Domain Name!
I want to talk about a mistake made by Wealthy Affiliate that has set me back months in my work and progress. When a new member joins Wealthy Affiliate and starts getting into the world of Affiliate Marketing and building a website, the most important thing WA should do is guide you on how to choose the right Domain Name for your website!
This is a very fundamental thing, and I believe it needs to be changed. You will never see progress with a bad domain name for your website. While the domain name isn't the most critical factor, it's part of the entire package that WA teaches you, and I think they do a very good job overall. But this issue with the domain is crucial—I genuinely believe that.
I created a website when I first signed up with WA, and the domain name of that website is really bad for various reasons, reasons we should be taught from the beginning! You will never see progress, even if you have very good keywords and overall good SEO, compared to other websites that have equally good SEO and keywords but a much better domain name.
I wanted to share my opinion on this matter and would love to hear your thoughts as well, so feel free to comment below! :)
Recent Comments
8
Sorry Michael, I totally disagree with where you are apportioning blame.
You chose your domain name and I assume that you have been using the internet or looking at adverts for long enough to have seen many, many domain names plastered just about every where in your daily life.
It's an easy mistake to make, just look on it as one of life's experiences and choose another name that you think more appropriate. Every thing that we do is because of what we do ourselves.
Look forwards, move on.
Bux
Hi - sorry, but I disagree, but this is just my opinion, of course.
A domain name is not a direct ranking factor.
Ideally, it should have two to three words, no hyphens, not include a trademarked brand name and preferably be a .com domain.
Exact match domains, or having specific keywords in the name will not influence Google.
It doesn't even necessarily need to match your niche.
Although, obviously it shouldn't infer it is about one topic when it's not.
For example, a site about dogs with a cat-inspired name!
Of course, from a "branding" point of view, it should perhaps be memorable and catchy, and it could play a small part in whether a potential reader chooses to click.
But ranking is determined by how helpful, unique, trustworthy and authoritative your content is.
The keywords should be low competition, subjects that people are genuinely searching for, that are not dominated by big, well-established websites.
It should not be entirely AI-generated, it should have personal examples to demonstrate that you have experience with the subject.
And, relying solely on Google for traffic is not a good idea these days, social media is extremely important, and an equivalent amount of time should be set aside for this.
If you are not seeing any rankings and traffic after 6 months, and you are completely convinced that your content is better than all your competitors, you could always switch to a new domain.
You can transfer your entire website without losing any content.
Hi - did you mean to address this to Michael?
It's not really a strategy I would recommend to a beginner.
Especially with Google's core update in March that targeted expired domain abuse.
Analysing a backlink profile does require some skill and knowledge.
I'll respond to two of your points:
A domain name is not a direct ranking factor.
Of course, it may not be a direct factor, but it plays a very significant role in the ranking of a website! (my opinion)
I'll respond with a question! Why do domain name transactions happen? And they happen to an extreme degree!
I believe that if you have a good domain name that is valuable and encompasses all the factors that make a domain valuable in terms of money, and you also have very good content according to various criteria such as SEO, Google E-E-A-T, and a good way to interact with and positively influence your audience, and you see engagement, then no one can beat you!
If your domain name is relatively poor and you have all the above, I believe that the one with the "GOOD" domain will beat you! :)
It is not even necessary for the domain to match your niche.
I don't believe that. Of course, it should match the topic your website is about! My opinion...
Conclusion
The reason I posted this is because when a new member comes to Wealthy Affiliate for the first time, they are not taught these things, which are a very important part of their website! Honestly, it is very important!
I'm not saying... They get all the necessary knowledge to create a relatively good domain that can perform relatively well!
But wouldn't it be better if they knew (since Wealthy Affiliate only gives you two domains) that a very good and professional website that wants to enter the game seriously and stay there must have a good domain?
I completely agree with you! I don’t know much about domains, but I really want to explore this field because I believe it’s very important for the development of a site and not only that—you can also get involved in buying and selling domains, just like you do, and you know some things about this area.
I follow some videos from a very successful affiliate marketer who has been talking about domain names and their value for over 10 years. His channel is here -> https://www.youtube.com/@affiliatemarketingdude/search?query=domain , and I find him very good and well-informed on the technical aspects of a site.
If you could help me or give me your opinion on how to determine if a domain is good and valuable, I would be very grateful!
I have seen some things, but I would really appreciate your opinion on this, especially since you mentioned you participate in domain buying and selling.
I’m Michalis from Greece. I started affiliate marketing three months ago, but I’ve researched a lot and know that the first site I created won’t perform well at all! I’m very interested in the technical aspects of the site, SEO, and so on, and I’m constantly trying to stay updated to build a very good professional website!
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I think Diane did a great job responding to your concerns!