Tags: blog setup / domain name registration / how to start a blog / web development / web masters

Good Domain Name Picking Tips for Your Blog Setup

- Monday, August 15, 2016 No Comments

The first thing that comes to my mind when setting up a blog is getting a good domain name. In this article, I have described why I think it is important to choose a good domain name upfront. I have also explained how you can pick a good domain name for your blog or website followed by some domain name picking tips and general outlines (“dos” and “don’t s”).

Why pick a good domain name for your blog

Apart from many other reasons, you want to pick a good domain name for your blog/site from the start, because most likely you will be stuck with that domain name for the rest of the blog’s life. You may change the domain hosting provider from time to time depending on how reliable your current domain hosting provider is but the domain name will remain the same.

The reason I say that you will be stuck with that name is mainly because changing the domain name is kind of like starting all over again from the start and you don’t want to do that once your site is established and getting regular traffic and you have built up a brand. You will start with ‘0’ Google Page rank and will have to work your way up again if you do change the domain name in the middle. The Alexa rank and other ranking metrics will drop too because all these rankings are associated with the domain name. So the bottom line is that you want to pick a good domain name that you can live with from the start. Now, the question is how?

How to pick a good domain name for your blog

I don’t think that there are any hard rules as to how a domain name should be picked, so use the following points as a guideline for choosing your domain name:

• Use Keywords: Use keywords in the domain name that describe your site (if it makes sense). The domain name should suggest the nature of your product or service. A good domain name describes exactly what the site is about. It is important for a visitor to get an idea of what the website is about just by looking at the domain name. For example, if your site is about antiques and collectibles then try to get a domain name like “www.antiques.com” or “www.collectibles”.com not “www.foobar.com”.
• Easy to remember: A domain name should be easy to remember becuase your visitors will want to type in the domain name in the web browser for revisits and if they can’t remember the domain name then you run the risk of losing potential traffic. It is also easier to spread the word of mouth when the domain name is easy to remember.
• Keep the domain name short: A domain name should be short with less than 10 characters. It also helps the “Easy to remember” point when the name is short. Although, these days it’s incredibly hard to get domain names that are short. Basically you don’t want to end up with a super long domain name like “www.thisisareallybadexampleofdomainname.com”. When the name gets too long it gets confusing and the name can be easily mistyped in the browser.
• Use hyphens if needed: Use hyphen (-) in between the words if needed for your domain name. If “www.domainname.com” is taken then you can try “www.domain-name.com”. Using hyphen(s) in between the words sometimes help to improve readability. It can also help in the Search engine rankings.
• Make it easy to type: Try to get a domain name that is easy to type (if you can). Easy to type domain names are good for branding.
• Think Local: If your business is local then think about adding your region, city or state in the domain name (example: VegasAccounting.com). Only do it if it makes sense though.
• Domain name extension: Try to get the “.com” Top Level Domain (TLD) extension as it is the most popular. It is also the most widely accepted domain name extension. When people think about an website, their mind automatically pictures “domain-name.com” as the address. You can also use the “.net” and “.org” extensions if you cannot find a “.com” extension.

Should You Use YourName.com or YourBusinessName.com?

If the main commodity of your business is YOU then use yourname.com as your domain name. This works out good if you are an author, speaker, coach etc.

If your business is based around a product or a service then use yourbusinessname.com or your productname.com.

Some General things to be aware of

• Legal conflicts: Spend a bit of time searching around to make sure you are not choosing a domain name that is similar to an already established rival. You don’t want to spend time building your blog only to find out that someone else has a similar website and wants to sue you.
• Avoid Copyright Issues: Make sure the name you are going to use is not copyrighted.
• Be aware of the scammers: There are a lot of scammers around, so try to make sure you buy your domain name from a registrar who is in the ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)accredited registrar’s list.

Go Daddy offers cheap domain name registration. Try not to buy hosting from them though… read the following article before you signup for a hosting account. Name.com also offers cheap domain name registration.

Getting a cheap and reliable web hosting solution

As I have mentioned earlier that these rules are not set in stone. Don’t be afraid to add your own flavor. Use common knowledge and be sensible. Try your best and get creative. What is your best tip in choosing a good domain name? Feel free to leave your suggestions or comments below.

Tags: ad network / advertisement / advertiser / manage ads / wordpress

Manage Your WordPress Web Ads Easily

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If you are looking for a plugin/tool to manage all your WordPress website ads easily then read on.

This is a tip for the website owners to make their “managing web ads life” easy by using a good platform/solution.

