Using Google’s Keyword Tool to Help you Choose a Domain Name

Before starting any website, I always suggest going to Google’s keyword tool and looking at what keywords in your industry are most searched for in Google. For example, say you are a floral designer who primarily does weddings and special events.

Before you register a domain name, go to Google’s keyword tool, and search for keywords related to your business.

  1. You’ll need to answer the security check first, by typing in the word you see in the box.
  2. In the main screen, in the “word or phrase” box, enter a single keyword for your business.  In this case, “floral” and then click search.  Once you see the results, customize them by deselecting any categories in the left column that don’t apply to your business.  In this example, “delivery”, “flower delivery”, and “flowers online”.
  3. Then, in the left column, select “exact” for the Match Types.  And, click on Global Monthly Searches to arrange the results in order of greatest to least searches.
  4. What you have now is a great list of keyword ideas for your website.  Follow the same steps for other words related to your business, such as:  flowers, weddings, etc.

Now that you know what phrases have the most traffic, consider choosing a domain name that includes some of those phrases.  In this example, our floral designer, Ann, could choose the domain name:

Once you get ready to build your website, go through the lists of keywords you’ve found, and highlight the ones that seem most appropriate for your business.  Then, give this list to your web designer, so they can set up your new website making conscious use of the keywords in your page names, headings, and titles (all very important in your google search rankings).

If you set up your website with a blog, you will also want to use this list of keywords when you write new blog posts.   Using keywords effectively in your blog, can definitely boost your rankings in Google.

Search is a huge part of any web design project, and discovering what keywords your customers might be using to find you, is a great place to start.