domain name ?

It definitely helps, but I'm no pro in SEO so I'm curious to see what the pros will say in reply to your post.

That's what I usually go for unless I'm creating a branded site.

It's definitely a good idea to have the keyword in your domain name.

Yes it will help with seo...it's not the end all...but it will give it a boost.

It definitely helps to include your keywords in the domain name. I use domainsbot dot com and type in my keywords to find a domain name match.

I hope this helps!

Having an exact keyword domain name is very very helpful in terms of on page seo.
It is not necessary for your blog or website to have an exact keyword domain to rank on the first page, however, it require much more off page seo to rank.

If you have an exact keyword as you domain or in your domain, the chances of your website or blog ranking is much higher. When someone types in your keyword Google pulls all the websites with the keyword based on relevance. If you have good on page seo like having your keyword in the domain name, title, anchor texts, within your content, then Google sees this with a little more authority then just having a random blog name with your keyword showing up once or twice in your content somewhere.

This is what I have learned, hope it helps a bit.

I have tested both methods and found that aged domain ( niche related) can do a little better over the long run vs. a brand new keyword domain.

example A: In one niche I have a keyword domain with a large number of backlinks that is ranked 2nd behind an aged domain with less backlinks.

example B: In another niche, I purchased an aged domain and built about the same amount of BLs as in Ex.A, I am ranked no.1 before the exact keyword domain that is newer and has about the same amount of backlinks.

Of course this is a very small sample and I think it has a lot to do with anchor text keywords backlinks.

I found that using keyword domain will have instant ranking and will drop over time , usually within 30-60 days. It will go back up after a while provide backlinks are being built to it.

So if you need instant traffic lets say for a product launch as an affiliate. I would recommend an keyword domain, but if you want sure long term ranking go for the age domain.

The ideal choice with be the keyword domain that is aged.

The domain name tells search engines that you will probably be ranking highly for that keyword phrase in the future, and they'll give you a good short-term placement "on credit" while you populate the site.

If you don't do it fast enough or well enough, the domain name stops working and you drop like a rock.

If you keep the content going in and the backlinks going out, the domain name can keep you pretty high in the SERPs for a few months. Long enough to make a significant number of sales and sell the site for a good price.

If you do a complete site redesign every three months or so, you might even get away with this for a year or two.

This is why a lot of people don't do much with sites they buy on flippa.com - it's not hard to get a site ranking well for a couple months. Keeping it there in the long term is another matter.

I just would like to say thanks to all for the great replies. It even answered my next question which was about aged domain names and the SEO value they may or may-not have. Thanks, Jim

It definitely helps, but if others do MORE than
you in terms of backlinks, they will beat you for
the top position. So, it's important, but not
enough.

Kingsley