The only thing worse than a bad URL is no URL. At the very least they could have put a subtle .com next to their logo.
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You take the good, You take the bad, You take them both and there you have the facts of life... on the Web.
Your URL, My Passion
I am a nerd. I'm that guy who pronounces URL like the Duke of. I clap when I see a good URL and I cringe when I see a bad URL. My mission here is to give businesses some guidance when choosing and promoting their URLs so they don't waste the money they've already spent on this here Internet fad. Enjoy!
Labels
- _Underscores
- -Dashes
- .Subdomains.
- /Slashes
- Acronyms/Abbreviations
- ALLCAPS
- alllowercase
- Alternate Domains (Non-Dot-coms)
- Alternating Fonts
- Bad URL Display
- Bad URL Selection
- Bad URLs
- Flyers/Direct Mail
- Good URLs
- http://
- Leading Caps
- Logos
- Looooong URLs
- Movie URLs
- NotURLs
- On Package/Menu
- One-of-a-Kind Bad URLs
- Online Ads
- Out-of-Home/Billboards
- Print Ads
- Real Estate URLs
- Retail Signage
- SkewURLs
- Spacing Issues
- SuperURLs
- TV Ads
- URLs on Vehicles
- www (aka Dubs)
ABOUT ME
My name is Aaron Goldman and I'm an URL-aholic. My day job is CMO at 4C, a global data science and media technology company. So, yes, I have a vested interest in Good and Bad URLs.
Blog Archive
Are you an URL-spotter?
Have you recently come across an URL so glorious that even your mom would remember it? Seen any URLs so hideous you wouldn't wish them on your worst competitor? Snap a pic and send it to me at GoodURLBadURL@gmail.com, upload it to the Good URL Bad URL Facebook Page, or tweet it to @GoodURLBadURL. Spot on!
Tweets from @GoodURLBadURL
URL Best Practices
Do's
1. Whenever possible, use YourBrandName.com.
2. If .com is not available, use YourBrandName.net.
3. If .com and .net are taken, find a new brand name. Seriously.
4. Use YourSlogan.com when running an integrated media campaign.
5. CapitalizeTheFirstLetterOfEachWord and/or UseDifferentColorsOrBoldToHelpEachWordStandOut
Don'ts
1. Don't use acronyms, abbreviations, or numbers unless your brand is widely known as such.
2. Don’t use YourProduct.com or YourCategory.com as a replacement for YourBrandName.com. They should be used only as supplements.
3. No-hyphens/or slashes.
4. Don't include www (aka dubs) when displaying your URL. We know to go to the World Wide Web to find you.
5. Don't include http://. If your audience isn't Web savvy enough to know where to type the URL, you shouldn't have a website.
6. don'tusealllowercase (canyoureallytellwhereonewordendsandthenextbegins?)
7. DITTOFORALLUPPERCASE
8. Don't
Stagger
Words
On
Separate
Lines
9. DontUseWordsThatllRequireApostrophes
10. Don't bury your URL at the bottom of an ad. I'm the only nerd running around with a 10x zoom lens to find URLs.
1. Whenever possible, use YourBrandName.com.
2. If .com is not available, use YourBrandName.net.
3. If .com and .net are taken, find a new brand name. Seriously.
4. Use YourSlogan.com when running an integrated media campaign.
5. CapitalizeTheFirstLetterOfEachWord and/or UseDifferentColorsOrBoldToHelpEachWordStandOut
Don'ts
1. Don't use acronyms, abbreviations, or numbers unless your brand is widely known as such.
2. Don’t use YourProduct.com or YourCategory.com as a replacement for YourBrandName.com. They should be used only as supplements.
3. No-hyphens/or slashes.
4. Don't include www (aka dubs) when displaying your URL. We know to go to the World Wide Web to find you.
5. Don't include http://. If your audience isn't Web savvy enough to know where to type the URL, you shouldn't have a website.
