Another Domain Name Question

[sammie]

So, all of the domain name "talk" lately has me thinking I want to change my website/domain name to something that will come up in searches better.

Here are they available names. What are your opinions? (aaaa is representing my city name)


aaaa-childcare.com
aaaadaycare.com
aaaahomechildcare.com

I prefer the term childcare over daycare. However, if I use childcare am I missing out on people who search for daycare or would they both show up?

Also, I have learned on here that it is better to buy your domain name. Does that mean paying the yearly fee through someone like Go Daddy or does it mean something different. Sorry, all of this is so new for me.

[CityGarden]

So, all of the domain name "talk" lately has me thinking I want to change my website/domain name to something that will come up in searches better.

Here are they available names. What are your opinions? (aaaa is representing my city name)


aaaa-childcare.com
I would not do anything with a hyphen in it so aaaa-childcare.com is out in my opinion.

aaaadaycare.com
Since you do not like "daycare" as much as childcare I might let that one go or I would keep it and have it redirect to the domain name I actually go by. In example I am considering purchasing the domain citynamepreschool.com and citynamespreschool.org (just because they are available and not too expensive) then having both redirect to my actualy UniquePreschoolName.com site. The upside of this is anyone who searches aaaadaycare.com your site would likely be the top of the search page.

aaaahomechildcare.com
This one is the most to the point so I would lean to this one IF your name is not too long.

I prefer the term childcare over daycare. However, if I use childcare am I missing out on people who search for daycare or would they both show up?

Also, I have learned on here that it is better to buy your domain name. Does that mean paying the yearly fee through someone like Go Daddy or does it mean something different. Sorry, all of this is so new for me.

Yes it means you pay a site like Godaddy annually so it is really like renting it vs. buying it.

Do you specialize in a certain age? A certain approach?

You could do something like

aaaainfantcare.com
aaaaholisticchildcare.com

[Mike]

Domain names are paid on a yearly basis. You can pay for 1 year at a time, or pay for up to 10 years ahead. Godaddy is one of the big companies that does that.

Many people don't realise it, but getting a domain name, and getting hosting for your website, are 2 different things. Most people get both at the same place, but it's not a necessity. You can get a domain name at Godaddy, and get website hosting at a different place if you want.

Which domain name? It's better if your domain name is, or includes, your business name. The words in a domain name do go towards what's called search engine optimization (SEO), but they aren't the only thing that affects it. You obviously con't include daycare and childcare in the domain name (unless you get aaaadaycareandchildcare.com), but you can include both of those terms in your web page content and your page headers.

If your current domain name has been around for any time at all, and does come up in searches, you might be better off to just improve the SEO of your site, rather than going to a whole new domain name. If you do go with a new domain name, make sure to keep your current one going to the website as well, at least for a little while until your new one is known.

[sammie]

Do you specialize in a certain age? A certain approach?

You could do something like

aaaainfantcare.com
aaaaholisticchildcare.com

I don't really specialize in anything, not yet anyway. In a couple of years once my own children are older I am leaning toward infant care only.

I didn't realize that you could have one domain name and redirect to another. That is definitely something to consider!

Domain names are paid on a yearly basis. You can pay for 1 year at a time, or pay for up to 10 years ahead. Godaddy is one of the big companies that does that.

Many people don't realise it, but getting a domain name, and getting hosting for your website, are 2 different things. Most people get both at the same place, but it's not a necessity. You can get a domain name at Godaddy, and get website hosting at a different place if you want.

Which domain name? It's better if your domain name is, or includes, your business name. The words in a domain name do go towards what's called search engine optimization (SEO), but they aren't the only thing that affects it. You obviously con't include daycare and childcare in the domain name (unless you get aaaadaycareandchildcare.com), but you can include both of those terms in your web page content and your page headers.

If your current domain name has been around for any time at all, and does come up in searches, you might be better off to just improve the SEO of your site, rather than going to a whole new domain name. If you do go with a new domain name, make sure to keep your current one going to the website as well, at least for a little while until your new one is known.

I have only had my website for a couple of years and it doesn't get much traffic. I put the link in my advertising so potential families can see the setup etc. however, I only advertise when I have openings which is once or twice per year.

I use Webs for the hosting and have the premium package which shows you SEO optimization and offers tips on how to better your score. However, when you search for childcare with my city name, sometimes my site comes up (on like page 6) or sometimes it doesn't. That is one of the reasons I was thinking of changing the domain name.

[Mike]

However, when you search for childcare with my city name, sometimes my site comes up (on like page 6) or sometimes it doesn't. That is one of the reasons I was thinking of changing the domain name.

Links is one of the biggest search engine factor. If people like another website, they will put a link to it on theirs. Or, if you post links to your site from other sites where you discuss related topics, or provide related information, it shows you take your site seriously. Basically, links to your website is how Google and others judge how important your site is.

