Keywords in domain names

40 replies
  • SEO
  • |
Let's say I'm trying to rank well for the keyword "fuzzy blue widgets." Ideally, the domain name "fuzzybluewidgets.com" would give me the best SEO value. But assuming that is not available, which of these available domains would be my best choice:

fuzzybluewidgets.net
cheapfuzzybluewidgets.com
bluefuzzywidgets.com
fuzzybluewidgetsforcheap.com
#domain #keywords #names
  • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
    Don't ever add meaningless words to your domain name.

    If .net or .org is available for an exact match, grab it.

    I found that to get a decent domain with your keyword, simply ad "i" or "e" to the front of it. I think google actually likes this for some reason.

    So maybe

    www.ibluewidgets.com
    or
    www.ebluewidgets.com
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  • Profile picture of the author webatomic
    Good tip. Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
    The SEO value is actually pretty low, but it carries enough weight to put you ahead when everything else is equal.

    There is no .net penalty. So if you were going purely for increasing SEO weight, use the exact match .net.
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  • Profile picture of the author RobertZuma
    In my experience, adding a meaningless word to fuzzybluewidgets.com doesn't negatively effect the SEO power of the URL. That said, it's probably better to use a related word. For instance, if you use "fuzzy blue widgets" as a root keyword when doing your keyword research, then you should have some related words like "furry"," baby blue", etc. It is better to use one of the related keywords (if you can't use the exact match).

    I have always found .coms to be the best, but .org and .net work too. I would use .net before .org. There is a penalty for .info though, likely bc .info costs $2 to register, whereas .org/net/com are more like $10-12.
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    • Profile picture of the author webatomic
      Originally Posted by RobertZuma View Post

      In my experience, adding a meaningless word to fuzzybluewidgets.com doesn't negatively effect the SEO power of the URL. That said, it's probably better to use a related word. For instance, if you use "fuzzy blue widgets" as a root keyword when doing your keyword research, then you should have some related words like "furry"," baby blue", etc. It is better to use one of the related keywords (if you can't use the exact match).

      I have always found .coms to be the best, but .org and .net work too. I would use .net before .org. There is a penalty for .info though, likely bc .info costs $2 to register, whereas .org/net/com are more like $10-12.
      Yeah, that's what I'm really not sure about. Right now, based on the keywords I'd like to target, the .com, net and org exact matches are taken and ifuzzybluewidgets.com makes no sense, but fuzzybluewidgetsforcheap.com might make sense.
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      • Profile picture of the author jennypitts
        Originally Posted by webatomic View Post

        Let's say I'm trying to rank well for the keyword "fuzzy blue widgets." Ideally, the domain name "fuzzybluewidgets.com" would give me the best SEO value. But assuming that is not available, which of these available domains would be my best choice:

        fuzzybluewidgets.net
        cheapfuzzybluewidgets.com
        bluefuzzywidgets.com
        fuzzybluewidgetsforcheap.com
        Personally I do not think it matters to have keywords in your URL. As long as you optimize well, you should not have problems ranking in SERPS. But if you must then I would suggest the .net

        Originally Posted by friend View Post

        Don't ever add meaningless words to your domain name.

        If .net or .org is available for an exact match, grab it.

        I found that to get a decent domain with your keyword, simply ad "i" or "e" to the front of it. I think google actually likes this for some reason.

        So maybe

        www.ibluewidgets.com
        or
        www.ebluewidgets.com
        I think that adding letters or words renders the same effect. Having keywords in the URL HELPS in SERPS placement BUT it is not necessary. I can vouch for that. I think it is important to try to keep the domain name as simple as possible. And I do not think it should be because of SERPS and Ranking, but rather to help it become more memorable for a person. The more you add to it the harder it is.
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  • Profile picture of the author 1mauigirl
    Hmmm ... I kinda like adding the number 1 to the front ...

    You could always target a market even tighter like fuzzybluewidgets4kids.com
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  • Profile picture of the author kittyflip
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author webatomic
      Originally Posted by kittyflip View Post

      bluefuzzywidgets.com
      this domain name will do the job. I dont recommend .net since the .com address is taking the place for your visitor's misconceptions. IMO
      Really? So everything being equal, you think bluefuzzywidgets.com would outrank fuzzybluewidgets.net and fuzzybluewidgetsforcheap.com for the keyword "fuzzy blue widgets"? Do you have direct experience with this being the case?
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
        Originally Posted by webatomic View Post

        Really? So everything being equal, you think bluefuzzywidgets.com would outrank fuzzybluewidgets.net and fuzzybluewidgetsforcheap.com for the keyword "fuzzy blue widgets"? Do you have direct experience with this being the case?
        I can't disagree more strongly

        .net and .org rank very well, and in my experience as well as .com. If you can get the exact keyword in the domain in a .org or .net, go for that, rather than adding crap onto a .com domain name.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aira Bongco
    While I agree that domains carry SEO value, I think it is a minor one. I can still get ranked for the same keywords with free sites like Squidoo and Ezinearticles and still make the front page.

