Using the Word 'The' in your Domain Names

I would get both. Use the one without "the" for the site and redirect the other

al

Never, never, never- did I say never yet? - use - I repeat, never use - supporting words like "the" in a domain. It decreases domain value, people often forget to use it, and the lack of aesthetic professionalism hurts conversions and growth. And I could go on.

not that any of your claims are being doubted by me Tom, but is there any evidence that you can link me to that states where, or how exactly that using a supporting word in a domain name such as the word 'the', will cause negative seo implications? Sorry to put you on the spot here bud', but any information that is viewed by me that explains this out in greater details will always be more helpful for me to have for making my next decision in relation to a domain name registration that is being contemplated by me. Thank you, and Best Wishes, Yours Truly, Raiel Schwartz

I doubt search engines care about supporting words anymore, if they ever did.

But even if they did, you are focusing on the wrong thing.

What the engines really like is original content that human beings find useful.

Focusing on domain semantics is an unnecessary distraction. If you can get both, get both. If not, just find one that makes you happy, then focus on building it into a high quality site.

I understand the arguments against using "the" type words in a domain name however...

...I don't think it would effect this forum, for example, one iota if it was called The Warrior Forum.com.

Mark

The domain name is not that important whether you use "the" or not. It all comes down to how are you going to drive traffic to it. Too many people worry too much about their domain name and not enough on how they are going to get traffic.

I really think you're over-thinking this. Don't let SEO consume you this much, especially when implemented into the domain name. I'm not telling you to downright ignore SEO altogether, of course; just don't worry about something as mundane as "The" affecting your SEO value.

Just worry about implementing proper SEO procedures in the content itself and you'll be fine. We all see tons of domain names everyday with very little SEO value that are still ranking well (mainly cutesy or catchy names). This is due to the effort they put into the content itself.

As far as "The" affecting you SEO-wise, I don't think this ever mattered or was ever an SEO factor (this is only my personal opinion). It's just one of thousands of unsubstantiated theories and speculation that people have come up with over the years.

So, for the record: Pick the one that rolls off the tongue easier and move on. In my personal opinion, dropping the "The" sounds better.

Trust me, at some point in the future you're going to look back and laugh, wondering why you even considered such a thing so much.

Okay . . .

I sense a tiny bit (barely noticeable though it may be) of irritation at the suggestion that supporting words like "the" in a domain name are a no-no.

That's fine. We're all welcome to our opinions.

Speaking of which - let me shed some more light on my own . . .

Does an EMD influence ranking? It does, indeed. The EMD Update targeted poor sites that took advantage of the EMD ranking juice. But good EMD sites? They do still - and likely always will - receive a little more ranking power.

How does this impact a domain like TheExampleDomain.com? This is known as a "partial EMD" and, statistically, has less power than a full EMD.

All of that however - and I could talk all day and add a great deal more - is beside the point. Any SEO worth his or her salt should be able to rank any domain pretty much anywhere he or she likes. Pretty much. You may struggle with a number one spot for "Viagra." On the whole, though, the choice of name is almost - almost - irrelevant if you know what you're doing.

Sooooooo. What is relevant to the "the" discussion, then? Well, as it happens, quite a few things.

1. Statistically, domains with "the" as the prefix are significantly less valuable than the EMDs without, assuming the word "the" is unnecessary - the same applies to any domains with unnecessary words.

2. Such domains have a negative impact on perceived value. It's a bit like comparing a Casio and a Rolex. TheKeywordDomain.com and KeywordDomain.com; the latter being the Rolex. The loss of perceived value can effect how people react to a domain and the website behind it. They may not trust the recommendations as much, they may see the products or services as "less than" elsewhere, so on and so forth. Sales conversions are affected. Traffic growth, too.

If you disagree here, then you have to wonder why people and businesses pay hundreds of thousands and often millions for the right domain. Just to reiterate - these domains tend not to be those with unnecessary "thes." (Notice the intentional understatement.)

3. When you consider 2, you have to consider some of the biggest ranking weights: social signals. Will people value the website enough to share and further engage? On the whole, people would much rather engage the Rolex.

I could go on. Point is this: when choosing a domain name, you have to ensure all of the words are - here it comes - necessary. This is fundamental domain naming practice. If the word "the" IS necessary, then sure - use it. If not? Well, you know the answer.

Only. Necessary. Words.

The word "the" itself, when supporting and unnecessary, is a poor move. To the typical webmaster, the safe, logical, usually accepted move is to either purchase or register a valuable domain (which immediately adds value to a new project) or go with a branded domain.

On the whole - a supporting "the" will help in neither case.

Good, eh?

P.S: I'm going to give thanks to the posts that entertained me the most. I was worried Letterman retiring would chip away at the world's entertainment value. Wrong . . . on that score, at least.

It doesn't matter. If you're the best at what you do, you could name your internet marketing forum "cut-the-crap.com", and you still could become wealthy. All because of the power of your marketing - not your domain name.

Real life example: "potpiegirl.com"

Choosing a domain and thinking about SEO, is like buying a Ferrari and worrying about fuel consumption...

Who cares about SEO? A domain is your BRAND, it's your image, your status. That's how people will remember you and if it's a catchy name, then instead of searching it in Google, they will type it directly in the address bar.

Now compare "Google.com" and "thebestsearchengine.com"...

You get what I'm saying?