Best Domain for Local Web Design / SEO

[ianeberle]

I am starting a company that will offer web design, social media, SEO, etc services to local small businesses. I was wondering for both SEO and branding purposes, which type of domain name I should go with to have the most success.

For the sake of this post, let's just say I live in Miami, Florida which is in Dade County. Here are some ideas that would play to the local element:

• MiamiWebDesign.com
• MiamiDesign.com
• MiamiSEO.com

• DadeWebDesign.com
• DadeDesign.com
• DadeSEO.com

If I choose not to go with using the local city or county name, I could do something like this:

• NeonWebDesign.com
• NeonDesign.com
• NeonSEO.com

• CamelWebDesign.com
• CamelDesign.com
• CamelSEO.com

Or I can ditch the keywords web design, design, and SEO completely and go for brandable:

• ViperOwl.com
• BloodyCamel.com
• FatCow.com

Basically, I'm trying to get some opinions for which type of domain would be best. I'm expecting to get the majority of my clients by going into their place of business and making a sales pitch, but I do expect to get some organic traffic as well. To keep my site relevant in the eyes of Google (and to build backlinks, PR, etc), I want to keep a SEO / internet marketing / web design blog active on the site as well.

Here are the choices:

• county + web design / seo / design
• city + web design / seo / design
• brandable / catchy

 

[fm1234]

I'd skip the keywords, go for the most memorable and easy to say/spell brandable, then focus your SEO effort on on-page content stuff. Despite my affinity for EMD domains, with most geolocals, particularly IT services domains, the geo kw just isn't as important as it can be for more "haptic" services. Get a killer brand name (ie. short, easy to pronounce, say and spell) for yourself, and you also have the advantage that if three or four years down the road you expand into say the Orlando area, you don't need a whole new domain and site -- your brand is already established thanks to your work in the Miami market.


Frank

 

[ianeberle]

BloodyCamel.com is actually available... Is that too offensive?

Would you suggest ditching keywords altogether or just geo keywords? Because in my opinion, something like NeonSEO.com is still catchy, but it could be better.

I'll think of something brandable. I'm trying to think of a brandable name that I can design the website around. For example, WesternSEO.com I could do a western theme website and that would be my "image" that I'm giving off. Something like BloodyCamel.com doesn't really have an image besides a potential logo which would be a camel.

 

[SearchEngineZ]

The trend is away from keywords if you want to rank on Google. And anyway, the keywords keep changing! SEO is becoming SEM and it will be called something else before long.

And your business could change. What if you decide not to continue with the SEO side of things?

I've recently launched something similar in a small Australian city. I could have easily ranked for city_name + seo if I chose a name with SEO in it.

Instead I chose Affordable Web. I figure it will be called the web for a long time, and I will always appeal to those seeking affordable products.

Future proof!

Go brandable, get customers via offline advertising, PPC, and social media. Make sure you create (or at least share) lots of relevant content via social media and a blog. Become known by your brand.

The brand examples you gave are in the right direction. Short, 2 words, easy to spell + crazy enough to remember.

I saw a security company van yesterday, their brand is Plover Security. Plovers are birds that swoop on people around here. I won't forget their name, it is so fitting.

So perhaps something iconic in Florida + a verb?

 

[ianeberle]

So far I have registered Codocity.com (as in "code-ah-city"). May or may not use it, I just registered it so nobody can steal it while I'm still deciding.

What about something like NeonPelican.com? Is that better or worse than Codocity in your opinion? Florida is also famous for alligators.

 

[SearchEngineZ]

I wouldn't choose an animal that attacks for a web business. Pelican is much better.

 

[ianeberle]

HostGator.com has a wonderful hosting business built around a friendly-looking alligator.

I just did a Wikipedia search for an alphabetic list of animals. Most neon+animal.com domain names are taken, but I managed to register NeonCamel.com.

Now I have Codocity.com and NeonCamel.com to choose from. As a customer, which one sounds better? Neon Camel or Codocity? Or should I still brainstorm a bit? I've just been registering these names for $0.50 at various registrars running coupon campaigns for discounted domains so that nobody can steal them while I'm still thinking. Even if I end up registering 5 different domains and only use one, it was only a $2.50 security deposit. So I have these two names, but I'm still not 100% on either of them yet.

 

[SearchEngineZ]

I like NeonCamel a lot. Definitely memorable, and easy to make a logo of. Easy to spell.

Bright and durable - that's what a website should be.

 

[ianeberle]

But does NeonCamel.com make sense for a web design company? I like it too, but I want to make sure it makes sense before I use it. I think Codocity.com makes a bit more sense for a web company.

---------- Post added at 07:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 AM ----------

NeonCamel.com is making a bit of sense though because there's already a web development company on the domain Codacity.com and I have Codocity.com. Plus it's extremely brandable which is a plus.

 

[tradingdavid]

localyo.com?
I heard a summary of a google hangout where it seemed to be indicated you could be penalized for keyword rich link building even if it was in you url, so straight brandable is much safe.

 

[ianeberle]

I ended up going with Codocity.com. It's not wonderful but it does the job and it shouldn't be penalized for keywords since there aren't any.