When I registered 2CreateAWebSite.com back in January, 2002, it was all about using your “important” keywords in your domain for SEO. No question.

Since createawebsite.com was already taken, I simply put the “2″ in front.  At the time, it was a no-brainer — anything to get those all-important keywords in my domain.

For the first couple of years, no doubt it was helpful for SEO, but as the Net matured, it became less about the keywords in your domain and more about content and link popularity.

I’m not saying to forgo using your important keywords in your domain. They are still somewhat important. I’m just saying it is not as important to squeeze every major keyword in your domain for maximum SE traffic.

Here’s an example.  Search for create a website on Google. The number one ranked site is weebly.com.  There’s not a website-related keyword to be found in that domain name.

However, they are ranked #1 because they are popular and people use keywords related to creating a website to describe the site. So it earns a top ranking for that phrase even though they don’t use “create a website” in the domain.

Don’t Feel Too Sorry.

I’m not complaining.  I’ve had a tremendous amount of success with my site, regardless of the name.  But if I could do it all over again…

1) I would not use a number. It confuses people. When verbally telling people my domain name, they assume it’s “tocreateawebsite” and I always have to clarify it’s the number 2.

(Yes, tocreateawebsite is already taken — otherwise I’d buy and redirect.)

In addition, I’ve caught people misspelling my domain name in their write-ups.  Some forget to add the 2 altogether.  That is one reason I wanted my new logo to emphasize the “2″.

2) I would choose a shorter name. Shorter names are easier to read and remember.  Plus, you don’t run into spacing issues when using it on various websites, business cards, logos, etc.

The funny thing is, people register similar variations of my name (with the “2″, same keywords, etc.) because they assume that is the key to my traffic.  Once upon a time it was, but these days it’s more about content and quality inbound links.

Yes, having your important keywords may help with SEO, but only to a point.  I don’t think it’s worth making your domain name awkwardly long just to get all your important keywords in it.

If you become popular in your niche, you can still earn top rankings for important keywords.  Search engines see the big picture, which means they factor in your content and inbound links too.  Gone are the days where the domain matters most.

How about you?  Do you regret anything about your domain name? Would you do anything differently today?

Someone who belongs to the same domain name reseller program as me earned that amount in January.

Every month the program publishes the top performers. While I was pleased to have earned a spot in the top 10 with my own personal record, I was floored when I saw the top earner pulled in nearly $60,000.

Usually the #1 reseller earns around $40,000.

Shows you how lucrative the domain name business is these days. And it makes sense. With the U.S. headed for a recession, more and more people are looking for ways to make money at home.

Why So Hot?

Thousands of people start websites each month, and that number grows drastically every year. So it’s a great business to be in these days.

Websites are cheap to start and Web hosts are making them easier to build.

So even if your site is not about website building, surely you know people offline who want a website. Why not join a reseller program and benefit from their new venture?

You’ll earn lifetime commissions on their domain name, hosting and any other web related products they purchase from your own branded reseller site.

So the residuals can really pay off over time. I am still earning commissions from people who bought their sites when I started reselling domains in 2002.

Remember, domains and hosting have recurring fees for customers. So as a reseller, you earn a commission for all domain and hosting renewals… for each customer. Your income will snowball overtime if you keep signing up new customers.

So if you know people who want to start an online business or even build a personal website, you could join a reseller program, send them to your turnkey website and earn a commission on every order placed.

Control Your Destiny

You will have the opportunity to customize many functions on your reseller site, including your prices. So you determine how much you’ll profit from each sale. You can even setup discount pricing for friends if you wish.

Customer support and online ordering are both handled by the registrar, so you don’t have to worry about answering emails, phone calls, tech support etc. All you do is send people to your branded reseller site and wait for the commission.

So if you’re looking to make some extra cash on the side, why not give it a go? The domain biz is scorching hot, especially now!