Would This Work Locally?

Originally Posted by Jason Hatchett

I’ve been trying to get a lot more local traffic to my auto listing website Spokanecars.org for a few years now so I can sell listings to auto dealers on it. I get about 500 to 600 visitors a month but I want to increase it by about 10 times.

An idea came to me in a dream, (just kidding). It came to me when I was searching Google Keyword Tool to see other local auto dealers searches. I entered a big local auto dealer like Wendle Ford and I saw that they got about 880 local searches a month. Then I went to Go Daddy to see if wendleford.com was taken. I knew it would be and it was, that’s their site. But wendleford.net was not taken. Plus the competition for Wendle ford was very low so it would be simple to get page one ranking on Google. I though I could write some content about Wendle Ford and let people know they could browse some of their inventory at Spokanecars.org.

My question is, is this something others have done or am I out of line using their name in a review site and taking some of their traffic? It could be done with most larger dealers in Spokane that get some good traffic.

Your thoughts please,
Jason Hatchett

Hi Jason,

Thanks for asking about using someone else's business name a URL.

First you have to ask is it legal? Yes and maybe no. If the name is available you can register that name and you own it for a year. But if the other business has a Trademark Registered Name then it is illegal. BUT and this is a big BUT, if you are so inclined. If you are using it for a review site for the benefit of the owner then you may not be called on it.

An example: I use trademarked names all the time in my mini money sites and sell their products which I am an affiliate for and have never had a problem. I try to get the exact domain name of the product like (Appleipod12653) that includes the model name or number and use the extension .com .net and .org.

Also if the business is lack on enforcing the trademark you will get away with using it. The most that would happen even if they do enforce the trademark name is you will get a letter from their lawyer and have to turn the URL over to that company.

Second is it unethical?

That is something that each person has to answer for themselves. I have the rule that I use when deciding which is: Is the business that I am going to use their name get any benefit from me using their name?

In your case, I would not use that name, because it looks like the purpose is to steal their traffic. But a lot of other people would just say that is business. In business they take advantage of any and all methods that are legal. Even some that are illegal.

There are ways around this even if you have my rule for use. You could go with a name like "Wendle motors" which has, by the way, 110 searchers a month or "wendle motors spokane" with 36 searchers a month. With a little out of the box thinking I'm sure you can come up with many more keyword phrases.

If you do not want to spend the $10 or so to buy each domain name you can use a main one for the site and then use articles with titles that match your other keyword phrases. If you can get the main site listed high on page one of Google then you will get the juice of that site to rank the article title phrases high also.

Best of success,

Skip Rosell