There has been much discussion in recent weeks on blogs, and even Jeff Kupietzky as part of his opening remarks from DomainFest noted that there is a huge surge of web activity from mobile devices and what the effect of navigation through mobile devices mean for the value of domains.
Well in a post today in RealBusiness.co.uk, according to a small study they conducted, they held found that as the use of mobile devices to access the web grows, its even “more important than ever to have short and memorable domain.”
The study found, that “one in four men and one in five women who use SME websites regularly struggle with web addresses that are difficult to recall”.
“The data suggests that many small businesses undervalue the effect their web address can have on their consumers’ behaviour,” says Steve Holford, marketing director at Streamline.net, the web hosting company that conducted the survey.
“There is a real danger their work and investment on the web can be undermined by the simple fact that consumers cannot remember their URL,” says Holford, adding that with 70 per cent of Britons willing to conduct business with SMEs via the web, the ability for a consumer to easily recall a web address has never been so important.””
The post cited Graham Jones, an internet specialist who advises businesses on how to connect with consumers, as saying “he believes the key is to have a URL that people can easily remember and pass on to others.””
“If a page is quite important for your business, then nothing really beats having a specific domain name that is easy for people to remember, that can then be linked to your company’s other sites as necessary.””
Its an interesting take on a subject that concerns a lot of domainers.
You should check out the full post.
That should be common sense, but it seems that the business world still needs a lot of educating.
Using a long, unmemorable domain on a cell would be like a real-life situation where lots of people are coming to your restaurant and then are never able to fully explain to others where it is at when making a dining recommendation.
Is this an article about mobile web or having a memorable domain? Having a memorable domain is important for any device including
computers. I don’t see why it would be any more important for the mobile web. The safari browser on my phone allows me to bookmark any site just like you can on a computer and I can easily find things with search engines on my phone such as google and bing just like on the computer. On a smartphone it is not difficult to type a long domain either. I just typed this whole comment on my iPhone in like 30 seconds.
iPhone apps do not need domains.
I hear more and more ads referencing their Twitter account or Facebook page, with no mention of a domain.
Anyone worried?
NR
The article is about both.
The importance of having a memorable domain made even more important by the increased access of the net through mobile devices.
Tommy
iPhone apps don’t need domains, but I think most the largest, most successful ones have the matching domains.
Yelp.com
shazam.com
foursquare.com
Just to start.
Plus many of the biggest apps had the domains first and use the App for their mobile edition.
Great article and very important point! I’ve heard many people use the “Billboard Test” – if your domain was posted on a billboard and you only had a few seconds to view it – would you remember it?
I do think this is where brandable ccTLD’s like .me and .co could present solid opportunities for businesses that might not have the killer .com.
Having a memorable domain name is crucial. A company with existing web sites or new company start up could use a .Tel to be branded and remembered by. As the company grows and adds web sites affiliates and so on the memorable .Tel would be a great gateway to the company’s links, contacts, customer service and so on.
The surge in mobile traffic is going to devalue domain names. Marketers are looking to Quick Response Codes to sell to the under 35 consumer. In two years these codes will be on product packaging, catalogs, magazines, billboards….just snap a picture from your iphone and you’re taken to the site. It’s scary how disruptive this will be! GMC has already said they will abandon tv advertising targeted to under 35 consumers and move to these codes!
“the real value is in business creation and until we see that we are not going to get anywhere.”
Alan, what about the over 35 consumer? Some people still don’t even have cellphones, never mind a smartphone or ipod touch. I love mobile internet and it’s growing fast, but it won’t totally replace the bigger screen experience of a laptop, pc monitor, netbook and now the ipad. Codes and apps can find a way around domains in some instances, but they can’t completely replace the domain name. Am I really going to have to find codes and take photos of them to visit every website I want in the future? Giving people a domain name is the easiest way of letting them know how to find you online.
Yelp.com
Shazam.com
FourSquare.com
These are web based companies that started with a web page. There will be companies that start with an App.
I agree with domain report, I see nothing or heard anything that convinces me that any app will completely replace a good domain name. With ICANN releasing a boatload of new TLDs, iphones, iPads, apps….it is all a bit much for most of the general public in the US, not to mention less developed countries. Every country is not Japan where handheld computing is nearly ubiquitous.
Hell, there are still millions of US citizens still using dial up connections on their home computers;
http://www.tamingthebeast.net/blog/web-development/dialup-access-statistics-0407.htm.
With baby boomers expecting to live longer, these numbers aren’t fading as quickly as one might expect. To be sure, these people aren’t waiting breathlessly for the next “killer app” to hit their Blackberries. For now these people will avoid the technological confusion that the tech industry foists on them constantly.
Even if mobile apps “take over the world” as some futurists expect. I still see nothing that convinces me that they can’t coexist with good keyword or branded domains. There will always be a place for websites built on these names.
wow! It has been a long time since I have heard somebody talk about Can The Huge Surge In Mobile Web Traffic Be GOOD News For Domains? with such passion. I didn’t quite understand everything but the passion flows throughout the and it is amazing to see someone be so in depth about something. I can feel it.
Mobile domains are a relatively new addition to the domain name industry. The pace at which mobile technology is advancing, in terms of internet access, means that websites are having to be adapted to a new audience; those visitors who surf the mobile web. Adapting your domain name strategy to embrace mobile internet is crucial in capturing new visitors and business visibility.