If you want to find a domain name these days, you have to come up with something as unique as a celebrity baby name. Many of us have been able to reserve our personal name domains, and some wonder how far they can push a site that uses their own personal name.
The downside to using a personal domain name is: if you want to sell the domain in the future, you are selling your name along with it. It’s always possible to 301 redirect certain pages, or even the entire site to a non-personal domain name although the process is not always seamless.
The Skies The Limit
If you are building a media empire your personal domain name could be used to publish content related to you directly, while the rest of your content could be published on another generic property. Usually when you want something “bigger than you” you will want to be on a generic domain.
With that said, sometimes Firstname-Lastname personal domain names experience great success. There are many people who generate substantial revenue from their personal domain name. The search engines care more about the content and the backlinks than they do about the domain you choose.
Top 5 Personal Domain Name Sites:
1.) Neil Patel
Everyone seems to like Neil Patel. His materials are easy to read and provide just enough value to stand on its own, but also enough value to want to explore more of what he has to offer. He is a successful entrepreneur and his site is by no means a one-man operation. His site is focused on digital marketing and provides valuable tips for growing your sites.
2.) Aleyda Solis
Entrepreneur and International SEO consultant. Her site is full of free advice. It’s a perfect balance of business card and value-added content.
3) Seth Godin
Seth has a pretty slick interface on his website linking to content that highlights some of the topics he is an expert in. He does a good job of mixing his business with a blog that stands on its own.
4.) Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is a successful author and marketing genius. He is a successful speaker and “secular evangelist”. He has worked with some of the biggest companies in the world. Despite his success, he still uses his personal domain name and still updates his blog frequently. He has one of the top blogs in the world and is a great example of how to develop a business using a personal domain name.
5.) Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuck has a blog chock-full of digital marketing discussion and advice. He is able to intertwine his other interests like speaking and podcasting without affecting the core of the site — his blog. Gary’s site provides a good example of how to monetize a site using a personal domain name.
There are many successful companies and many successful websites that use either all or a portion of someone’s name. There is no doubt selling a brand is easier than selling a domain that uses someone’s name. With that said, a site that gets lots of visitors isn’t something you want to sell, especially if it leads to business opportunities. If you write with purpose, and can somehow monetize your site, using a personal domain name could be the best idea for your project.