This video will take you through the step-by-step process of editing pages on your website.
All the pages can be edited and, as the video will show, some sections will be easier to edit than others.
If you have questions, leave them in the comments below.
Remember: we do a daily back up of your website, so the worst thing that could happen if you make edits and break something is that we update it from the day before and all will be well 🙂
ASSIGNMENT: once you’ve completed this step, leave a comment below and/or ask a question!
In today’s video I want to talk about FIVE questions you should ask yourself when buying a new domain name for your business.
Getting a new domain name can be scary: it’s like naming your first child.
What if you get it wrong? What if it’s awkward? What if the name doesn’t fit the baby or in this case your new business?
So to help you alleviate some of that fear, I’m gonna go over some questions you can ask yourself as you consider the new domain names for your business.
QUESTION: #1: Does the domain represent what I do in someway?
The first question you should ask is does it represent what I do in someway?
In the past if I purchased a domain name with a rich keyword phrase, for example, Attorneyspanishforkutah.com, everyone, including Google, would know what this website is about.
And most likely, you would rank for that keyword phrase in Google fairly quickly.
But nowadays, according to Google’s John Mueller, a keyword which domain name does not have as much weight, and in fact, is not that valuable.
John says:
“Just because a website has a keyword in its domain name doesn’t mean that it’s more relevant than others for that keyword.
In short, you don’t need to put keywords in the domain name.”
About three years ago my initial domain name for my business with mollermarketing.com. I started with that domain name back in 2006 and it seemed applicable for what I was doing at the time.
My last name and Marketing.
But as I have grown and expanded I realized something: that domain name is not very brandable.
So I changed it to Web 801. This domain name very strongly represents what I do but also is brandable.
Web, I do things on the web and 801, which is the ZIP Code of where I live.
Including at least a partial keyword phrase in your domain name can be helpful to answer this first question: does the domain name represent in someway what I do as a business? But again, it’s not going to help you rank quickly in search.
Another important factor in making a domain name brandable is the domain suffix. This means GET THE .COM
Yes, there are other domain types now like .jobs, .net, .org, and even .travel, but according to Google, these custom suffixes don’t help. Here’s what they said:
“This is a really common question that comes up for the new top-level domains.
“In short, no. You don’t get a special bonus like that from having a keyword in your top-level domain.
“Anecdotally you can see that by searching naturally for anything that interests you.
“I’d venture a guess that the top results don’t have those keywords as a domain ending. Often it’s not even in the URL at all. That’s by design.”
If you’re having a hard time finding a domain with the .com, keep looking. Don’t settle for the .net or other suffixes – people won’t remember them and will usually type the .com first anyway.
QUESTION #2: Is the domain name EASY to SPELL & REMEMBER?
The next question to ask is is the domain name easy to spell & remember?
There are a variety of things I like to avoid when answering this question.
A domain name with a word that could be spelled multiple ways is confusing.
How would you spell the word two? Wrong it’s TWO, wrong it’s TO, wrong it’s TOO, If you speak spanish it could be TU, The correct answer is there isn’t a RIGHT WAY.
You get my point.
If I can spell it multiple ways somebody else will too and you will lose traffic to your website because of it. Another thing to consider in answering this question is what if my domain name has multiple of the same letters in it?
For example, theelephantitle.com
Apologies if this is actually a domain name, I just made this up but you see my point.
The elephant, does that have one E or two? Elephant title same thing? If someone can spell it wrong they will.
One other thing to address with this question about if my domain name is easy to spell relates to how long the domain name is.
If my domain name is three words or more, it’s probably too long. Sometimes three words will work but the shorter the domain name is the better.
The first domain name I ever purchased was called clogon.com.
At the time I didn’t realize this was such a great domain name, my website was about clogging, a form of tap dance. And I ended up selling clogging shoes on my website. The domain name ClogOn was easy to spell, easy to remember, short – only two words, and very brandable.
