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Is it harder to rank a domain with no keyword in it?

by Shoaib
14 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hey Warriors,

The question is in my post title.

I've recently started a website, in a semi-competitive niche (not as competitive as IM or weight loss etc). However, this time I went with a short, 5 letter unique name. It does not mean anything, it's just an easy to remember, brandable name.

I'm working with someone on this project and the name they've come up with is something they hope to brand and sort of present as a character on the website that gives out pertinent information related to the niche.

All the on-page and off-page SEO efforts will be done.

The site has been indexed for about 2 weeks, and I've got close to a 150 initial backlinks mostly via blog commenting and directory submissions. Majority do have keywords in anchor, though some do not, since some places require you to have the website name as anchor.

Still, I am not seeing but 3 visitors a day on this site via Google. The site is nowhere to be found within even the first 10 or 20 pages for the keywords in question. I'm hoping that will change as we get more backlinks and stuff.

So, would you say it is MUCH harder getting such a domain to rank in top 3 for main keywords?
#domain #harder #keyword #rank
  • Profile picture of the author TylerF
    If you have keywords in your domain name, it will definitely be easier.
    If you don't, it won't be much harder. It just depends on your backlinks and your content.

    Since you've already done the required on-page and off-page SEO, now you just have to focus on building high quality backlinks (related sites).

    SEO is a patience game. If you want to see your results faster, I'd say start with a super long tail keyword first.

    Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author khtm
    Yes, from my experience it is MUCH harder (but "much" is just relative to how much time you plan on spending on your SEO campaign). That's why you see ****ty 1-page sites on the first page of Google with 0 or very few backlinks...only because the domain name matches your search string.

    So you've already started out at a disadvantage.

    Just means you need to work harder.

    Concentrate on (I'm writing this more for the newbies, as it sounds like you're already all over this stuff):
    • Using permalinks (or even subdomains) for your pages that contain your keywords
    • Using H1 page headings containing your keywords
    • Writing content that contains your keywords
    • Backlinking using anchor text that contains the keywords of the pages you're backlinking to
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  • Profile picture of the author TheRichJerksNet
    nope it is not harder at all .. Just may require additional backlinks assuming the one that does own the keyword domain even builds backlinks.

    Some think just because they have the keyword in the domain they do not need to build any backlinks and as such with these people it is easy to kick them off the front page all together.

    James
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  • Profile picture of the author Troy Trump
    It my experience, it certainly does help to have the keyword in your domain name because it automatically becomes anchor text in the links to your site.... BUT its also good to have a memorable short name people can remember. You can always register some keyword rich domains to use as feeder sites for you main short word domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author emigre
    Not in my limited experience. My best earners have no keywords in them and I did not do any heavy duty linking either.
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    • Profile picture of the author Blase
      Just a thought.

      Why don't you take a few of your top
      keywords including the ones you are thinking
      of using for your domain name and put them
      into Google search.

      Then look at the top ten results for each one.

      Take note of the domain names.
      How many of them have keywords in the domain name?
      How many don't?

      I don't know what the results will be, but I'll
      bet it won't be what you think.
      Signature
      "Nothing Happens Until Something Is Sold"
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      • Profile picture of the author paulgl
        Originally Posted by Blase View Post

        Just a thought.

        Why don't you take a few of your top
        keywords including the ones you are thinking
        of using for your domain name and put them
        into Google search.

        Then look at the top ten results for each one.

        Take note of the domain names.
        How many of them have keywords in the domain name?
        How many don't?

        I don't know what the results will be, but I'll
        bet it won't be what you think.
        See, if people actually did that, this question would be answered.
        But instead, you get a lot of "I feel..." answers.
        Feelings are not SEO. Results are.

        My favorite is of course the 2 biggest baddest netmarketing forums.
        digitalpoint and warrior. Notice the keyword netmarketing in these domains?

        Paul
        Signature

        If you were disappointed in your results today, lower your standards tomorrow.

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  • Profile picture of the author TheProdigy
    Almost none of my domains have keywords in them, and they all rank quite well.

    Just takes proper SEO.
    Signature

    Let the Head of SEO for a Billion Dollar Company Handle Your SEO
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    • Profile picture of the author Shoaib
      Thanks for all the replies guys. They mostly confirm what I was thinking, I guess I just had to ask!

      Originally Posted by TylerF View Post

      If you have keywords in your domain name, it will definitely be easier.
      If you don't, it won't be much harder. It just depends on your backlinks and your content.

      Since you've already done the required on-page and off-page SEO, now you just have to focus on building high quality backlinks (related sites).

      SEO is a patience game. If you want to see your results faster, I'd say start with a super long tail keyword first.

      Good luck.
      Yes, that's what I figured. I knew it would be tough-er to get a name with no keyword in it ranked.

      Originally Posted by khtm View Post

      Yes, from my experience it is MUCH harder (but "much" is just relative to how much time you plan on spending on your SEO campaign). That's why you see ****ty 1-page sites on the first page of Google with 0 or very few backlinks...only because the domain name matches your search string.

      So you've already started out at a disadvantage.

      Just means you need to work harder.





      Concentrate on (I'm writing this more for the newbies, as it sounds like you're already all over this stuff):
      • Using permalinks (or even subdomains) for your pages that contain your keywords
      • Using H1 page headings containing your keywords
      • Writing content that contains your keywords
      • Backlinking using anchor text that contains the keywords of the pages you're backlinking to
      I agree with seeing sh***y pages on top of Google just because they have keywords in them with not much to offer, but I guess that's the game we play. All the stuff you mention was/is being done to the max, the main challenge will be generating enough backlinks with the right anchor text.

      Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet View Post

      nope it is not harder at all .. Just may require additional backlinks assuming the one that does own the keyword domain even builds backlinks.