    I just want you to focus less on things like these and focus more on offpage optimization which is more important. You may have the right domain, but with the wrong backlinks, it is nothing.

    On the other hand, you may have a completely unrelated domain, but with good promotion, you can reach the SE's front page.

    Aira
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  • Profile picture of the author SirThomas
    what about

    fuzzy-blue-widgets.com


    Thomas
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    • Profile picture of the author gambit
      Originally Posted by SirThomas View Post

      what about

      fuzzy-blue-widgets.com


      Thomas
      This is exactly the way I'd go too. Even though there are lot of people that would debate the hyphenated domain name, it always works like a charm for me

      I've heard of other people having success with .info's as well. Never tried it myself, but depending on how competitive the market you're in is, you might have to take what you can get.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    or what about....

    fuzzywidgets
    bluewidgets
    bestwidgets
    fuzzyblue

    don't get so wrapped up in trying to get an exact match domain. play around with words and find something you are happy with that makes sense.

    As an example, I needed a domain for a one word keyword. Of course it was taken so I thought about it and tried out stuff and ended up with something similar to hotwire.com, only replace hot with my keyword. It's a kick ass .com with my keyword, is very brandable, very easy to remember and due to the success of hotwire.com, it's sounds completely natural.

    exact match is nice and while some claim it's the holy grail of SEO, I don't think it's much of a deal breaker.

    TDL extensions don't make a difference. Aim for a .com and if you can't get that then pick whatever you fancy.

    Also, think about branding. What is your site? Do you need a name that sticks in peoples heads and is easily remembered?

    Think about traffic sources. Will it receive type-in traffic, SE traffic or something else?

    How will the domain name and TDL effect your plans and site?

    ifuzzybluewidgets.biz sucks for branding and if you want people to remember and type in your domain. They'll forget the 'i' and the .biz and end up at fuzzybluewidgets.com. If type-in traffic and branding are not a part of your plans then it shouldn't make a difference.

    THINK BIG PICTURE... who is your site, what is your site, what does your site eat for breakfast?


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  • Profile picture of the author webatomic
    Thanks for all the input. The domain "fuzzybluewidgets.net" - an exact match .net domain - is available and I'm thinking that is probably my best option.
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    • Profile picture of the author RobertZuma
      Originally Posted by webatomic View Post

      Thanks for all the input. The domain "fuzzybluewidgets.net" - an exact match .net domain - is available and I'm thinking that is probably my best option.
      Good call ... I agree.
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      • Profile picture of the author paulgl
        How do threads like this get to be so long?

        Isn't the first post, "It does not matter..."
        enough to end it?

        If people spent as much time on real SEO instead of
        picking a friggin' domain name, people might actually
        learn to do this stuff right the first time.

        There must be 100 threads in the past month on this
        same topic.

        Paul
        Signature

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

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        • Profile picture of the author webatomic
          Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

          How do threads like this get to be so long?

          Isn't the first post, "It does not matter..."
          enough to end it?

          If people spent as much time on real SEO instead of
          picking a friggin' domain name, people might actually
          learn to do this stuff right the first time.

          There must be 100 threads in the past month on this
          same topic.

          Paul
          I truly do not understand this post. Do you dispute the fact that keywords in a domain name carry SEO value? Not to mention the fact that only one person in this thread is of the opinion that keywords in a domain name do not matter and that person happens to be demonstrably incorrect.
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        • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
          But it does matter, and it often matters quite a bit.

          I'm not sure what "real" SEO is:rolleyes:, but having a keyword in your domain is part of good on-page/site SEO.

          Optimizing the domain name can often result in much fewer backlinks needed to rank well.

          Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

          How do threads like this get to be so long?

          Isn't the first post, "It does not matter..."
          enough to end it?

          If people spent as much time on real SEO instead of
          picking a friggin' domain name, people might actually
          learn to do this stuff right the first time.

          There must be 100 threads in the past month on this
          same topic.

          Paul
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        • Profile picture of the author culvers
          Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

          How do threads like this get to be so long?

          Isn't the first post, "It does not matter..."
          enough to end it?

          If people spent as much time on real SEO instead of
          picking a friggin' domain name, people might actually
          learn to do this stuff right the first time.

          There must be 100 threads in the past month on this
          same topic.