WP125 Plugin

The WP125 plugin offers easy management of 125×125 ads on your blog. Ads can be run for a specified number of days, and will automatically be taken down. You can track the ad clicks too.

AdRotate Plugin

The AdRotate plugin allows you to add and manage the ads from the dashboard. You can show a random banner ad on your site. AdRotate supports unlimited groups for banners allowing you to tie certain banners to different areas of the website.

OIO Publisher Plugin

OIO Publisher is a very user-friendly and easy to use WordPress plugin that lets advertisers buy space on your site without you having to lift a finger. This plugin is not free but it’s definitely worth it.

OIOpublisher is an advanced ad management solution that lets you take control of your ad space without interference from 3rd parties who may try to take a cut from the sales you make. OIOpublisher also offers a marketplace to help you get more advertisers.

BuySellAds

BuySellAds service makes the buying and selling ads very easy. They have one of the largest advertising marketplaces on the web. Their commission maybe is a little high but they have got really good ad inventory.

Tags: cleaning

Crayon on the wall? Remove it easily

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This is a brilliant tip if you’ve got kids (and your kids have got crayons!). Spray WD40 onto the crayon stain and wipe away. Works every time!

Tags: cleaning

Candle wax on the carpet

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From carpets, fabric, and upholstery: Harden the wax by pressing ice against it. Scrape off the wax with a blunt knife, and then cover what is left with a sheet of kitchen paper and ironing over the top with a cool iron. Do not touch carpet fibers directly with the iron. Remove any remaining marks on carpet or upholstery with a dab of methylated spirits (test on an nconspicuous area first), and wash fabric on the hottest setting it can stand.

Tags: cleaning

How to get rid of stains and marks on wooden furniture

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Alcohol spots and watermarks can be removed with a cream metal polish (test on an inconspicuous area first), then faded areas can be disguised with ash or shoe polish; grease marks on unsealed wood can be sprinkled with good old talc, which you then cover with kitchen paper and press with a warm iron to absorb the grease; fill in small scratches with matching colored wax crayon or shoe polish.

Tags: cleaning

Putting the sparkle back in your stainless steel sink

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To shine stainless steel sinks generously sprinkle either table salt or baking soda into the sink. Then Cut a fresh lemon in half and use the cut end of the lemon as a crubby-pad. Rinse with hot water and the sink will sparkle!

Tags: cleaning / refrigerator

Keep your refrigerator and freezer fresh and smell free

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Place an open box of baking soda in both the refrigerator and the freezer. The baking soda will absorb the bad smell quickly. This will keep your fridge fresh and smell free. Every six months you will need to change the boxes. After you are done with the boxes just toss them in the bin.

Submitted by: Korin

Tags: general

Prevent liquid from exploding when boiling in the Microwave Oven

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when you boil liquids in your microwave. It may not be necessary, but it won’t hurt anything either.

Things are different in a microwave oven. The water gets hot but the container usually does not. There are no “boiling-bubbles” triggered by a hot metal pot. Without those bubbles to cool it, the temperature of the water rises far higher than 100C°. We call this “superheated water.” Superheated water is just waiting for some sort of trigger which will let bubbles form and allow boiling to commence. If the water becomes hot enough, a few bubbles will appear, but these quickly rise and burst, and the water isn’t cooled much at all. In the microwave oven, even if your mug of water is bubbling slightly, don’t trust it, since it’s temperature has risen so high above 100C° that bubbles are appearing spontaneously. If some unwitting victim should pour a soluble powder into the superheated water, this will carry thousands of tiny air bubbles into the water. Each of these micro bubbles expands into a 1cm steam bubble, and the result is a huge “explosion” of hot froth. It’s just like dumping ice cream into root beer, but the froth can be so violent that the hot water sprays into the air.

Tags: general

Stop the cell phone thieves

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Here is something worth knowing if you have a mobile phone …

Have you ever wondered why phone companies don’t seem interested in trying to prevent the theft of mobile phones? If you have ever lost, or had one stolen, and if you are on a plan, you still have to pay the plan approximately up to 24 months, and you have to buy another handset and enter into another contract. This is more revenue for the phone company. There is a simple way of making lost or stolen mobiles useless to thieves and the phone companies know about it, but keep it quiet. To check your mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following on your phone:

star-pound-zero-six-pound ( * # 0 6 # ) and a fifteen digit code will appear on the screen.

This is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it in a safe place. Should your mobile phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset, so even if the thief changes the sim card, your phone will be totally useless.

You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody did this, there would be no point in stealing mobile phones.
You may want to share this with those friends who have cell phones.