One client domain name used to be beautifulweddingannouncements.com. Yes, this domain name definitely represented what they offer. But, it was not easy to spell. Even though I knew the domain name I often times misspelled it.
Eventually I convinced the client to change the domain name to shopbwa.com.
They didn’t have to change their business name; in fact, if you go to the website now Beautiful Wedding Announcements is what shows up at the top as their logo. But the domain name is now much easier to spell, easier to remember, and it still represents their business because of the acronym BWA. They can associate the domain name with their logo and business and it all ties together.
And if you type in beautifulweddingannouncements.com it will still redirect to shopbwa.com so they don’t lose traffic for people that knew the domain name in the past.
Keep your domain name short, and easy to spell, and you will get more traffic and more deals.
QUESTION #3: Would I put this domain name on a t-shirt, hat, hoodie, sticker, etc?
Another question to ask that goes right along with the other two is what I want to put this domain name on a T-shirt, hat, hoodie, sticker, etc.?
This was one of the main reasons I changed my domain name from Moller Marketing to WEB801. Moller not only is spelled variety of different ways but people would miss pronounce it: Moeller Miller Mueller you name it. Plus putting that on a T-shirt or hat was a little bit long so eventually I did research and found WEB801 by accident.
Not only is WEB801 something I’d put on a billboard or hat but it makes people curious, “I wonder what that is…” and then they come to the site.
Having a brand able domain name, something you want to put on a hat, is an important factor in domain name selection. And it ties in with the other things we’ve discussed so far.
QUESTION #4: Are you in this for the long-haul?
The fourth question to ask yourself when purchasing a new domain name for your business is are you in this for the long-haul?
There are MANY places you can buy a domain name – but I recommend two as the best ones to work with.
GoDaddy
Google Domains
Don’t buy your domain name at a hosting company like BlueHost or HostGator or something like that because often times they will tie in the domain name with your hosting and then if you want to change hosts your website may go down.
It’s best to buy a domain name at a place like GoDaddy or Google domains because that’s what they’re focused on for the most part.
When you buy a domain name, they will give you options on how long you want to register the domain name for. Six months, one year, two years, three years, five years, 10 years. Maybe you don’t have to go all out and do 10 years but usually I will do three years or five years.
According to Search Engine Land:
“Google isn’t specifically saying domain registration length doesn’t matter, just that it’s not all that important in the Big Picture. Several years ago, I interviewed Jon Glick, a former member of the Yahoo search team, and he said the length of a registration does matter, but it’s just one signal, one potential flag.”
In other words, if search engines can see that your domain name is only register for six months or one year, you may not get much traction at all.
Start with at least a 2 year registration.
QUESTION #5: What if I didn’t follow these other suggestions? Can I change the domain?
The final question is a great one – can I change my domain if I find a better one?
The answer is ABSOLUTELY YES.
If you’re just starting a business, there are a LOT of decisions you have to make, and I highly recommend MAKING a decision as to falling into the “paralysis by analysis” and doing nothing.
Buying a domain name is one of those decisions it’s better to just make, get things moving, and then if you later find a better domain, you can always update the domain.
Will it affect rankings in search – maybe a bit, but a good web development company will know how to set up 301 Redirects which will help you not lose traffic.
Will you lose traffic to your prior domain? NO, not if you’ve set things up correctly.
Sure, changing your domain may lead to other updates, like logo for example, but it’s not the end of the world and it’s better to get started than go back and forth indefinitely.
ONE BONUS SUGGESTION:
Avoid buying a premium domain as your first every purchase.
I saw this short video post today on LinkedIn and it made me think of all my Homeschooled Family:
How does this apply to YOU?
“Are you playing at the level you’re capable of?”
“Are you the best version of yourself?”
Are you ready to take your REI game to the next level?
What’s that going to take?
I’ve shared with some of you the mission statement I made when I was just out of college at my first real sales job.
I. SUCKED. AT. SALES!
I hadn’t made a single sale in my first 6 weeks, and I was getting frustrated.
