It is not really JUST about branding, it is all about navigation. You want people to find you in any number of ways on the web and come into the website via the windows, the side doors, the back door and the skylight, as well as the front door domain name.
Your Benefits Owning a Great Domain :
Brand
Develop your new domain name to feature your brand name products or services. All domain names are unique but there are only so many good ones relevant to your interests.
Competition
Buy related domain names so your competition can't use them for their benefit and/or against you. What if they bought the domain names that you are thinking about buying? You may NEVER have the opportunity to own them ever again. And now the domains that you once liked are now being used to against you. Don't look back someday and regret not buying the domain names you want.
Cost Effective
Your cost is primarily the purchase price of the domain name. Annual renewal fees are less than $10 per year.
Credibility
Show your visitors that you are serious about your content. Build sites or park pages on good domain names and be proud of the domain names you own. If you are opening an online business, start with a good domain name. Show your visitors/customers that you are serious about your online venture and, in a few years, the domain will probably appreciate in value even if your business does not take off.
Direct Navigation
This occurs when an end user types YourDomainName.extension into their browser directly without even searching to find your site. Many of our keyword-specific domains are enjoy Direct Navigation.
Use your new domain name to host email addresses. Create and use email addresses like sales@YourDomainName.extension or yourname@YourDomainName.extension. You will never have to change your email address again because your email provider/ISP changed.
Ecommerce
Build a storefront and sell your home made salsa or arts and crafts. Point your domain name to your eBay® seller's page and then give it out to potential customers. A domain name is much easier to put on a business card or advertisement in a newspaper or magazine than a crazy eBay® seller's list or storefront.
Forwarding
Forward your new domain name to your existing website or any other web site/web page you wish. Buy all the related domain names that you can and point them all (masked to prevent duplicate content) to your existing site thus giving your main domain more reach.
Grouping
Buy groups of domains when you can, especially if one seller has many that you want. You can probably get a nice package deal and all in one transaction. Buy the plural, the ...ed, the ...ing, the dash version and others in the keyword, category or industry that interests you.
Investment
Hold for price appreciation. A friend of mine has a saying about Cape Cod real estate... "You never pay too much. You just pay too early." I think the same is true for quality domain names. Buy a domain and hold for price appreciation. Hey, build a little revenue site or park with pay-per-click and make some money while you're waiting.
Keywords
If you bid on keywords at Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing to advertise your existing website, you should own domain names that include those same keywords that are important to your business.
Limited supply
Since there really aren't any good domains left to be registered, they now have to be bought in the secondary market. If you have a good portfolio of domains, you are happy about this because prices are rising. If you don't have a good domain portfolio, you had better focus on where you want to be in three years and buy up the domains you think you will be using.
Location, Location, Location
Buying a good domain is like opening a store in a great location. It may cost more money but you don't see McDonald's opening up a store behind some old warehouse (unless of course a highway exit ramp is planned for that location :-). What that means is that if you can see the "exit ramp" in the planning stages, buy domain names in that keyword, category or industry.
Marketing
Your Domain Name. extension is much easier to say, spell and read than geocites.com/whatever/whatever. Looks much better in print too.
Mobility
Consumers are more mobile than ever and now have easy access to the Internet via their cellphones so there are more opportunities for people to use the Internet and visit your domain name or web site. Also, the new .mobi extension will take this mobile Internet to the next level thus creating even more demand for domain names.
Online Advertising Spending
Today’s domain boom is being fueled primarily by the advertising dollars spent on traffic provided by domain owners. A July report from JupiterResearch predicted that online ad spending will soar to $25.9 billion by 2011. Approximately $12 billion was spent online last year according to figures from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The report predicts continued gains for search marketing which surpassed display advertising last year with 41% of overall spending (display ads took 34% of the pie). JupiterResearch predicts online ad spending will jump 21% this year. Others expect an even higher growth rate for 2006. Universal McCann forecasts a 25% rise while research firm eMarketer says the number will be over 33%.
Portfolio
Owing a diverse portfolio of domain names will increase your "irons in the fire". Keywords, categories and industries run hot and cold. Also, you may want to own a domain name that you will someday develop. If you have a nice portfolio of domain names, you will be able to pick the domain that's right for your next online venture... and your next... and your next.
Print Advertisements
If you do any advertising in magazines or newspapers, you want a domain name that will catch the readers' eye. Also, think about what you pay for one month's print ad. Spend that amount to buy a good domain. So, if you spend $500 a month in advertising, get yourself a $500 domain name. If your advertising budget for one month is $10,000, there really is no reason that you shouldn't own and be using a great domain name. MANY great domain names can be purchased for under $10,000.
Professionalism
Don't dread giving out your web address or your AOL email address. Give them YourDomainName.com and me@YourDomainName.com.
Search Engine Results
Many webmasters argue that having a keyword rich domain will help your site show up better in search engine results.
Supply and Demand
There is obviously a limited supply of quality or unique brand domain names. As Internet use continues to explode around the world and among future generations, good domains will only increase in value.
Think ahead
Wayne Gretsky said he skated to where the puck was going to be, not to where the puck was at the time. Buy domain names that will be popular one to three years out and be patient. Wait for the industry and the market to develop then your investment should appreciate in value substantially.
Viral Marketing
Buy a memorable (brand or keyword) domain name and use it so others can easily pass it along to others so you can enjoy the power of viral marketing.
Visitor Experience
As potential visitors use search engines to find web sites, they are more likely to click on a site with a relevant domain name than some keyword-keyword-keyword.biz spammy looking domain name.