Direct Navigation: What It Means to Your Brand

Studies have shown that 100 percent of Internet users have searched the Internet via direct navigation at one time or another. Direct navigation is the practice of typing domain names into browser address bars to access specific content.

Direct navigation is critical to your domain naming strategy. Most importantly, it results in higher-level impressions as opposed to those generated by a search engine because the user is looking for specific information in a focused way.

Their Mistake… Your Loss

Direct navigation is crucial for another, less-understood reason. Say your corporate domain is XYZ.com. A consumer has heard about your company’s “widgets” (and/or Web site) through an ad or via word-of-mouth, and wants to visit your site. She assumes your domain is XYZWidgets.com, so she directly types that URL into her Web browser. Unfortunately, you don’t own that name, so she is directed to a site completely unrelated to your company—one that has been set up solely to capitalize on typos or user guesses like this. She may click through and discover bogus offers or worse yet, unwittingly have spyware deposited on her computer. So now you’ve not only missed out on potential revenue, but the consumer is left with a negative image of your company through no fault of your own.

Because direct navigation is so common, it is critical that you consider the full scope of domain names when planning any marketing and/or advertising initiative. That means proactively registering, owning and using the domain names that users will commonly type in. It’s all about meeting customers where they expect to find you.

Let FairWinds Partners help you develop a domain strategy that factors in the complexities of direct navigation. Contact us here.