          Paul
          But picking a domain name is part of SEO.... :rolleyes:
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          • Profile picture of the author paulgl
            Originally Posted by culvers View Post

            But picking a domain name is part of SEO.... :rolleyes:
            Obviously said by someone who does not know the first thing about SEO.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

            Just pick the coolest domain you can think of and actually start some SEO!

            People don't want to hear that. They think if they do a few magic things,
            then voila!

            Then these same people start more threads, "I did everything right, but..."

            Paul
            Signature

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

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            • Profile picture of the author webatomic
              Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

              Just pick the coolest domain you can think of and actually start some SEO!

              Look, I want to say this as nicely as possible. Having your targeted keywords in your domain name can make an important difference in your SEO efforts. You can think otherwise if you want, but that doesn't make it any less true.
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            • Profile picture of the author culvers
              Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

              Obviously said by someone who does not know the first thing about SEO.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

              Just pick the coolest domain you can think of and actually start some SEO!

              People don't want to hear that. They think if they do a few magic things,
              then voila!

              Then these same people start more threads, "I did everything right, but..."

              Paul
              Your a funny guy

              Having your main keyword in the domain name boosts your ranking for that keyword. Therefore having the keyword in your domain can be considered optimising your website for search engines.
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              • Profile picture of the author paulgl
                I think you're a funny guy. Funny and misinformed.
                It does nothing for rankings. Nothing.
                You can do a few parlor tricks, but real SEO?
                Forget it. SEO is what you do to a site. If it was
                the domain name, then the very first thing any SEO
                person/company would do is change your domain.

                That would be silly.

                People don't want to hear the real truth, so they try
                useless little tricks as opposed to real SEO and hardwork.
                They fall under the spell of of it's so easy!!!! Then fall
                on their faces and wonder why.

                I suppose you don't realize the 2 top forums in internet
                marketing are digitalpoint and warriorforum. Notice how
                they are just awash in keywords?

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

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                • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
                  Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

                  I think you're a funny guy. Funny and misinformed.
                  It does nothing for rankings. Nothing.
                  '

                  100% garbage. It has been shown time and time again that it does have an effect.

                  Lets say you buy two domains on the exact same day. One domain has exact keyword in the domain, and one does not have the keyword in the domain. You put exactly 1 post on each of the two domains, with the same exact article focused on the main keyword, but you spin the article to 80% uniqueness for one of the sites.

                  You send exactly 100 backlinks to each of the main domains, with the main keyword as the anchor text. The backlink sources are 100% identical between the sites.

                  I GUARANTEE you the exact keyword domain will outrank the non-keyword domain by a long shot.

                  Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

                  You can do a few parlor tricks, but real SEO?
                  Forget it. SEO is what you do to a site. If it was
                  the domain name, then the very first thing any SEO
                  person/company would do is change your domain.
                  "Real SEO"? Says who, you? SEO revolves around getting sites to rank better in the SERPs. If having your keyword in the domain helps improve SERP rankings (and it does, its a fact), then that's "real" SEO. Maybe its not manly enough for you, buts its as much SEO as working on title tags, work on LSI, or adding quality backlinks.


                  Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

                  I suppose you don't realize the 2 top forums in internet
                  marketing are digitalpoint and warriorforum. Notice how
                  they are just awash in keywords?
                  Come on, you know that has nothing to do with a causal relationship, or a lack of a causal relationship. This isn't 3rd grade logic class here. There are lots of reasons to name a site or a forum whatever. Often times a site evolves past where you were expecting when you created it.

                  There is no doubt that the importance of a keyword in the domain (or especially an exact keyword domain) will diminish relative to other factors and will not be as pronounced once the site has thousands upon thousands of backlinks. That doesn't mean that the effect still isn't there though. When you are talking about easier, less competitive keywords, the effect is very pronounced as you can often rank with just on-page SEO and the keyword in the domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
    Another example of why exact keyword domains rock this joint.

    I put content up on this site for the very first time last weekend. In less than 7 days, with zero backlinks, it is currently at #25 in google in a fairly tough IM niche.

    http://www.wealthyaffiliatescam.net
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  • Profile picture of the author DPM70
    Tom, no disrespect but who has searched recently for wealthy affiliate scam? If you are talking other potential IMs or affiliates then fair enough, but where are your buyers?

    "I put content up on this site for the very first time last weekend. In less than 7 days, with zero backlinks, it is currently at #25 in google in a fairly tough IM niche."

    You won't need the backlinks if nobody is looking. Surely, you know this?
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
      Well, according to Google, it has 4,400 exact global matches per month. I currently have a domain of mine that ranks on the first page for all of the wealthy affiliate related keywords, and that number is about right based upon my google analytics numbers.

      In terms of buyers, I have found that the conversion rates (based on my main site) on these types of sites is pretty good. They are already searching for a product "wealthy affiliate", and you aren't getting the pure window shoppers searching for more generic terms.



