I know this is a real beginner's question - but I'm a real beginner ;) And maybe it will start an interesting discussion.....

So - the domain name I really want is taken. Now if I settle for "second best" or even "thirty-second best" how will that affect my site in the long run? Especially if I go ahead and name my site something very similar to the domain name I want?

For instance: let's say I want the domain name "fruitsandvegetables.com" but it's taken. If I register "officialfruitsandvegetables.com" and then on my actual home page call the site "Fruits And Vegetables" what happens to my search engine ranking etc?

Thanks in advance to anyone who has the time to help educate me :emlaugh:

Red

If a domain is taken people usualy put stuff in front of it like:
the domain you want is: domain.com

so you get the domain:
qualitydomain.com or cheapdomains.com

Play with the words and you'll find a good domain ;)

While it's nice to have the domain you want, as far as search engines, the title, heading and keyword content and links of the site is the most important. Seems the domain name has little to do with it. At least that's the way it was a while back.

fewcoin

Thanks for the help, guys. I've been on vacation and just catching up on forums.

This clears up a major question for me but raises another - how important is it to acquire ALL domain names similar to yours?

I've found one that works for my site - do I need to worry about buying more than just the one? If I register "domain.com" do I need to register "thedomain.com" and "officialdomain.com" etc and if so - how many of similar type names do I need to cover?

Red

i'd say just get your other version of TLDs and thats it.

however not all tlds are the same.

A .com good name will get much more type-ins than a .xaz.
It is all free advertising after all.

Keep also in mind brandability. Easy to remember a keyword.com than a twoortrheekeywords.com

Check .biz / .info they are also good

Originally posted by RedHerself
Thanks for the help, guys. I've been on vacation and just catching up on forums.

This clears up a major question for me but raises another - how important is it to acquire ALL domain names similar to yours?

I've found one that works for my site - do I need to worry about buying more than just the one? If I register "domain.com" do I need to register "thedomain.com" and "officialdomain.com" etc and if so - how many of similar type names do I need to cover?

Red

Let's put it this way: if you predict your site, especially if it's for an
online business, will be darn successful in the long run, registering
for the other extensions will prevent other people from trying to
exploit your brand online. Having a domain name doesn't grant
absolute exclusive rights to it and with other extensions, and it'll
potentially save you dollars of legal fees.