Afternoon Buddha by Jaye McElroy

Its-All-About-You.com – How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Practice

Afternoon Buddha by Jaye McElroy
Meditating Buddha in the Sunlight

Finding the right domain is like reading a dessert item on a menu at a restaurant. There are millions of restaurants in the world, with billions of desserts in the world (lucky us), so how do you get someone to WANT your dessert. You must make it sound amazing! You make it sound so irresistible that you want it, you need it, you can’t imagine not having it. That is how I want you to approach your domain name choices. The better it describes you and what you do, the more people that connect with that, will want to contact you. First and foremost, for healers, the simplest route is using your name… I always suggest you at least reserve your name for a domain. If you can get it, grab it. You can use it in addition to a more specific domain (domain forwarding it is great to point them all back to the main site). SIMPLE is BETTER to start with.

Now… after you grab your name.com… sit down and write out some thoughts about yourself and what you do. What makes you different? Why would someone want to come to you and not someone else?

Then ask yourself :

Why do you need a website?
What do you want your website to do?

In my coaching sessions, I often get a blank stare and silence when I ask someone what is the real purpose of their website?
I almost always suggest them to think of their website as a portal to get in contact with you. A SIMPLE and EASY way for someone to connect to you and what you do. Long pages explaining everything is not needed. Time is short for people. If you want someone to take 5 minutes and check out your website YOU NEED TO HONOR THAT. Honor their time. Give them only information that they need to get a glimpse into you. There are thousands of healers our there… they want to connect to YOU. Again, they want to connect to you!
And please, please, please… make it easy for someone to actually contact you after they go to your website.

Okay, so once you have the reasoning of WHY you want a website, you need a domain name. A roadmap for someone to find you. Remember, first try to grab your name.com… it is easy and simple and a good place to start.

For those who are truly trying to be different and attract the people they are seeking, you need to really think about what message you want to send out to the world.

What makes you different?
Are you fun? Serious?
Geared to athletes? Other healers?
What and who are you exactly providing for services?

My personal opinion on domain names for healers is avoid words like pain, illness or injury. Those are negative associations and with a little thought, you can turn it into a positive statement. I am a HUGE believer that what you project out to the world, you get back. Positive attracts positive.

If you pick, as an example… www.MasterHealer.com — you better be able to bring home the goods. That is a big and bold title for a website domain. If you got it, got for it.

or

www.AthleteRecovery.com or www.ProAthletesTherapy.com or www.GetBackIntoTheGame.com would be for healers who work with athletes that are recovering from their sports.

or

www.MoreThanMassage.com … perhaps is for someone who is a massage therapist but does more.

Also, check out new domains…you can think outside the .com realms if you have to. New domain extensions are popping up everyday such as .me or .co or .rock or .tv For the healthcare profession, they have .healthcare, .care, and .clinic already. Soon there will be .health as well…. Wished you had boughtwww.massage.com? … or www.heal.com ? Those are gone, but… other extensions might still be available. Or come up with your own twist on that phrase.

And don’t forget to look at country or city names and codes. While you may want to think about your location in your name, be cautious www.HealingInDublin.com is super cool (and available)…but maybe www.HealingInIreland.com is even better (also available)! If you move in the future, then have to get a new domain name. Not the end of the world, but something to ponder. Try making a list :

www.MassageInIreland.com
www.HealingInIreland.com
www.AthletesInIreland.com

See if you resonate… if not, move on to another domain name.

List out what your specialities are… look for a simple thread. Go to a domain search engine (like GoDaddy or 1and1.com) and play around.

Domains that are too long or have cryptic names do not work… almost never. www.WorldsBestMassageTherapist.com maybe… but PhysicalTherapyandMassageServices.com … maybe not so much.

Just keep in mind, there could be a “gray” area for massage therapists… so maybe not go too much into the humor like www.MagicHands.com or www.IamGoodwithmyHands.com.

There is room for creativity, professionalism, and finding your niche in the crowded market of massage therapists and healers out there. Don’t be afraid to be you…and remember to link your niche domain to your actual name domain for the best results. I often suggest listing them both on your business cards…double dose of advertising.
And, remember to ALWAYS chekck your spelingg for Typos… lol!

Good Luck!
jaye : – j