Choosing a suitable domain name has never been an easy task for anyone or any organization. Indeed, in these COVID-19 or Coronavirus moments that the whole world is going through, it has never been more important to secure and own digital assets to remain relevant with a diverse range of customers. In a time when social media, e-commerce, video conferencing and video streaming have taken on a whole new level of importance for anyone and everyone globally, domain names have suddenly become de riguer, all over again.
Earlier today, Dotsavvy’s Founder and CEO Moses Kemibaro made a presentation on how to choose a .ke domain name for brands in Kenya as well as online branding for the Kenya Network Information Center’s (KENIC) Webinar. In a nutshell, the following are tips and recommendations that make for good domain name strategy:
Why have a .KE domain name?
A domain name ultimately gives your brand a unique and transparent identity online that consumers can relate to in a contextual manner. Kenya has approximately 100,000 .KE domain names for an internet user population of over 20 million. This means that there is so much room to get the domain name you want and need for your brand.
- .KE gives you more choices for the exact domains you are looking for online.
- .KE gives your brand a uniquely Kenyan identity
- .KE domain names are typically less expensive than many international domain names as of this writing (you can register more for less money and protect your brand).
Acquiring a .KE domain name.
Acquiring a .KE domain names for your corporate brand as well as product and/or service brands is essential. Product and/or service brand domain names can be used for microsites and landing pages as opposed to a corporate website, which may be required in certain instances. You can also use domain name aliasing to point your domain name(s) to a common/main domain name as a tactic to generate and consolidate organic traffic. This is ultimately a defensive strategy for your brand(s) and also a way of driving brand-specific digital traffic on the web.
Direct navigation via domain names.
Many people don’t use search engines to find a website – instead, they type in the presumed website’s domain name directly into their browser which is known as ‘direct navigation’. Consider the value of a domain name like kenyaairways.co.ke vs kenya-airways.co.ke in this instance. Your domain name should be published on ALL your offline and online marketing assets to increase direct navigation that does not require you to pay for digital ads to drive traffic.
Choosing a domain name.
Choose domain names that are consistent with your brand, rather than generic ones. Branded domain names have more value and consumer recognition than generic domain names. Google also ranks you higher if your brand name is contained in your domain name. Keywords in your domain name is a signal that search engines can use to rank your website. Acquire domain names that are shorter in length and more concise for better brand memorability when people need to access your website or want to send an email. Avoid hyphens and numbers in your domain names. Look for domain names that are easy to type and pronounce.
Branding is key when it comes to domain names.
Domain names are important for professional communications such as branded email addresses and websites. Consider receiving a proposal from a gmail email address versus an email address with a personalized or branded domain name – which one would you take more seriously? When registering a domain name, ensure that you do not fall foul of any trademark issues or intellectual property laws – this is important as the consequences can be severe!
Other domain name considerations.
If you can’t find a domain name you want because it’s taken, you can use a domain name brokerage to acquire it for your brand or organization. It’s also possible to use domain name exchanges or marketplaces to trade in pre-registered domain names – also known as the domain name secondary market. Normally, domain names acquired using these approaches usually have a significant premium to acquire them.
By: Moses Kimabaro