Aged Domain vs Keyword Rich Domain

10 replies
Hi Guys

I was hoping to get some opinions on ranking a new site quickly, and and whether using a keyword rich domain or a somewhat generic aged domain would be better for this purpose. My site is focused on an upcoming event.

As an example, let's say the site focuses on betting on the Belmont Stakes (horse racing event). Now, would it be better to buy a new domain eg. belmontstakesbetting.com or get a somewhat generic aged domain (5yr +) eg. www.horseycentral.com?

Any thoughts, or am i overthinking this, and this is a minor issues?
#aged #domain #keyword #rich
  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    Obviously the best case is aged and keyword rich - but in absensce of that, check out your competition. Do an exact match and phrase match search on your keyword and do some research on the top 10 results. Do they have the keyword in their domain name? What is the age of the domain when you do a WhoIs search? How many backlinks are showing up on Google? What do their content pages look like from keyword inclusion point of view? How many pages does their site have?

    You need to know who you are up against on a given keyword before you can determine the best way to rise above.

    Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    First of all, yes you're overthinking this. In some cases an aged domain will serve your purpose better, in other cases a keyword rich domain will. If the keyword rich domain name gets a lot of exact searches, it will likely be the best choice. Both types of domains are a part of search engine algorithms.

    The reason I think you're overthinking this is simply because if you have the opportunity acquire both, choosing one or the other would be gyping yourself. Why not use both? Redirect one to the other.
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  • Profile picture of the author karlhadwen
    Buying a previously used domain would work a lot better, also try get some back links from sites that Google Loves. I purchased a domain a few months back and I personally thought it was fresh and never been used, turns out it was popular a few years ago and it was ranking great and I ended up selling it.

    Also if your new domain is keyword rich then go with that, let's say your running a even called "Karl Hadwen's Event" and you purchase "karlhadwensevent.com" - surely that will beat an old domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author Davegfx
    Thanks guys I appreciate the answers. In the end think we're going with the keyword domain as the niche is so narrow.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hamish Jones
      Originally Posted by Davegfx View Post

      Thanks guys I appreciate the answers. In the end think we're going with the keyword domain as the niche is so narrow.
      Why stop at one domain? Also, set up a couple of free blogs- just make sure your content is useful!

      In my opinion and experience, it is the keyword phrases that are important closely followed by legitimate backlinls that make for quick Google rankings.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbj
    In most cases, an aged domain is best. I've heard incredible stories of people getting crazy traffic using a not so good domain name from the good old nineties.
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  • Profile picture of the author krnekdo
    I would go with the keyword rich domain name any day.. Direct keyword domain names tend to rank higher in the search engines without a lot of backlinks.

    Your "generic" domain example would be good for branding but take that one if you have money to burn on advertising and search engine rankings..
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    • Profile picture of the author timer
      I tend to go for keyword rich, although I have 1 or 2 older names still doing the business, even though I haven't touched them for a couple of years.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marekso
    I think the keyword rich ones would be the better of the choices, although both are good.. haha but yeah, in the end it would all go down to which niche and exactly for what the website will be for and about...


    But as im guesstimating you'd be better off with a keyword rich one!
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