The Temptation to Give Up
At that point I really had two option:
Give Up!
Push Forward!
Giving up is easy.
I can blame my situation on others.
I can say it just wasn’t the right time.
I can switch directions over and over again (a workaround for giving up).
Look at my friend Tarek’s story:
He had SO many points in his life where he could have given up.
But he didn’t.
And through each trial there was a new level of success!
What’d I Choose?
Like Tarek, I chose to push through.
I wasn’t going to give up or quit.
So I talked to the VP of Sales at this company, Aaron.
I asked him what I should do.
I was afraid to set any big goals for fear I wouldn’t hit them.
He heard me out and then gave me some of the best advice that I’ll never forget.
“Watch those who are doing what you want to be doing. What’s working for them? How do they operate? What numbers are they hitting?
“If THEY can do it, so can YOU!”
He went on to tell me that setting a goal was only for me.
If I felt it was too big (or too small), I could always change it.
So I took his advice.
The Moller Mission Statement
I found out what the best sales person was doing, what his numbers were, and then I started monitoring. This monitoring caused me to create my first mission statement.
I am the best salesman at [put in your company name] with a 6 week average of over [specific amount of money] in sales.
I am making [specific amount of money] per week which is helping me achieve and exceed my six month goal of [specific amount of money] by June 30, [year] and [specific amount of money] by Dec. 31, [year].
My keys to success have been confidence, focus, overcoming all fears, hard work, persistence, patience, and expecting to succeed, along with listening to the best, taking effective notes which I apply immediately, setting specific goals that I review daily, and focusing on getting 3 new sales per day, clients that need the products we are offering.
I never worry about things I can’t change. I focus only on what I do have control over: attitude, knowledge, skills and work ethic.
I’m happy to be running my business successfully and will continue to develop multiple streams of income. These multiple streams of income will help me achieve my life goal: [specific long term goal].
What’s crazy is this WORKED!
I read (and eventually memorized) the mission statement out loud 3 times a day.
At first I didn’t really believe it.
But the more I read it and rehearsed it and reminded myself of what it was saying, the more it BECAME ME!
My initial goal was to hit $40,000 in commissions for my first year and I hit that almost to the penny.
The next year I DOUBLED that mark.
And the rest is history.
What’s Your Mission Statement
So here’s the challenge:
1. Review my mission statement
2. Re-write it in your own words.
3. Post it here for the community to see.
4. Start reading it morning, noon and night.
5. Document your progress.
All qualities needed to be a successful business owner.
One blogger said:
Having a blog that helps attract and convert clients requires a level of commitment that often turns out to be way more than [a business owner] bargained for.
But don’t let that scare you off.
If you want to succeed as a business owner, you’re going to have to do hard things, break some fears, and JUST DO IT!
In my opinion, blogging is one of those things.
The Pros of Blogging
1. Search Traffic
If you want to be found in Google search, you need to answer searchers’ questions (this is all Google cares about – delivering the best answers).
A blog is a fantastic way to do that.
Without a blog, it’s going to be hard to create the type of content you’ll be found for in Google.
2. The Best FAQs Section
If you’re providing consulting services to clients, you’re probably answering lots of questions – some of them over and over again.
A blog can be the ideal way to answer these questions.
Rather than feeling like a broken record and saying the same thing over and over again, send your clients a blog post that answers their questions.
Not only will this help improve your credibility as a business owner, but it will also save you time. And time is money!
3. Learn What My Clients Need
Having a blog for a business website can be transformational.
Blogs not only allow a business owner to get in front of the right people and generate consistent leads, but a blog can help the business owner learn what questions customers have based on the content they read and respond to.
Write something else, then return back to original later
Might sound silly. Works for me.
This “VLOG” post was created by me implementing what I just talked about above:
How to Come Up with Content Ideas
Coming up with content ideas can be tricky.
One way I do it is to think about the types of questions I get asked often.
