Domain Name Etiquette - What should you register?

[ted_smith]

Hi

What is the general 'photo etiquette' of domain name registration? I note a lot of pro photographers and keen amatuers register either

a) Just TheirName.com (JoeBloggs.com) or
b) TheirNamePhotography.com or
c) TheirTypeOfPhotgraphy.com (theweddingphotographer.com, for example)

Obviously a lot of this depends on what is available at the time you register, but generally, as a pro photographer, what works best commercially and attracts the most clients? Is it best to register a name based purely on your own name (if available) or YourOwnNamePhotography.com. or YourStyleOfPhotography.com, or does the average client not give two hoots?

(I'm thinking both in lines of Search Engine Optimisation and professionalism. For example, If Joe Bloggs was a photographer of dogs, if he had JoeBloggsDogPhotographer.com, that would score higher for any dog related searches than just JoeBloggs.com, but that said, it looks more professional to just have JoeBloggs.com or JoeBLoggsPhotography.com, I think).

What are peoples views?

If it helps, in my case, my name on it's own is not available (and is not for sale) but my name with ...photography.com appended to it is available, and likewise the subject of my photography is free (don't want to type it in case someone else registers it but it is related to the photographing of dogs). So of the two available to me, I'm not sure what to choose.

NB - I have already explored the various extensions, such as .co.uk, .com, .net etc).

Thanks

Ted

 

[ksmattfish]

My only advice is to use something that is easy to remember and only spells one way. You want to be able to say it once, and have them go home, and get to your website on the first try.

 

[Big Mike]

I don't think it's a matter of etiquette...it's a business decision and depends a lot on how your name sounds.

If your name is easy to pronounce and spell...then using just your name or your name + photography etc...should work quite well. If you have a name that might be hard to spell...then I'd leave it out.

Besides your web site name...what's the name of your business? If you can match the name of your business to the domain name...that would be good.

 

[morydd]

your domain name means very little to the search engines. And trying to game them is a bad thing (IMO). Shorter is better, and something that people don't have to think hard about is better. Keep it as simple as possible.

 

[eddiesimages]

I think that if you use your type of photography.com it limits you. You might decide you want to photograph something besides dogs or a potential customer might not even contact you for a job that you would be able to do, but you have limited yourself to photographing only dogs, for instance.

 

[Renair]

My personal experience, when I had www.renebruunphotography.com over 2 years I got approx 18,000 hits, since I changed it, most of my work in based in Dublin, so I changed it to www.photographdublin.com and just after two months I have had over 11,000 hits!

No one looking for a photographer will look up your name, simply because they wont know your name.... but if your in to some particular field of photography, use that and your name.

ie: Joenaturephotography etc

Unless you have put your name out there a while, I think not many people will search for you directly.

I have mine, but although I have it listed as the largest dublin image bank on the web, I also include other albums, travel, black and white, paperazzi... Your keywords will also get people to the site....

Anyways, thats my 2 cents!

 

[neea]

My domain is myname.com. I've put alot of keywords in the page itself and those are usually found by google. But of course if you just type in my name it's at the top of the page.
At least it was. It's been down for a while due to server issues so I've noticed that to just type in a cateogry like 'landscape photography' im not on the first or second and i wont search any further through the pages.
This could be because google cant 'crawl' and find my page or whatever.
For me I think I'd rather become known through word of mouth (small town. surrounded by many other small towns. news travels fast!!!).
My site is posted on local business directories and majority of my hits have been from there.

Just my experience. Dont know if this helps or not.

 

[Aquarium Dreams]

I read somewhere that a .com extension is the best, because it's the first thing that comes to someone's mind. So for example, myname.com and myfirstname+photography.com are both taken, and I'm not going to register either of those .net or .us or anything else, because chances are, the first address someone types in will bring them to another page, and is sure to lead to some confusion about, "Is this her??" My name is a fairly common name, but is also ethnic and long (even longer with "photography" tacked on the end), which lends itself to being mispelled and misheard all the time. I don't think there is any etiquette involving what domain name you choose, but if it's easily confused with someone else's, especially someone who is also a photographer, it might lead to lost business and frustrated would-be clients.

I find Renair's idea really interesting. A name like that is succinct, descriptive, easy to remember, and easy to spell. Assuming your name is on your site somewhere, it will still show up in google searches of your name.

 

[Alex_B]

hmmm .eu is my favourite choice ...but might not be a good choice business-wise yet.

as for the url .. make it short if possible.

and most interesting urls are taken already