by Dana Lynn Smith
Many authors choose a website domain name that closely matches the title of their book. That's great for book marketing purposes. But if your domain name doesn't include important keywords, you could be missing out on search engine traffic in promoting your book.
According to Search Engine News, a domain name that exactly matches the keywords entered into a search engine will automatically give that domain a significant advantage in the search results. Having keywords in the domain name also increases the chance of the searcher clicking on your link when they see it on the results page.
I'll illustrate this point with one of my own sites. I recently purchased the domain name www.SellingtoLibraries.com and forwarded it to the product page for my new book, The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries. The product page is located at this URL: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/savvy_book_marketer/selling-your-book-to-libraries.html.
If you do a Google search for terms like "selling to libraries," or "sell my book to libraries," this web page comes up anywhere from one to five in the search results. This domain and web page have only existed for a few weeks and there are few incoming links, mostly from my own websites. Apparently it's the domain name that's causing this page to rank so highly.
It's interesting to note that while my keywords (selling to libraries) are in both the domain and the actual URL of this page, the Google search results page is displaying the domain name.
Using Multiple Domain Names
If your important keywords aren't contained in your existing domain name, it may be wise to purchase one or more additional domains. You can "point" or "forward" keyword-rich topical domain names to your home page or to specific pages within the site. Anyone typing or clicking on the domain will be automatically redirected to the page the domain points to.
If you have multiple products, you can purchase a keyword-rich domain name for each product and point it to that product's page on your site. It's probably not a good idea to point more than a couple of domains to the same page—you don't want to give the appearance of trying to manipulate the search engines.
I also recommend buying a domain for your author name. You can point it to the Media Room or About page on your website, or set up a separate author website that contains your bio and media information and links to your other sites, articles you have written, etc. For an example, see www.DanaLynnSmith.com.
Finding Domain Names
The best domain names are memorable and brandable and contain important keywords. To create a keyword-rich domain, think about what keywords potential customers would be most likely to use when searching for information on your topic. If you haven't already done keyword research, try using Wordtracker (the free version) and Google Adwords Keyword Tool.
Finding domain names that aren't already taken can be a challenge. Try adding additional words such as central, hub, book, source or how to. You can also use free online tools like Nameboy and BustAName to generate ideas.
Some other tips:
- Try to get the .com version of the domain name
- Don’t use hypens or other characters in your domain name
- Don't make the domain name too long
Domain Registration
If you're buying multiple domain names, I recommend using a domain registrar that has low prices, good domain management tools, and free and easy domain forwarding. In order to forward your domain, you may need a domain registrar that supports “custom DNS services.” I use GoDaddy, but many other registrars also provide this service.
I pay a little extra for "private registration" to keep my contact information out of the public WHOIS database. This also reduces the chance of search engines assigning a duplicate content penalty to a page that has more than one domain.
A word of caution—when you set up domain forwarding, some registrars offer the option to "mask" your URL (in other words, the domain name rather than the actual URL of the page will appear at the top of the browser when the page loads.) I recommend against masking because it can interfere with domain forwarding in some browser configurations. This happened to me.
Conclusion
Compare your existing domain name to your most important keywords and consider the benefits of buying additional domains for your home page or other pages on your site. In the battle for web traffic, every advantage counts!
