health coach. Don’t forget that prospects will probably visit your site more than once. Some prospects will return after making initial contact with you. Maybe they attend a teleseminar or buy an information product. Hopefully their condition will be improved after even this small interaction.

For this reason, consider whether you want to name your site as a way to end a negative condition. “Stop Feeling Tired” would be a good name for a site sells an information product. After buying the product, your customers hopefully feel better. They have no reason to return to the site.