What's in a Name?

Should you change your name to get listed higher?

[ChrisXenon]

The name of our site begins with "R" and so we're listed low down on most directories - which order sites alphabetically.

Two tactics spring to mind:

1. When submitting the site, write the name of your site differently - to rank higher. For example, if your site is www.fred.com, list the title as "1st-is-fred".

2. Buy another domain which just contains a jump into your real domain and list that with the directories.

I know that Yahoo would dissaprove, but I'm trying to get listed in the many shopping portals.

Comments welcome.

Chris

[IanTurner]

See my profile!!

[IanTurner]

PS - Our company name also started with 'R'

We now have a number of different divisions. In fact more divisions than there are people in the company.

[hstyri]

When submitting the site, write the name of your site differently - to rank higher. For example, if your site is www.fred.com, list the title as "1st-is-fred".

Your mileage will vary. In ODP three things may happen:

1. Digits are ignored in the sorting and you'll end up under "S".
2. The name is written as pronounced and your gain is minimal (from "Fr" to "Fi").
3. The reviewing editor finds that the real name of the business is "fred" and leaves out the prefix.

My advice is that you shouldn't rely too much on the age old AAA-name trick.

Buy another domain which just contains a jump into your real domain and list that with the directories.

Some directories, one of them is ODP, will not list redirecting URLs. Attempts to cloak the redirect, and using this to tweak the name in order to get a better placement may be considered as an attempt to spam.

[ChrisXenon]

Hehehe Ian. Nuff said.

Thanks!

[ChrisXenon]

Thanks hstyri,

I appreciate your practical insights. But if I go to the directories I;'m ragtetting - they're all there - and at tyhe top. 121-this, A1-that, and so one.

It works. I'm on page 7 with the Rs.

When in Rome, eat pizza.
I dissapprove of spamming but this whole area is fraught with a sliding scale of claenness. I think I'm preapared to play the game on this.

Cheers,
Chris

[Quadrille]

ODP lists alphabetically, as it has (and needs) no ranking system; all the *important* players - Google etc., - who use ODP data will impose their own ranking.

The "directories" that list alphabetically, therefore, have no ranking system, and / or are taking ODP data "as is".

Why debase your site to fiddle a few low-level directories that do no more than leech on the Big Kids - and risk upsetting the big kids?

I can promise you, when an ODP editor sees "1AA1-Store", it makes our day - one more eejit who is prepared to confuse their customers for the 000.0001% chance of a 'better listing'

Get real - if you were the customer, who'd look more inviting:

1AA1-A-1-Shoe Store or
Quality Shoes of Brooklyn

I know who I'd trust with my credit card details - and it ain't gonna be U!!

[caine]

ODP does have a ranking system, if you get to a cat, yes the listings appear alpha, but if you use the ODP search facility that is based on their algo's you will note that the listins from 1 to ## are not alphabetic.

In regard to the original question, its the company name that matters. brand is important. i know some editors who can spot the needle in the haystack when it comes to spamming the ODP.

Its not important what the name begins with it is important how the ODP ranks you're site SERP wise, and consequently how the other engines follow.

[ChrisXenon]

Thanks for all the feedback.
My original question was about the nuerous shopping portals, and somehow the thread got bent to focus on the ODP.

I'm not planning to spam the ODP.

Cheers,
Chris

[IanTurner]

Quadrille, your line of reasoning although valid is not complete.

How about

1001 Quality Shoes
1st Class Shoes

[Quadrille]

Ha!

Nice one ... And if it were the name of the store, no probs. I still think "First Class" has that certain je ne sais quoi, however ;)

[alex_cross]

I got a keyword rich domain and had a link popularity base of 250 before I even published the site. All that was listed from my host was coming soon site"X". I got a top ten listing on a very competitive term two different times doing this. One time the site had no link popularity and I still achieved a top 10 ranking. GOOGLE places very much weight on Domain Names.

It is my suggestion to get two domain names pointing at one site. Submit the keyword rich domain name and brand a short catchy name.

[IanTurner]

I agree Quadrille and generally find names like 'AAA Taxis' quite tacky.

They've been spamming Yellow pages with these names for years.

The trick is to come up with something appropriate and tasteful which still fulfills this criteria.

We chose the 147 as it is a memorable number and 1471 is the number you use to retrieve a number on the phone in this country.

Alex - yes but you have to be careful that you dont get dropped for mirroring content.

[alex_cross]

I use it all the time. you can just put a robot text file. I have used it successfully on abou 12 sites. You do have to be careful.

A friend of mine owns a drop ship service and all of his clients sites are virtually identical and they never have a problem. I'll granty you that they are on different IP addresses.

Whenever I submit to a directory I use a 6-7 keyword rich domain.

[ChrisXenon]

How can one "be careful that you don't get dropped for mirroring content"?

This is such an otherwise good idea, that I would be doing it nowish - were it not for the danger of being dropped.

As it is, one sees several instances of this going on in my area on the web now.

Anyone got a feel for how big the danger is?

Tks, Chris

[IanTurner]

I have had one site dropped, and have been very careful since then.

[alex_cross]

i've don it for three years without a hitch. i just don't submit the names i try to brand.

[IanTurner]

The real problem is your competitors submitting the domains you are trying to brand.

[Quadrille]

The likelihood depends very much on where in the directory the sites appear; and I'm sure there's a measure of luck.

No way of quantifying the risk - but if you are caught, you risk

1. the wrong site being dropped;
2. both sites being dropped, or even
3. *all* your sites being dropped.

(1) is a fairly high risk; (3) is most unlikely, unless you fail to learn from earlier exoeriences.

Editor notes are not time limited; few editors turn a blind eye to spammers; those that do raise serious questions about their motives!