Need help deciding on a domain name?

[tirediron]

If 8 out of 10 people can write your domain down on a scrap of paper after only hearing it once, it's probably fine. Otherwise, it's too long, too difficult to spell, or too confusing (or a combination of all of those).

 

[tirediron]

Love it! You don't happen to offer mentoring, do you? You seem to really have a knack for helping out new photographers.

What about "Cheapweds.com"

I'm not sure if Gary does mentoring, but he can probably get you a good deal on a nice coffin!

 

[gsgary]

Love it! You don't happen to offer mentoring, do you? You seem to really have a knack for helping out new photographers.

What about "Cheapweds.com"

I'm not sure if Gary does mentoring, but he can probably get you a good deal on a nice coffin!

Mentoring only on appreciating real ale

 

[runnah]

Love it! You don't happen to offer mentoring, do you? You seem to really have a knack for helping out new photographers.

What about "Cheapweds.com"

I'm not sure if Gary does mentoring, but he can probably get you a good deal on a nice coffin!

Mentoring only on appreciating real ale

If you can see through it, it's crap.

 

[snerd]

If 8 out of 10 people can write your domain down on a scrap of paper after only hearing it once, it's probably fine. Otherwise, it's too long, too difficult to spell, or too confusing (or a combination of all of those).

Ah, maybe true in earlier times. Today no one "writes down" a website address. It's almost always "clicked" on, either from search engines or bookmarks/favorites. That's why it pays to have ranking and backlinks, you'll have to mount a good campaign for that. Nothing free out there anymore.


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk Pro

 

[tirediron]

Understood, but IMO, it's still a valid acid-test for a good domain name.

Friend of past customer speaking to past custome: "Those are nice pictures, where did you get them?"

Past customer: "Oh it was this really great local girl, her name is... Rachel? Rachelle? Rashell... one those, I can't quite remember."

Friend goes home, types names into Google, looks at first half-dozen returns on the search page, doesn't see the right name, gives up.

I have only ever had ONE client who found me simply by typing in "Sooke photographer" into a search engine, it's always been because they heard or were referred my name and put that into a search engine. Even though "John's Photography" is not very exciting, it's simple and easy to remember. Just my $00.01 1/2 (our dollar keeps going down) worth.

 

[gsgary]

Love it! You don't happen to offer mentoring, do you? You seem to really have a knack for helping out new photographers.

What about "Cheapweds.com"

I'm not sure if Gary does mentoring, but he can probably get you a good deal on a nice coffin!

Mentoring only on appreciating real ale

If you can see through it, it's crap.

Maybe beer in the US but not here in the UK

 

[AKUK]

If 8 out of 10 people can write your domain down on a scrap of paper after only hearing it once, it's probably fine. Otherwise, it's too long, too difficult to spell, or too confusing (or a combination of all of those).

Ah, maybe true in earlier times. Today no one "writes down" a website address. It's almost always "clicked" on, either from search engines or bookmarks/favorites. That's why it pays to have ranking and backlinks, you'll have to mount a good campaign for that. Nothing free out there anymore.


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk Pro

I think this highlights the need for business cards and leaflets being given out to clients so that they can share with their friends if they're asked who did their photographs. Also, a lot of business can be generated simply by word of mouth. I only have to listen to conversations my female family members have when they get together on a Wednesday. "I like that! Where did you buy it from?" or "Who did your ______ ? I want to get something similar done too."

If something is easy to remember and rolls off the tongue well, people stand a better chance of remembering it and then finding you. Obviously Facebook and social media is a powerful marketing tool and helps you build up a network but, I'd never under estimate the power of simple word of mouth.

A prime example is my father who has been a kitchen and bathroom fitter for 40 years. He has no website. Not even a Facebook page. Doesn't pay for adverts or any form of marketing, other than the sign-writing on the side of his van and the business cards he's had knocking about in the glove box for years. The overwhelming majority of work has come directly from previous customers recommending him to friends and family members and writing down his phone number. If you had no pen or paper with you and someone gave you their telephone number, by the time you walked away, you've forgotten it. A short web address is much more likely to stick.

