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Do you know that the domain name (eg. example.com) you choose can affect your photography website rankings directly and indirectly?
There are people whose job is to buy and sell domains. It’s a serious business and a good domain can definitely influence your business.
Keyword Rich Domains for Photography Websites
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A keyword rich domain is a domain name that contains the main keywords of what you specialize in.
So for example, let’s say if the search query made of the keywords “Dallas photographer” generates a lot of searches then a keyword rich domain for that would be “dallasphotographer.com”.
Until March 2011, Google was indeed giving higher rankings to websites with keyword rich domains but since then they have reduced the importance given to keyword rich domains.
Still, there’s something to be gained with them.
Examples of keyword rich domains:
http://www.italianweddingphotographer.com/
http://www.fordfamilyphotography.com/
http://ishootshows.com/
Advantages
- People usually tend to link with the keywords of that website’s domain and that’s great for a keyword rich domain because it gets more links with the right keywords
- Google does give a little ranking boost (although not as much as before)
Disadvantages
- Nobody remembers keyword rich domains
- Spammy look (eg. buyviagraonline.com)
- Domains are expensive to buy
- Worthless for branding
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Branded Domains for Photography Websites
A branded domain is a domain that contains made up words like “Twitter” or your own name.
Branded domain names names don’t have any keywords related to the photography business.
Recently, the web has been going in the branded domain direction with more and more websites coming up with interesting names like Zoomr or Flickr.
Advantages
- Easier to remember
- Look more professional
- Less expensive
Disadvantages
- It’s a little bit harder to rank for your keywords
Examples of branded domains:
http://www.chasejarvis.com/
http://shuttersisters.com/
Mixed Domains
In my opinion the best time of domain is a mixed domain with the right keywords and a brandable name. Something like JohnPhotography.com or JackieWeddings.com.
1 Branding word + 1 Keyword = Great domains
I like two word domains because they are easy to remember and are visually appealing. You should definitely avoid long domains.
Bear all of this in mind when you choose the domain name for your photography website!