Let’s face it, the current U.S. political climate is tumultuous to say the least. The bright side, though, is that while many people are focusing on what makes us all different, many others are coming together across the country to unite behind a cause. Grassroots movements and political action groups are organizing like never before.
Americans have truly found their public voices again, and they’re eager to make a difference. Speaking up at rallies and town halls is just one way people are getting heard. In today’s connected world, people are also finding grassroots websites and online political action campaign communities great places for gathering, organizing, donating, and even debating.
A strong digital presence is important
Needless to say, a vital part of every grassroots movement is a strong digital presence. And a good domain name is at the heart of that goal. It’s the ultimate expression of online branding and can make a substantial difference in the amount of traffic you drive to your site. More importantly, though, it can help people really connect with your cause.
Finding the perfect domain to represent your campaign can be harder than you think. Lately, it’s getting more challenging because competition for domain names is becoming more intense. As of 2014 there were approximately 1 billion websites on the Internet. Such an enormous volume has caused many new groups to consider using alternative domain names outside of “.com” or “.org.”
.US domain is about unification on many levels
Of the thousands of new domains available today many campaigns are following the lead of former President Obama. When his Organizing for Action (OFA) grassroots movement registered for a domain, it selected “.us” for its TLD. OFA’s website, www.ofa.us, was an inspired choice because “.us” points to an intention to unite everyone fighting for change.
But that’s just one reason that .us is growing rapidly in popularity.
.US expands your options
Another great reason for choosing .us is that it gives you a much better chance of landing your first domain name choice. With a .com, more often than not you have to compromise. Remember, you want to choose a succinct name that is adaptable for print, radio, television, and online marketing. After all, a domain name is the first thing visitors see and need to remember to navigate to your website. It’s important to make a good first impression.
Tips for choosing a great domain name
Once you’ve selected a TLD for your website, here are some other best practices:
- Make it easy to remember. Get creative. Your visitors will want to type your domain into their browsers for repeat visits. If they don’t remember it, you’ll probably lose some traffic. They’ll also be less likely to share it via word-of-mouth or online.
- Avoid dashes between words. If your first choices aren’t available, consider looking for a different name. Studies have shown that more than 30% of people will forget that dash and probably end up on that other website.
- Creative and brandable are always better than generic. It should stand out from the competition. The best way to do that is by avoiding using generic words or strings of general terms. A thesaurus is a great resource for expanding your word choice.
- Repeated numbers and letters don’t work well. They’re likely to be forgotten. For example, a campaign titled “Nonprofit Today ” shouldn’t choose the domain name “nonprofittoday.us.” A better domain might be “todaysnonprofit.us”.
- Keep it concise. Even if you opt for a longer or intricate organizational name, you’ll do well to simplify your domain name. For example, a domain name for a campaign called “America’s Children Need a Future” might be shortened to “americaschildren.us”.
Make history
Fundamentally, .us is about people across the country uniting behind a cause. What better place to send them than a .us domain? Be a part of U.S. history. Get your political campaign idea on a .us. It’s not only great because of the availability of the .us domains, it’s also memorable and incredibly user-friendly.