      Originally Posted by DPM70 View Post

      Tom, no disrespect but who has searched recently for wealthy affiliate scam? If you are talking other potential IMs or affiliates then fair enough, but where are your buyers?

      "I put content up on this site for the very first time last weekend. In less than 7 days, with zero backlinks, it is currently at #25 in google in a fairly tough IM niche."

      You won't need the backlinks if nobody is looking. Surely, you know this?
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  • Profile picture of the author webatomic
    Actually according to Market Samurai and Google it gets 266 searches per day (Broad Match), but the #25 spot won't do you much good of course. Top 10 competition is very weak though, so one you get your backlinks in place you should be in good shape.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
      Originally Posted by webatomic View Post

      Actually according to Market Samurai and Google it gets 266 searches per day (Broad Match), but the #25 spot won't do you much good of course. Top 10 competition is very weak though, so one you get your backlinks in place you should be in good shape.
      Of course #25 won't do me much good, but not bad with no backlinks. ;-) I already have one page 1 listing and with 8 other domains hope to get >50% of the top 10 listings for all of the related keywords within a couple of months.
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  • Profile picture of the author DPM70
    I think I scored a faux pas on what Tom was advocating. Which, if I'm correct, is that having the keywords (in his example) "wealthy affiliate" is good and that those words in that order are good. And when those exact domains are not available, adding a word won't do you any harm either.

    However, I still don't think that www.keywordsscam.com/net/org is a particularly seeked out website outside of the IM fraternity.

    Do you know, I think what I'm trying to say is, I get fed up with the domain extension SCAM. It's boring and negative.
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    • Profile picture of the author webatomic
      Originally Posted by DPM70 View Post

      I think I scored a faux pas on what Tom was advocating. Which, if I'm correct, is that having the keywords (in his example) "wealthy affiliate" is good and that those words in that order are good. And when those exact domains are not available, adding a word won't do you any harm either.

      However, I still don't think that www.keywordsscam.com/net/org is a particularly seeked out website outside of the IM fraternity.

      Do you know, I think what I'm trying to say is, I get fed up with the domain extension SCAM. It's boring and negative.
      I think he's specifically targeting the IM fraternity with his site. It may be boring and negative, but it gets a good number of searches per day, has weak competition and he snagged an exact match domain name for it. Once he builds his backlinks, he should have no trouble hitting the top of Google.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
      Originally Posted by DPM70 View Post

      However, I still don't think that www.keywordsscam.com/net/org is a particularly seeked out website outside of the IM fraternity.
      I certainly agree with that. Thankfully this is an IM site

      Originally Posted by DPM70 View Post

      Do you know, I think what I'm trying to say is, I get fed up with the domain extension SCAM. It's boring and negative.
      It might be boring and negative, but within the IM world it works thankfully
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  • Profile picture of the author DPM70
    "good number of searches per day, has weak competition "
    "I think he's specifically targeting the IM fraternity with his site."
    "It might be boring and negative, but within the IM world it works thankfully"

    OK, so may I be so bold as to state that your SEO practises are very IM niche related. I think things change significantly when you move outside of this niche.
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    • Profile picture of the author webatomic
      Originally Posted by DPM70 View Post

      "good number of searches per day, has weak competition "
      "I think he's specifically targeting the IM fraternity with his site."
      "It might be boring and negative, but within the IM world it works thankfully"

      OK, so may I be so bold as to state that your SEO practises are very IM niche related. I think things change significantly when you move outside of this niche.
      Well....um...yeah, but that's the niche he's targeting. I guess I don't understand what you're trying to say, sorry.
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  • Profile picture of the author hilaryy
    hey,




    friend you are right that don't add meaningless word to your domain. i think the first one have better name than others. so, i think you have to go with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author joetheseo
    I don't really care if you like my strategy but, Exact domain available = buy. No Exact domain available = Buy aged domain.

    I like making money, not waiting around for a year to see results.
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  • Profile picture of the author awmi
    buyfuzzybluewidgets.com
    getfuzzybluewidgets.com
    allaboutfuzzybluewidgets.com
    fuzzybluewidgetsnow.com
    fuzzybluewidgetscentral.com
    fuzzybluewidgetsonline.com
    fuzzybluewidgetsprices.com
    fuzzybluewidgetstore.com
    fuzzybluewidgetsite.com
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  • Profile picture of the author james123612
    Key words are normally related to your web domain it is good for SEO work and you will get good links to some extend.I am also doing the same thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author advcpa
    Anything with your keywords in your domain name gives you extra weight when ranking. I got mine to page 1 a few times because of it. .com and .net seem to rank the best in my tests.
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