Does having a domain name make a difference in getting traffic?

[mmontala]

Hello, just like to know if having a registered domain name will increase your traffic or does is have to do anything with your traffic? I heard some webmasters are successful using only a free webhosting.

[robert adams]

It depends on what the website is for. If you are trying to sell something, then you need your own domain name. If it is a personal or hobby type site, it really doesn't matter.
If you want traffic you have to let people know you are there and/or get high listings in the search engines. That is a whole other discussion.

luck,
robert

[dios33]

The domain name it does matter.I just found out.
Include the keywords that you are interested in into your domain name.Google does care about domain names when ranking.

[TinkyWinky]

for branding - get as generic a name as possible - on topic if you can

for seo - try to get something with main keyword in if you can, or ensure it is fairly easy or catchy for users to remember to offest Florida-like changes in search engine rankings.

Good luck

[robert adams]

I believe the question was having your own domain name versus using a free web host.

robert