Branding Versus Keyword Domain Selection Help File

From Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Brand Name Domain Versus Keyword Domain

An Important Conversation About Choosing Your WR1 Domain Name

Here is a private coaching "Skype" conversation that represents dozens of other private coaching conversations throught the years about WR1 and WRS1 website "Root Domain" keyword selection choices. If you are unfamiliar with the Network Empire "Web Ring" Jargon please visit the Market Domination Web Ring Definitions and/or visit You-Everywhere. 


[5:54:39 PM] Tyson Gaylord: Amazing webinar today. thanks team (happy!) *Tyson is talking about the private coaching webinar from Swallow Your Market Whole Tech Foundation 1 Webinar Boot Camp.
I have a question for instructors @Matt Da Cruz and/or @Sue Bell or @Russell Wright. In the wr1-wrs1 unit framework worksheet in says choose your domain as www.primary-keyword-being-targeted-domain.com. I am thinking of inventing a brand for this industry and for this product and other products I have within this industry. Or . . .  should I create wr1's for every product I have even if in the same industry?


Russell Wright: Yes, there are many instances where you have a brand.  It brings up the interesting issue of choosing a brand with your keyword within the brand name or not. ; - ) 
This seldom happens. That is people seldom include a keyword inside a brand name. You have a couple options there.

Tyson Gaylord: ok, shoot

Russell Wright: Your brand can remain your "Brochure Site",  like "www.Microsoft.com". For instance Microsoft is not called "www.Computer Software Operating Systems.com" But their site is big enough that their "Core Competency" is going to show up in Subdomains, silo landing pages - yaddah yaddah - within the search engine rankings, because they are an authority site (with massive domain authority), and an industry giant. Mostly from branding. I am a Pro-Branding guy. Our company is not called "SEO Silo Empire", it is called "Network Empire" which is not a money keyword that we try to rank for. It is only later on, when a company is successful, that brand names become super valuable as a keyword to rank for or squat upon (where legal).

So, you have to first pick your vision, and your goal, before you can determine if you want to form a generic brand and/or a personal brand. This distinction is an additional question on top of what domain name to purchase.
Another option is to make your BLOG be your keyword domain and.or broadcast/ silo site. The difference between your "static" WR1 "brochure site" and a blog is generally FOP or frequency of publish.
So, if you are going to make a commitment to build Brand Equity (which is hugely profitable and sustainable over time) just know that the target keyword rankings may be reduced to the silo landing pages and/or separate WR1 blogs. Also know that Domain Authority plays an important role in rankings, even when your keywords are not in the Main Domain or URL, so do not get stuck on having the keyword in your root domain when you are building a brand. For instance, if your home page is a branded domain like "www.PinkPurpleCoolness.com has a domain authority of 70, and you are targeting a keyword like "Muscle and Fitness" on that page, you are going to easily rank for this term, even though the keyword "muscle and fitness" is not contained in the www.PinPurpleCoolness.com root domain. We talk a LOT about this in the course called Domain Authority Stacking

Another caveat! Don't "half way" build a brand. If you are going to build a small niche site, say 10 pages or less, try to keep the target theme keyword inside your URL. If you are going to build a major authority site, then you are fine to think big with a big branding vision.  I think you get my point?

[6:00:18 PM] Tyson Gaylord: I do. thank you,


Russell Wright: Excellent.

Tyson Gaylord: So commit to a brand or do wr1's?

Russell Wright: hmmmm. I never mentioned an either/or. It can go either way depending upon your business model, Tyson. A branded domain is your WR1 also. Or a target keyword can also be contained is your WR1

Tyson Gaylord: So, commit to brand with multiple products?

Russell Wright: hmmmm. I never mentioned multiple products. That is entirely optional. If by "multiple products" you are referring to silo landing pages, then yes, I understand where you may have gotten that idea, since in the Video Website Silo Architecture course we talk about silo landing pages as each being a unique product. But that is only one model. But silo landing pages do not have to be products.

Tyson Gaylord: i think im over complicating things.

Russell Wright: Yes, you are.; - ) But this is a common question and there are some complex BUSINESS decisions to make, not so much SEO decisions, and that is why folks find this confusing. So don't be too hard on yourself. If you have a brand as your URL, you cannot obviously have your keyword in the domain. No problem. Just be aware of that. You will have to pick up the ranking slack elsewhere or increase your domain authority as an authority website.

Russell Wright: Of course there are subtle advantages to that in Local website optimization - or any site for that matter, when it comes to website silo architecture. When you have a non-keyword root domain, you will seldom "Over-Optimize" your silo url strings. (Because the main keyword is not in the main domain). It is not super ideal to have you targeted keywords in your URL string more than twice. So, see? Options.

Tyson Gaylord: lots!

Russell Wright: Again, Branding is not a big deal, it really depends on your core business model.  Branding is usually about building a big company. If you are doing that then go for it. Or a "real" company I should say.
 I have discovered one weird thing worth considering.People seldom buy what you sell, they buy WHY you sell it. If you are an excellent and inspring speaker, always brand. If you have passion, always brand. If you care, always brand. The Expert's Academy, for instance, is not called "Personal Online Publishing Empire".

[6:09:50 PM] Joshua Fletcher: Shoot Russell, that is pure gold right there. Ahhhh, So much to do, so much to teach, so much to learn... how could anyone ever be bored or broke in this industry?

[6:09:54 PM] Russell Wright: Although Brendan (from experts academy) has subdomains that represent and or include "personal online publishing" and or "www.insert-money-keyword-here.com", and/or other blogs and JV's. See?

Tyson Gaylord: yes.

Russell Wright: Here is a process map where I discuss the "Fork In The Road" from Personal Branding to Sheild Branding:

Link:The Passion Method Brain Map for Personal Versus Impersonal Branding

I need to take it out and dust it off- this process map, and the brain format people don't like much, but you should be able to get the gist using the link above. It really is an important internal process. It was not supposed to be a part of this course, but it may help a bit.

Tyson Gaylord: thanks!

Russell Wright: I need to create a Flat map for it, but this is all I have for now. Bottom line - Got Passion? BRAND. Another weird thing, you can STILL brand, and include your keyword. Heh heh. So think about it all for a few - and see what you come up with.

Tyson Gaylord: ok.

Russell Wright: An example of personal branding with theme or keyword included in root domain is for instance, Product = Far Infrared Saunas, and domain is www.thefarinfraredLady.com which is also personal branding.

Here is another from one from early in my online marketing and SEO career.  Service = Keyword Research personally branded domain = www.KeywordResearchGuy.com

Tyson Gaylord: i think in "large scale". sometimes I need to slow down

Russell Wright: Never stop thinking big, Tyson. And only slow down if you need to. When you need to it is good. This issue of branding is NOT SMALL, and you were right to ask, and question and slow down. But thinking big is REQUIRED for branding. Branding cannot really abdicate to SEO. But SEO can easily abdicate to branding. Brand equity is the total of all of the people on your list who love you and who will tell others about you. Ultimately this becomes LTV cash or "Lifetime Value of Your Customer". Branding is worth it, but it is a LONG GAME. So choose carefully!!


Also See: The Swallow Your Market Whole Tech Training and Online Webinar Bootcamp Courses.


Personal tools