Company website - then products...

How best to market...

[Harley_m]

If you have a company called GreatThings.com and you produce a product called a widget, which no one makes or sells - which is the best way of marketing it....would you want widget.com as well, and how can that forward to your company website best?

by having widget.com - it would be great for SEO, as you can get anyone who types widget strait in to you...but i dont really want to have to pay for webspace, and so was looking at full web diversion (this is uk2net) - will spiders that are going to the submitted widget.com going to follow the diversion and index GreatThings.com - which features widgets? or will it simply not index at all?

is there any other way of doing it, other than have a separtate site on widget.com specifically centred around the widget, and have the payment system following through the same channels as it would on the main site?

Any ideas?

Thanks

Harley

[fathom]

the best way of marketing it.

Although you will save a few pounds each month by not paying for web space and can even hide this from potential visitors, it will be very difficult to optimize anything.

In this case, you are attempting to use a "brand" name domain to assist in creating sales but branding is also "brand trust" and can cost alot more than just hosting and optimization.

You really can't get around this.

If your company (product site) looks like "fly-by-night" your potential purchasers will more likely than not go and buy from someone they trust.

Even if you have superior products, a web site is a marketing tool...

and if your marketing tool is inferior your sales will most likely be the same.

Sell the sizzle, not the steak.

Marketing on a budget is fine... but if marketing costs nothing sales are limited.

Stick with the single greatthings domain develop this and when revenue is better... this is a good time to brand.

[nvision]

I've worked very well with simply optimising GreatCompany.com according to its products and getting first page listings, without the need for setting up complementary widget.com sites. So, from my experience I'd say focus on optimising just the one and you'll save time and money.

[Harley_m]

the company in question is a software company - and so the product will very much be known for the name and not the company - many other companies seem to have other sites like softwareproduct.com and they are huge huge companies - is it really a good idea to leave softwareproduct totally free to be bought up?

[nvision]

Never said don't buy the domain name. I was just saying one doesn't always have to back things up with a keyword.com site.

[sun818]

If you do not mind banner ads, some domain registrants offer free banner ad hosting. And others offer low traffic hosting for a small fee.

[Harley_m]

Theres is no way you could have the hosting, or redirection on a low cost banner host - as that would give a terrible projection of the company - the company isnt on that small a budget, and needs to give a professional approach...

I am stuck for redirection ideas though - it would seem pretty normal to have softwareproduct.com redirecting through to the main site that sells and promotes the product - but i need to know if spiders can or will actually do this...the only other options are either to design a micro site revoling around that one product, or just buying the domain and having it blank

will spiders follow redirects - they can get a full web diversion upgrade from UK2net - but im not sure that that will work...

Thanks

Harley