Like the quote above, I can “brain dump” that list of questions on paper.
Or I can start with a question in Google, then see what other questions are suggested:
I type the question in Google.
I see a “featured snippet” that gives me some pretty good ideas.
I scroll down and see the “People also ask” section, which gives me more ideas. (Did you know that if you click on one of those questions, other similar questions will show up below it?)
I look at the top organic search results too. Lots of ideas I can glean from there.
With all these ideas in mind, I then open up a Google Doc and start making an outline.
Or, to save time and avoid coding issues, I get in the habit of just opening up a new post on my blog and start creating outlines there.
SECRET: Parts of this blog post were created based on this very strategy 🤫
How to Create a Blog Post Outline
Things to consider as I’m creating the outline:
What will the title of the article be?
What questions will I focus on as headers?
Will I use images, video and other types of content to draw attention?
What thumbnail/featured image can I use?
What internal links do I plan to add to the post? (I suggest 2-3 internal links per 1,000 words)
At the end of the article, what do I want the readers to DO? (download something, make a comment, share it to social media, link to it, buy a product or service?)
What about external links: who will I link out to or source?
Once I’ve written the article, who can I share it with to get traction?
How can I create a network of people that will be willing to share the article with others and that I can help in some way too?
Am I overthinking all of this?
Where to add the content
Here’s a quick video on where to add content on your new website:
Conclusion
This blog post, which started as a five minute test, has turned into a 30 minute project.
But these 30 minutes have produced over 1,000 words of content!
(you can see the word count in the bottom left corner of the editor)
And this content is information I’ll share with ALL my clients who wonder if blogging is really worth it.
In my opinion, it really is.
I’ve shared with many of you that 6 of the top 10 most visited pages on my WEB801.com website are BLOG POSTS!
Most of those blog posts I wrote at least 2-3 years ago.
But they STILL get organic search traffic today.
The Challenge
What’s your next one step?
Remember: you don’t have to all of a sudden become a professional blogger.
What we’re really trying to do is DOCUMENT our progress.
What can you write about, document, and/or share with your community?
If someone asked you to tell them about your real estate experience, what would you say? START THERE!
Yes, most of us would prefer a “copy & paste” process. But copy and paste, both from a word doc or Google Drive doc, OR from another website, isn’t going to work well. Here’s why:
When I copy and paste from a word doc, there is hidden code which will cause the post to look different on various browsers. In other words, the post layout won’t look the same.
Copying and pasting from another website will have the same code problems AND will be looked at by Google as “duplicate content.” We don’t want this.
Yes, you can get ideas from other blogs and pages, but put them in your own words.
The SOLUTION
Learn how to create content IN the blog post area. Just like a Word Doc, your website editor, also knows as the WYSIWYG editor (what you see is what you get) is really easy to use. If you’re typing content in the editor, use the Visual tab.
2. Use the different editing features of the editor
Making your blog post scannable is essential. Most readers are at least initially LAZY. They want to skim. So use the following:
Bulleted lists
Numbered lists
Headings
Add images and align them Use video directly from YouTube
Use Quotes
Put the blog post into a CATEGORY SCHEDULE your blog posts Make sure you use a FEATURED IMAGE Once you publish, share the link on social media:
Facebook page
LinkedIn
Twitter
Pinterest
Email the link to friends, family and contacts – ask for them to COMMENT.
Short paragraphs: 2-3 sentences at most
3. How to Add a Video to a Blog Post
Step 1: Go To Youtube
Step 2: Copy the Video URL from the address bar
Step 3: Paste it right in the content of the post:
4. Other Important Factors
Internally Link to 2-3 keyword phrases Have a Good Title Use questions that Google is sharing about what my audience is looking for Don’t copy and paste from other articles Don’t copy and paste from a PDF or Word Document Start with 5 main categories Building a website for your business GOAL: 1000-1500 words
Don’t copy and paste from other articles Don’t copy and paste from a PDF or Word Document Start with 5 main categories