web address help

[laura123]

ok, so I am a photographer and I have a flash site. The problem is my web address is not an easy one for people to remember. I was wanting to purchase 2 or 3 other domain names and use those in addition to the site I have. I would like to keep the address I have because people know me by that address, I would like to have an address that actually says what I do in the name. I have no idea if this is considered cloking or doorways (i really do not understand this stuff).

the web address is Candid style family portraits, family wedding photographer, photojournalistic photographer wedding photography

any help would be really appreciated.

[DaveSawers]

Keep your existing domain name, add a couple of other domains and redirect them to your original. Thay way, your original site name is used when users add it to their favourites.

Your domain name registrar can help you setup redirection.

The downside effect on search engine rankings should be small to non existent.

[laura123]

thank you for your help... do you think I may be better off just changing the name all together?
an address with the word photography in it?

[Dubbya]

Because your current domain is well aged, changing your domain name can prove to be counterproductive. This is definitely not something that's recommended for established, highly ranking sites which receive a lot of traffic and that have acquired large numbers of inbound links (IBLs).

<<Insert "HOWEVER" here >>

• You have less than 10 IBL's.
• Your home page is the only page being indexed by Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
• Site traffic is undoubtedly low, so confusion and inconvenience between your current users will be minimal.
• Changing the domain name will allow you to utilize keywords that will help your site be found in search engines.

DaveSawyers' recommendation to add a few more domain names is a good one. Changing your domain name will likely cause Google to "sandbox" your site for a few weeks, but in the long run, I think it would still be a good idea. With only one page indexed, you really have nothing to lose.

I think what you really want to know is how to build traffic to your site and that's a much bigger issue than simply changing your domain name.

Big picture? You need to improve your rankings across a number of targeted keyphrases, you need to ensure that the entire site gets indexed and you need more exposure in your local market.

Here are the issues you need to address:

1. You're missing a Robots.txt file.
2. You're missing a sitemap (XML sitemap).
3. Your content is all locked inside a flash file making it difficult, if not impossible for search engines to index. (that may change soon)
4. Your page title is too long and needs some revision.
5. Your meta keywords and description tags are too long and unfocused for them to be effective.
6. Your navigation is all locked inside your flash file making it more difficult to spider. (That may change soon as well)

Having poked around your site, it's pretty much a stereotypical photograper's site. It's pleasing to the eye, well laid out and has some fantastic textual content and a navigation system that's impossible (at present) for search engines (SEs) to read effectively.

Here's what I'd recommend:

• Change your domain name and implement a 301 redirect from your present domain to the new one.
• Implement a sitemap.xml file for Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
• Optimize your page title and meta tags.
• Start a link building campaign to make sure the site (and the new domain) is well publicized.
• Get your textual content out of the flash file and make it accessible to SEs and users alike. (or wait for who knows how long until the SEs change how they index Flash files and can get at all the data)
• Use <h1> page headings consisting of page specific keywords
• Use descriptive text links wherever possible.
• Get listed in local directories

If you're not capable of making these revisions yourself, you might want to employ the services of a Web Developer with some experience in SEO to help you.

This might be a better title for your home page:

<TITLE>Candid Family Portraits & Wedding Photograpy</TITLE>

Trim your meta keywords down to between 4 and 8 targeted phrases and trim your meta descriptions down to about 160 characters. Do the same thing on every page. Make them as specific and relevant to the textual content on each particular page as you can.

You can retain the same layout but you need to make your content accessible to everyone and anyone, with or without the Flash plugin. Images look nice but SEs love text. Give them what they want.

IBLs will have a significant and sustainable positive impact on site traffic. Work to get some links that are related and relevant from as many established and reputable photo related sites as possible. Don't be afraid to link out to relevant articles either. SEs love sites that help them find related content!

Be careful with the CSS divs containing hidden text. If humans can't see it but the spiders can, they may be penalizing you for it. Besides, if you decide to convert your content from Flash to HTML, you'll no longer need hidden text.

Without a sitemap file, the SE's have no way of following your navigation menu, thus no way to discover your linked pages. All that work is for nothing unless you can get those pages discovered.

Here's a tool that'll help:
Google Sitemap Generator for Windows :: GSiteCrawler

Build more exposure in your local market by signing up for business listings in Google Local, Yahoo! Local and Live Local Search directories. (They're pretty much free and it's easily done if your site is based in the US).

Here's a thread that will no doubt prove useful:
Local Listings