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What's in a name?

by Elijah Laughinghaus
7 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I'm debating if I should use my name as my brand, or create one. I'm an artist of sorts, so one thing that is absolutely imperative is that if someone does search for my name I want to be at the top of the results.

Right now, if you search my name in google my facebook is result #1, and I didn't have to do any SEO to get that obviously.

So does it matter, if my website name is my name, does that make it easier for it to appear in results for searches of my actual name?

If I choose a brand name instead, how can I make sure that a search for my real name will point to my brand name website?
  • Profile picture of the author YourGoToWriter
    Using your real name is okay since you have already said that it came up with good results. I advice you to just stick to what you have started. Besides, you're an artist and people would more likely to remember you when you use your name.
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  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    What's in a name? A D, an A, a B and a K.

    Think and.


    What's stopping you from buying a domain name that's your brand name and using your name on the website you put on there, thereby connecting the brand name and your name?

    If your website is url and name are your name and you're already at the top for your name, the website will be at the top too quite easily.



    Originally Posted by Elijah Laughinghaus View Post

    I'm debating if I should use my name as my brand, or create one. I'm an artist of sorts, so one thing that is absolutely imperative is that if someone does search for my name I want to be at the top of the results.

    Right now, if you search my name in google my facebook is result #1, and I didn't have to do any SEO to get that obviously.

    So does it matter, if my website name is my name, does that make it easier for it to appear in results for searches of my actual name?

    If I choose a brand name instead, how can I make sure that a search for my real name will point to my brand name website?
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    How many people on earth have a name like Elijah Laughinghaus? Do you really think there's competition?
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      You're talking logic, money; he's talking ego.

      Why spoil a nice ego trip?

      Makes me giddy every time I google DABK and see that I'm all over page 1.

      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      How many people on earth have a name like Elijah Laughinghaus? Do you really think there's competition?
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        You're talking logic, money; he's talking ego.

        Why spoil a nice ego trip?

        Makes me giddy every time I google DABK and see that I'm all over page 1.

        Search his name on Google and his Warrior Forum profile page is ranked about #5.

        Real competitive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Elijah Laughinghaus
    It's a question of marketability, actually. As someone selling small, intimate, personal tours, and fine art, people are FAR more likely to see one of my photographs, see my name on it, then type my name into a search when they are interested, than they would be likely to be searching for me in generalized terms.

    HOWEVER, I want to scale eventually, and hire multiple photographers running multiple tours. Almost all photographers out there that are successful in this line of work brand their own names, and lead their own tours. They do it forever, and they never grow beyond that.

    I don't want to do that forever. I want to grow beyond that. My concern is, if I brand my name, it will box me in down the line. But if I DON'T brand my name, I am concerned I will stunt my initial growth.

    Basically I am trying to nail down an answer to this dilemma, and it seemed to me, the question of how easy or difficult it will be to link my name to a website that is not named after me (instead some created brand) would be part of answering that dilemma.
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    • Profile picture of the author yukon
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Elijah Laughinghaus View Post

      It's a question of marketability, actually. As someone selling small, intimate, personal tours, and fine art, people are FAR more likely to see one of my photographs, see my name on it, then type my name into a search when they are interested, than they would be likely to be searching for me in generalized terms.

      HOWEVER, I want to scale eventually, and hire multiple photographers running multiple tours. Almost all photographers out there that are successful in this line of work brand their own names, and lead their own tours. They do it forever, and they never grow beyond that.

      I don't want to do that forever. I want to grow beyond that. My concern is, if I brand my name, it will box me in down the line. But if I DON'T brand my name, I am concerned I will stunt my initial growth.

      Basically I am trying to nail down an answer to this dilemma, and it seemed to me, the question of how easy or difficult it will be to link my name to a website that is not named after me (instead some created brand) would be part of answering that dilemma.



      Ranking for your name on Google SERPs is obviously easy since there's no competition.

      Ranking for regular keywords all depends on the SERP competition. Each individual keyword has it's own unique SERP competition so each keyword will require different amounts/types of SEO to be done in order to rank pages.

      Understand that web pages rank so your domain name is irrelevant for ranking pages. You could rank for your name + regular keywords on multiple pages spread out over one site.

      Example, each one of the content providers could have their own category of internal pages to help rank for their own name If needed. Again, names are easy to rank as long as it's not the name of a popular person (ex: Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, Michael Jordan, etc...) so you most likely could get away with only on-page SEO and no inbound followed backlinks for your own name keywords.

      Regular keywords with SERP competition require followed backlinks from authority pages on other domains. Internal links can also be used but external backlinks from other domains has to be done first, authority for SEO has to originate from another authority page.

      My advice is brand the domain name as a business since your long term goal includes content from other people.
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