      Some think just because they have the keyword in the domain they do not need to build any backlinks and as such with these people it is easy to kick them off the front page all together.

      James

      Hey James. Yeah actually all the top domains in the SERP are very keyword-ish, but other than that I didn't find them to be doing much SEO/linkbuilding, so that's one of the reasons I went for it. I think if we're able to build enough relevant links we should get up there.

      Originally Posted by Troy Trump View Post

      It my experience, it certainly does help to have the keyword in your domain name because it automatically becomes anchor text in the links to your site.... BUT its also good to have a memorable short name people can remember. You can always register some keyword rich domains to use as feeder sites for you main short word domain.
      It certainly seems to help to have the keyword in your domain exactly because of what you said, but this was an attractive/interesting challenge and I couldn't pass it up! I've been playing with IM since over a decade ago but now that I think about it, whatever websites I ever developed and got ranked, always had some kind of related keyword in the domain, even if it wasn't intentional. So for me this will be interesting getting this site up in the ranks with an obscure weird name that doesn't have anything to do with the main industry whatsoever. I have decided to really mess with advanced linkwheels for the first time as well, to hopefully get this site some juice and into the "right" neighborhood, so we'll see how that goes.

      Originally Posted by emigre View Post

      Not in my limited experience. My best earners have no keywords in them and I did not do any heavy duty linking either.
      Thanks, that's reassuring.

      Originally Posted by Blase View Post

      Just a thought.

      Why don't you take a few of your top
      keywords including the ones you are thinking
      of using for your domain name and put them
      into Google search.

      Then look at the top ten results for each one.

      Take note of the domain names.
      How many of them have keywords in the domain name?
      How many don't?

      I don't know what the results will be, but I'll
      bet it won't be what you think.
      Hey Blase. Yes, that was all actually done when I did the initial research for the project. I would say 99% of the pages/domains being ranked for the main keywords do have keywords in the domain name, but still the competition is not as fierce as some of the more obvious niches like IM/health etc.

      What you said is good advice for anyone doing research on a niche though!

      Originally Posted by TheProdigy View Post

      Almost none of my domains have keywords in them, and they all rank quite well.

      Just takes proper SEO.
      Got it. I guess only time will tell.
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      • Profile picture of the author ARVolund
        Do you have your keywords in the url at all? If not doing so will help and as far as google is concerned the is very little difference where in th url you keyword is located.

        www.youdomain.com/keyword.html

        Your Keyword - Home

        according to the google webmaster video I watched there is very little difference between the two. Having the keyword in the url does help but its location in the url is very far down the list of things that google considers.
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        • Profile picture of the author Shoaib
          Originally Posted by ARVolund View Post

          Do you have your keywords in the url at all? If not doing so will help and as far as google is concerned the is very little difference where in th url you keyword is located.

          www.youdomain.com/keyword.html

          Your Keyword - Home

          according to the google webmaster video I watched there is very little difference between the two. Having the keyword in the url does help but its location in the url is very far down the list of things that google considers.
          Good tip. Yes, I do have keywords in the URL, just not the TLD. All page titles and post slugs are keyword targetted.
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  • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
    From my experience with keyword rich domains and domains that do not have the keyword/s it is much more difficult to rank without the keywords. Also I found that contextually google had trouble putting on the right ads, I had to explain the sites more etc.
    Unless you plan to strongly brand ie Amazon, Yahoo etc I would stick with keyword rich names.

    Andy Black just wrote a report on this also. His new domain that had little content but had his keywords was outranking his older site that he had many links to that did not have the keywords.
    Signature

    Pen Name + 8 eBooks + social media sites 4 SALE - PM me (evergreen beauty niche)

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    • Profile picture of the author thecableguy
      All things being equal between a keyword domain and a non-keyword domain it will give you an advantage, and it'll also give you an advantage of getting people to click on your listing on the SERP and/or PPC.
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  • Profile picture of the author thecableguy
    Originally Posted by Shoaib View Post

    Hey Warriors,

    The question is in my post title.

    I've recently started a website, in a semi-competitive niche (not as competitive as IM or weight loss etc). However, this time I went with a short, 5 letter unique name. It does not mean anything, it's just an easy to remember, brandable name.

    I'm working with someone on this project and the name they've come up with is something they hope to brand and sort of present as a character on the website that gives out pertinent information related to the niche.

    All the on-page and off-page SEO efforts will be done.

    The site has been indexed for about 2 weeks, and I've got close to a 150 initial backlinks mostly via blog commenting and directory submissions. Majority do have keywords in anchor, though some do not, since some places require you to have the website name as anchor.

    Still, I am not seeing but 3 visitors a day on this site via Google. The site is nowhere to be found within even the first 10 or 20 pages for the keywords in question. I'm hoping that will change as we get more backlinks and stuff.

    So, would you say it is MUCH harder getting such a domain to rank in top 3 for main keywords?
    Branding is a nice word, but it takes a whole lot of patience and very deep pockets.

    And two weeks probably isn't a long enough period. Google sometimes initially ranks a newer site higher, but then it sometimes goes into the sandbox for a few weeks or more before the listing kind of stabalizes.

    And as for a keyword in the domain I remember once registering an exact match keyword domain (ln52a650.net or something - was semi-competitive at the time) and while I waited for it to propagate I created the account at my webhost. And forgot about it for a couple of weeks. I did a search for the keyword on Google for it and found it on the second page, but to my surprise I had forgotten about it and all I did was to point the DNS to it and create the account, no pages. In other words all Google had to go on was the strength of the keywords in the domain and nothing else. Try doing that with a non-keyword related domain. I've seen the same thing happen to several other domains (not mine). Like I said...all things being equal (backlinks, SEO) a keyword domain does have an advantage.
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