6. don'tusealllowercase (canyoureallytellwhereonewordendsandthenextbegins?)
7. DITTOFORALLUPPERCASE
8. Don't
Stagger
Words
On
Separate
Lines
9. DontUseWordsThatllRequireApostrophes
10. Don't bury your URL at the bottom of an ad. I'm the only nerd running around with a 10x zoom lens to find URLs.
Worst URLs Ever
Additional URL Resources
- A Comprehensive 25 Step Blueprint for Initial Domain Name Strategies to Strengthen Your Brand
- The Dr. Seuss Jumble: Naming Web Sites
- URL Design for Campaign Effectiveness
- A Marketer's Perspective on Choosing the Right Domain Name
- Be The Ruler of Your Domain
- Supercharge Your URLs For Maximum SEO Impact
- Domain Name International
- Domaining.com
- DomainTools.com
- Internet Goldrush
Other Good/Bads (and 2 Bad/Goods)
Blog Roll
- Aaron Goldman - Digital Sea Change
- Aaron Wall - SEO Book
- Andy Beal - Marketing Pilgrim
- Avinash Kaushik - Occam's Razor
- Bill Wise - A Wise Search & Online Marketing Insider Tells All
- Bob Garifeld - The Bobosphere
- Bryson Meunier - Natural Search and Mobile SEO Blog
- David Berkowitz - Inside The Marketer's Studio
- Gord Hotchkiss - Out of My Gord
- Greg Sterling - Screenwerk
- John Battelle - Searchblog
- Joseph Jaffe - Jaffe Juice
- Lee Odden - Online Marketing Blog
- Mark Simon - Search Insider
- Matt Cutts - Gadgets, Google, and SEO
- Peter Askew - Search Bound
- Rand Fishkin - SEOmoz
- Rob Garner - Search Insider
- Seth Godin - Seth Godin's Blog
- Steve Rubel - Micro Persuasion
- Steve Smith - Inside Domaining
- Todd Friesen - Oilman
- Vincent Flanders - Web Pages That Suck
- Yianni Garcia - Social Media Guy
Welcome Visitors
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Disclaimer
Please note: I'm a marketing guy, not a lawyer. I am not aware of any copyright laws I am violating by posting graphics and pictures of URLs that are in the public domain to GoodURLBadURL.blogspot.com. That said, if you own any of the URLs I've posted and feel that I am infringing on your trademark, please contact me and I will remove any offending material promptly.
5 comments:
why?
I´m glad someone has the brains to think "you don´t really need to see our webpage to use our product"
It would just be anouther element cluttering up the white space
I agree with anonymous. As great as the web is, sometimes it's just unnecessary. Case in point: the hundreds of microsites that Crispin Porter develops.
Although in this case, I think the white space is actually black space. To keep it official and all.
I think Coke can get away with leaving off the ".com" because they're so well known. Anyone that has an interest in visiting their website is surely web-savvy enough to be able to find it on their own.
However, if they were running some kind of promotion then they should definitely be driving traffic to their site. It looks pretty bland though. Interesting blog. I'm taking an Audience Research course and have a blog on internet marketing at http://www.thisdomainforsale.blogspot.com
Feel free to stop by and critique my URL. :)
After finishing the rest of your article on MediaPost...my real URL is ThisDomainForSale.blogspot.com
I hear you guys. I just think the web is too important a medium not to incorporate it into all your advertising. Adding your URL to a print ad or TV spot helps you leverage all the coin you've already spent on developing your web property(ies.) I nmy mind you should promote it every chance you get. Yes, most motivated Diet Coke drinkers could find the Diet Coke site if they really tried but how many of them would see this ad and want to try? Diet Coke is missing an opportunity to tell customers and non-customers alike that it has a web presence that is worth checking out.
Steven - look forward to checking out your blog. Is ThisDomainForSale.com taken? If not, snatch it and redirect it to your blog it's easier for people to find and remember.
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