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using wordpress/blogger subdomains for niche sites?

by Hunk
8 replies
I recently came across a really good set of keyword phrases that I think I can rank in Google for/make some money from.

What are the downsides to creating nichekeywords.wordpress.com instead of niche-key-words2.com? the EMD is not available for any of the best phrases (they just serve generic ads) but the wordpress/blogspot subdomains are.

Is there any difference, in regards to SEO, between TLDs and blog subdomains? Obviously you have to use different monetizing strategies than Adsense on the subdomains, but Adsense isn't that great for me anyway and I think I can use affiliate links pretty well here.

Any thoughts? I'm sure this has been asked before, but it's hard to search for so thanks for any advice.
#niche #sites #subdomains #wordpress or blogger
  • Profile picture of the author Ronno99
    The biggest downside is that you are investing resources into a domain that you do not own.
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    www.qirina.com - FREE Keyword Intelligence to fix your on-site SEO and learn about your neighbors
    Now available in English and French
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  • Profile picture of the author Hunk
    I guess that could be a concern. Would you prefer to buy an EMD with an '.in' TLD or something, rather than using a subdomain? I don't want to use hyphens or anything unnatural in the domain so I only have obscure TLDs to work with... Thanks for replying.
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    • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
      I'd only use a .in domain if my target audience was in India.
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      :)

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      • Profile picture of the author Hunk
        Why do you say that? Would you go for a Wordpress subdomain over an EMD with an obscure TLD if you had a US-based target audience? Do you not like .in because it looks shady to Google searchers, or are you just worried about such a TLD ranking?
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        • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
          Originally Posted by Hunk View Post

          Would you go for a Wordpress subdomain over an EMD with an obscure TLD if you had a US-based target audience?


          If I was going for a US based audience I'd do neither. I'd use a .com, .net, .info or any other non country specific tld.


          Originally Posted by Hunk View Post

          Do you not like .in because it looks shady to Google searchers, or are you just worried about such a TLD ranking?
          I like the .in TLD. I think it would be cool to own wank.in.

          However, Google uses ccTLD's to geotarget web sites to specific regions. So, if I was aiming for a US based audience, I wouldn't use a .in (or a .de, .co.uk,.ba, etc) tld.

          http://support.google.com/webmasters...n&answer=62399

          http://support.google.com/webmasters...answer=1347922
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          :)

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      • Profile picture of the author Rally Writer
        Earlier, when I just started to get the hang of buying godaddy domain names and setting up wordpress, I had a few .info in my domain list but the search results are far more better with .com/.net domains.

        So, I have to get the keyword with .com for better SEO results.
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  • Profile picture of the author WittyBlogger
    No, no!

    Go for a self-hosted wordpress and invest in a domain. Think about the long-term business plan. If you want to "Exit", you can do so anytime! Just sell the niche blog!

    Wittyblogger.
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    7-figure entrepreneurs aren't made overnight. You can make money online with a full time income through blogging and making words crackle with energy. ;)
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  • Profile picture of the author Hunk
    Thanks for the replies. I guess what i'm worried about is having to buy a spammy looking domain name to get a .com/org/net with my keywords. You're probably right I shouldn't risk using a subdomain of somebody else though. What I might do is buy the TLD that has the first three words of my base phrase (like buying the domain 'howtobecome' when you're trying to rank for 'how to become a jockey') and see how that goes. Mostly I just want all my keywords in the URL without it looking like a spam site with too many hyphens, etc.
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