Do a search for:
link:www.yoursite.com
See what comes up from that. It'll show your own site pages, and other sites that have links to it.

If your current URL isn't very good, or not what you want, go ahead and change it, but to only change it to add a word or 2, probably isn't a great idea.

PM me your site if you want a professional opinion. I've been doing website hosting, design, and domain registration since 2002.

[Michael]

CityNameDaycare.com is my choice. It also reflects what someone would search and is easy to remember for people in your area that are comfortable and accustomed to your city name. Shorter names are also better. Daycare and Childcare get similar search results. I’m not against dashes in a name if it’s a popular term like Rolls-Royce.com.

I use www.Moniker.com for registrations. There are others like www.Enom.com and www.uniregistry.com you can price on. Try to stay around $10 a year.

[sammie]

Links is one of the biggest search engine factor. If people like another website, they will put a link to it on theirs. Or, if you post links to your site from other sites where you discuss related topics, or provide related information, it shows you take your site seriously. Basically, links to your website is how Google and others judge how important your site is.

Do a search for:
link:www.yoursite.com
See what comes up from that. It'll show your own site pages, and other sites that have links to it.

If your current URL isn't very good, or not what you want, go ahead and change it, but to only change it to add a word or 2, probably isn't a great idea.

PM me your site if you want a professional opinion. I've been doing website hosting, design, and domain registration since 2002.

Yeah, I am not to crazy about the current site name and have been thinking about changing it for a while. I just wasn't sure what to change it to. If it is ok, after I get my new site put together I'll send you the link....it may take a few months though!

CityNameDaycare.com is my choice. It also reflects what someone would search and is easy to remember for people in your area that are comfortable and accustomed to your city name. Shorter names are also better. Daycare and Childcare get similar search results. I’m not against dashes in a name if it’s a popular term like Rolls-Royce.com.

I use www.Moniker.com for registrations. There are others like www.Enom.com and www.uniregistry.com you can price on. Try to stay around $10 a year.

Thank you for your insight Michael! It is much appreciated!!

[Mike]

Yeah, I am not to crazy about the current site name and have been thinking about changing it for a while. I just wasn't sure what to change it to. If it is ok, after I get my new site put together I'll send you the link....it may take a few months though!



Thank you for your insight Michael! It is much appreciated!!

In that case, I agree with Michael. citynamedaycare.com, or citynamechildcare.com, but I'm guessing that one's not available, hence your list having cityname-childcare.com.

Just let me know when you want some input on it to help with SEO.

[CityGarden]

CityNameDaycare.com is my choice. It also reflects what someone would search and is easy to remember for people in your area that are comfortable and accustomed to your city name. Shorter names are also better. Daycare and Childcare get similar search results. I’m not against dashes in a name if it’s a popular term like Rolls-Royce.com.

I use www.Moniker.com for registrations. There are others like www.Enom.com and www.uniregistry.com you can price on. Try to stay around $10 a year.

Great tip!!! Godaddy is expensive compared to price shopping.

[sammie]

So, I couldn't make up my mind so I registered citynamedaycare.com & cityname-childcare.com But at least they are both mine when I decide. I registered them with Monkier for only $8.39/year which was a lot cheaper that GoDaddy's $18.99/year.

Thank you all for your advice! It is much appreciated!

[MarinaVanessa]

CityNameDaycare.com is my choice. It also reflects what someone would search and is easy to remember for people in your area that are comfortable and accustomed to your city name. Shorter names are also better. Daycare and Childcare get similar search results. I’m not against dashes in a name if it’s a popular term like Rolls-Royce.com.

I use www.Moniker.com for registrations. There are others like www.Enom.com and www.uniregistry.com you can price on. Try to stay around $10 a year.

Thanks for your advice Michael. Even though it wasn't directed at me ::
I was having a hard time registering a domain name that I liked for when I changed my name sometime in the future and I just now secured MycitynameDaycare.com

[Michael]

So, I couldn't make up my mind so I registered citynamedaycare.com & cityname-childcare.com But at least they are both mine when I decide. I registered them with Monkier for only $8.39/year which was a lot cheaper that GoDaddy's $18.99/year.

Thank you all for your advice! It is much appreciated!

Great! You can also point the secondary names to a primary one. I do that for Daycare.com and my other businesses. I point dozens to it. It’s called Gorilla Marketing.

[sammie]

Great! You can also point the secondary names to a primary one. I do that for Daycare.com and my other businesses. I point dozens to it. It’s called Gorilla Marketing.

Interesting....so how is that done?

[Michael]

Interesting....so how is that done?

Moniker has updated its website do I have to figure out their new pages. It’s done under the DNS (Domain Name System) section. You choose their DNS servers and then use their name address fowarding option. I’ll try to figure the steps for you later.