URL Selection
As the Internet expands and algorithms evolve, search engine results pages continue to pull more and more specific results. And in many cases, those sites that have valuable keywords in their domain name are showing up on top. Because of this, it is becoming essential to select the correct URL for your product or service.

Before selecting a URL for your new website, there are many things to consider. You will want to have an effective grasp on your target market, your top online competitors and your targeted keywords. From there, you will want to choose a domain name that is short and easy to remember, contains top keywords if possible, aids in the branding of your web site and business, and draws the attention of potential visitors.

Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to meet each of those criteria within one simple domain name. And that is were we come in. Web River Group employs a staff of domain specialists that can advise you in selecting a URL that best fits your goals and objectives. By analyzing your market, competitors and likely sources of traffic, we can make sure you get the best possible URL for your online presence.

If you would rather select your own URL, please follow some of the free guidelines below and contact us if we can assist you in any way.

1. Branding or keywords? Probably the biggest decision to make concerning a URL is whether you want to brand your business name, or just secure search engine placement for certain targeted keywords. For example, look at us. If we offered SEO services and nothing else, something like webriverSEO.com would be a good choice. Yet since we also offer Internet marketing services, Web consultation, E-commerce consultation, and traffic analysis, there is no sense in limiting your domain name to one specific product or keyword. In these situations, it's better to pick something broad, brandable and unique, like webrivergroup.com.

2. Don't buy your URL, especially for big money. These days, many companies are making money buying up as many domain names as they can, then holding them until someone wants to purchase them at a high profit margin. What most people don't realize is that it's not the domain name, but the amount of time a person has put into it, that is valuable. In other words, there's no difference between webrivergroup.com and web-river-group.com or webriver-group.com when they are all brand new. Don't let a company fool you into thinking their domain is more valuable than any given alternative.

3. Use appropriate extensions. If your site is a commercial site, .com and .net work best. Don't use .org if you're looking to sell dog food. Don't use .ca if you're in the United States. Alternating domain name extensions in order to get the URL of your choice is not always the smartest idea. Instead, alternate the words in your URL. Dashes are not a bad idea. For example, if we couldn't secure webrivergroup.com, we would've gone with web-river-group.com before we went with webrivergroup.biz. There are endless possiblities for the presentation of your URL, so get creative.