 

[rwilliams]

I do have a pretty unique name and most people don't pronounce it right.. Oddly enough, there's another local photographer named Rachelle but her business goes by a different name.

I'm just not big on naming my business. I like going by my name. I don't want a random word that doesn't describe me and I don't want any of the cliche photo phrases as a business name either.

So far nobody has had problems finding me. I've gotten most of my business from local events I've done and word of mouth. Thankfully, I live in a pretty small area so word of mouth is pretty efficient. Once I get the website built, I'll re-do my business cards to include it.

 

[snerd]

......... I only have to listen to conversations my female family members have when they get together on a Wednesday. "I like that! Where did you buy it from?" or "Who did your ______ ? I want to get something similar done too.".........k.

I got one on Adderall and the other on Ritalin. I literally have to leave the house when they start an all-nighter.

But.................. not anymore!!!!

 

[AKUK]

I must have a stronger constitution than you, or perhaps it's the penchant for tea and cakes that keeps me in the vicinity

 

[Light Guru]

The available options that I've found are:

rachellewilliamsphoto.com
rachellewilliamsphotography.com

I wanted rachellewilliams.com but it's not available and I can't think of any others.

You could also get rachellewilliams.photo or rachellewilliams.photography the because hear options are new you might even be able to get rachelle.photo or rachelle.photography

 

[Tabe]

I do have a pretty unique name and most people don't pronounce it right.. Oddly enough, there's another local photographer named Rachelle but her business goes by a different name.

I'm just not big on naming my business. I like going by my name. I don't want a random word that doesn't describe me and I don't want any of the cliche photo phrases as a business name either.

So far nobody has had problems finding me. I've gotten most of my business from local events I've done and word of mouth. Thankfully, I live in a pretty small area so word of mouth is pretty efficient. Once I get the website built, I'll re-do my business cards to include it.

Actually, you don't know if people are having problems finding you or not. If they don't find you, how would you know they were looking? You wouldn't.

This decision is really a no-brainer: your business name.com, so rachellewilliamsphotography.com. No initial, no .photography instead of .com, none of that stuff. When people hear a business name and want to go to that company's site, they put in businessnameIjustheard.com or whatever. They don't think "hey, I wonder if there's an initial in there? Or if it's a .photography domain" and so on. If you're DYING to go down that road, buy up a couple other domains and have them redirect to your real one.

 

[rwilliams]

Good point. I guess I meant that nobody has told me they had trouble finding me. But yes, I really don't know if there were others that just never found me.

I do have a pretty unique name and most people don't pronounce it right.. Oddly enough, there's another local photographer named Rachelle but her business goes by a different name.

I'm just not big on naming my business. I like going by my name. I don't want a random word that doesn't describe me and I don't want any of the cliche photo phrases as a business name either.

So far nobody has had problems finding me. I've gotten most of my business from local events I've done and word of mouth. Thankfully, I live in a pretty small area so word of mouth is pretty efficient. Once I get the website built, I'll re-do my business cards to include it.

Actually, you don't know if people are having problems finding you or not. If they don't find you, how would you know they were looking? You wouldn't.

This decision is really a no-brainer: your business name.com, so rachellewilliamsphotography.com. No initial, no .photography instead of .com, none of that stuff. When people hear a business name and want to go to that company's site, they put in businessnameIjustheard.com or whatever. They don't think "hey, I wonder if there's an initial in there? Or if it's a .photography domain" and so on. If you're DYING to go down that road, buy up a couple other domains and have them redirect to your real one.

 

[Light Guru]

Actually, you don't know if people are having problems finding you or not. If they don't find you, how would you know they were looking? You wouldn't.

This decision is really a no-brainer: your business name.com, so rachellewilliamsphotography.com. No initial, no .photography instead of .com, none of that stuff. When people hear a business name and want to go to that company's site, they put in businessnameIjustheard.com or whatever. They don't think "hey, I wonder if there's an initial in there? Or if it's a .photography domain" and so on. If you're DYING to go down that road, buy up a couple other domains and have them redirect to your real one.

I disagree I would rather have a shorter simpler domain name that used a .photo domain extension then a long one that has a .com

A sorter domain name is always better then a long one.