Tags: landing page tips / online marketing / sales page / shop admin tips

10 Tips to Increase Your Sales Page Conversion

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If you are selling something online then you need to pay attention to the conversion rate of your sales page. The conversion rate can vary wildly and is totally unpredictable but even an one percent increase in conversion rate can make the difference between losing money or making profit.

What is Conversion Rate?

In online marketing conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take a desired action (for example: make a purchase or click an ad).

You can think of conversion as pouring traffic into a funnel where they get filtered on different levels and at last the remaining portion gets converted. Usually a large portion of the traffic will leave the sales page right after they land. A majority of the remaining traffic will abandon the sales page when they see that it does not fit their need or they want to do research or compare the price with other sites. The small remaining portion of traffic consists of customers that have already researched the products or were referred from another site and are looking to make a purchase.

Tips to Increase Sales Page Conversion

It is a good idea that you optimize your sales page with keywords related to the product you are offering. This way the traffic being driven to your sales page is targeted traffic for the product(s) you are selling. This will in turn lead to a higher concentrated pool of customers “With their minds set on purchasing”. The following tips on various sales page elements should help you increase the conversion of your sales page:

1. Headline

Headlines are an important step in getting the traffic to your post. The headline is what catches the visitor’s attention and draws them into visiting and reading the post. Headline starting with “How to…”, “Ways to…” “Top 10”, “Most popular” have a higher chance of catching the visitor’s attention. Some other headlines that can be just as effective for increasing conversion rates are:

• What you should know about…
• Here’s a Quick Way to….
• Little Known Ways to….
• The Secret of….
• Profitable tips for….

2. Purchase Button

Research has shown that using a larger “Buy” button is one of the most proven ways of increasing the sales page conversion rate. This is why the “Belcher button” is the most used button for sales pages. The creator of this button Perry Belcher tested every design element of the button in over 10,000 transactions and was able to increase conversion rates by 35% to 320%. Here is an example of the belcher button:

Belcher Button

You can find the Belcher button at www.belcherbutton.com

3. Font

The font of your sales page is very important. Always use a font which is easy to read and fits your sales page design. Here are some example of good sales page fonts for you:

• Arial
• Verdana
• Tahoma

The size of the font should be between 12-14pt. This way the font size is neither too big nor too small to read comfortably.

4. Image

You should use images relevant to the products you are selling on your sales page (this way the customer does not get confused as to what they are purchasing). This will make your sales page look more professional and creditable. This will also create trust with your visitor and they will be more likely to purchase the product(s) you are trying to sell.

5. Product Details

You should provide a detailed description of the product including why it will be useful for the user and how it can solve a problem that the customer maybe having. The sales page should explain the product in a nice well written flow of text, so that after the visitor reads about the product, he is completely convinced that the product is just what he is looking for.

6. Focus

The sales page should focus only on the product you are trying to sell to the user. It’s a good idea not to include any inflated content which may cause distraction. For example: you are trying to sell an e-book and your sales page has all the information about why your e-book will be useful to the user. Now, while the visitors are reading, if they see ads/image banners on the sidebar they can easily get distracted and click on the ad which will take them away from your sales page.

7. Targeted Traffic

Getting more traffic is always good for a website as there is a higher chance that this traffic will buy your product but you don’t want to bring in just any traffic to your site. Bringing in non-targeted traffic to your site is just a waste of your server bandwidth, as this traffic has no interest in buying your product(s). You really want to focus on bringing targeted traffic that is looking for a solution to a problem that your product will solve .

Traffic from social networking sites tend to be less targeted where as traffic from search engines are highly target so focus on getting search engine traffic more.

8. Testimonials

Consumers tend to believe others rather than the business owner’s hype to be truthful. Customer testimonials are a powerful form of endorsement. If you have any customer testimonials then include them on your sales page.

9. Price

Research has shown that using a price which ends with 5 or 9 after the decimal point increases the conversion rate (I don’t know why). For example: the following three amounts are all equivalent but the 1st and the 2nd one are suppose to convert more:

• $19.95
• $19.99
• $20.00

Read the Maximize Revenue 101 article to learn more on how the price change can affect your sales conversion.

10. Limited time offer

One of the most widely used limited offer tactic on a sales page is to mention the quantity you have left to sell for that product. This way you create the fear that you may run out and they will miss out on buying the item if they wait too long. This helps converting the customers who like to sit on the sideline. You can also offer limited discount coupons.

If you can include a few or all of these elements on your sales page, you are bound to see an increase in sales conversions. Don’t forget to share your tips in the comment area below.

Check out our eBook on how to create landing pages that convert.