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Which domain is better to buy?

by Klunne
12 replies
Hello,

I plan to build a medium size authority site and I purchased some aged domains but I am not sure which one is better to use. I would really appreciate some feedback on which one is better and why.

1. healthcareheadquarters.net registered 2010

2. health-care-solutions.com registered 2007

Also, if I decide to go with the hyphenated version, do I need to include the hyphens in the anchor text when I backlink?

Thanks for your responses!
#buy #domain
  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    Originally Posted by Klunne View Post

    Also, if I decide to go with the hyphenated version, do I need to include the hyphens in the anchor text when I backlink?

    Thanks for your responses!
    No. Hyphens are ignored by Google. Just as for nohyphendomains, you wouldn't remove spaces from your backlink text.

    As for an opinion on which domain is better, it depends a lot on how you want to use it. The hyphen domain is much older but you may not want hyphens in your domain. There may also be other factors like PR and backlinks that make either domain more attractive than the other.

    Mahlon
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    • Profile picture of the author Klunne
      Thanks for the response,

      I just googled the .com domain and it does not come up as indexed at all but the .net is parked at godaddy. Stupid question but does this somehow mean that the .com will lose any of its age related benefits?

      Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author thinkrich
    Not at all.

    As long as it is still viable.

    I tested both links and they are the other way around.

    .net does not show at all
    .com is parked.... but it seems to be up for someone else to buy.

    I dont think you own it any more. Must have expired.

    The current domain owner is asking $2,995.00 for the domain name to purchase outright or $62 a month to rent it off them
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  • Profile picture of the author Ronno99
    To answer the question I'd pick #2

    But frankly, they both suck if this is a site you plan on investing in significantly.
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  • Profile picture of the author MetroHome
    Some things you should consider when purchasing a domain and have you ever wondered why someone would buy a domain name for $70,000.00 dollars, there is a logical reason.

    Domain Age
    Page Rank
    Google Index Count
    Refereing domains
    Keywords in Title
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  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    I think it depends on your traffic generating methods. You say medium size authority site. Well an authority site, for all-intents-and-purposes have an easy to remember domain name. That means hyphens are out.

    Now if your just going to rely on search engine traffic then the hyphens are fine. Hyphens are bad if you plan on creating brand awareness which necessitates that you get a lot of type-in traffic.

    Even then the first option is brutally long. So your kind of at a crossroads here. If an authority site is what you really want to create I would look for a catchy name that is brandable and will translate well into social marketing mediums like Facebook and Twitter.
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    You're going to fail. If you're afraid of failure then you do not belong in the Internet Marketing Business. Period.
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  • Profile picture of the author art72
    I'd have to agree with BP's remarks on this one.

    I share your pain, as I too am in the process of building a health site. My decision was to use a .net, as the owner of the .com has it parked/listed on GoDaddy for way too much money!

    My thought was "if" the (.net) site makes some money, then I'll consider negotiating a deal for the (.com) to prevent another from vying for my keywords, and future 'branding' efforts.

    My (.net) domain is 2 words, 15 letters long, no hyphen, and I still almost feel it's a bit long. It is however memorable, so who knows?

    All the Best,

    Art
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    • Profile picture of the author Klunne
      First, those are not the actual domains. I just listed those for discussion's sake. I am building a site based on Xfactor's latest authority site model which is essentially an LSI based template. My understanding is that type in traffic is not the biggest draw of this model. My concern was more about getting an aged domain that had the two major keywords in the title, "Health Care". The 1+ years age I was hoping would allow me to rank much faster than if I created a brand spanking new domain.

      Your feed back is appreciated, even if it means Im a noob.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rick88
        Even if you don't get a domain with those keywords in them you can still rank relatively quickly with quality backlinks.

        Jerry West recently released his report on Google Best Practices 2011 in which he covered this topic. He is not the only respected marketer to say this. If you can get one with your keywords then great but if not just do more quality backlinks.

        It has certainly worked for me.
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      • Profile picture of the author art72
        Originally Posted by Klunne View Post

        First, those are not the actual domains. I just listed those for discussion's sake. I am building a site based on Xfactor's latest authority site model which is essentially an LSI based template. My understanding is that type in traffic is not the biggest draw of this model. My concern was more about getting an aged domain that had the two major keywords in the title, "Health Care". The 1+ years age I was hoping would allow me to rank much faster than if I created a brand spanking new domain.

        Your feed back is appreciated, even if it means Im a noob.
        While I am not familar with Xfactor's methods, there are several marketing approaches that can 'almost' guarantee sustainability in a "highly competitive market" such as health care.

        3-4 months ago, I wouldn't have touched a 'health related market' unless it was for a micro-niche targeting a 'low-competition keyword' or series of long-tail keywords.

        While I spent my days learning all I could about SEO in hope to rank high and 'compete' for that prestigious title to be #1 on Google. One has to wonder; is it worth the effort?

        Honestly, when you look close at Health, Law, Insurance, Dating, etc... all the 'massive markets' are heavily dominated by SEO Surgeons who charge 1000's if not 10's of thousand to keep their clients on top. Then you have to consider the aged authority sites with years and years of content, backlinks, traffic, etc... For the "average Joe" like most of us, that is an immoveable and impenetrable force to rekon with. And, I didn't even get into the probability "G" will NEVER keep the same pattern, so gaming them is a sure-fired way to "tap dance" on a landmine!

        So, not to bore you, but unless your "Health Care" strategy includes some other form of traffic, as opposed to relying on breaking through all the .gov, .cdc. .edu, or those massive giants on top... the least of your worries will be your domain name, seriously.

        I emphasize an ample amount of SEO into my sites, and still would shoot for a top level keyword rich domain, but as far as 'ranking' as you say, unless your talking about targeting 'low competition keywords' there isn't a chance in hell you'll ever get close to the front page of Google in a Health Care niche... just saying.

        However, with proper marketing strategies, such as gaining a thorough understanding of 'article syndication' -you stand a greater chance of creating 'quality' backlinks from relevant sites, targeted traffic to your offers from those high authority sites who already have traffic, and a steady influx of sales, ...that could in essence produce a significant income in any health topic (*high competition or not), and save yourself tons of time, stress, $$$, and worrying about ranking, SEO, or being de-indexed by Google the next time they get their panties in a wad, and decide to change algorithms again!

        Check out this thread to gain a better understanding, it's a thread that changed my whole business/marketing model...

        http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...mith-myob.html

        All the Best with your Health site, if you market it properly you can be successful in any niche.

        All the Best,

        Art
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        Atop a tree with Buddha ain't a bad place to take rest!
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  • Profile picture of the author Barry Unruh
    Let's look at this from a different perspective. I'd choose the non-hyphenated version for my primary site just due to the ease of people "getting it right" when they come back.

    I would use the hyphenated older site as a sister site with complementary content and link from it to my other site, but not the other direction.

    Just because both sites are "health care" does not mean there is not hundreds of keywords you could be targeting for both sites.

    As you watch both sites start to grow you might discover one of them start ranking higher for some unknown reason and becomes your focal point.

    Since you own both, use both...but start off using the one as a gentle feeder site towards the other.

    Originally Posted by Klunne View Post

    Hello,

    I plan to build a medium size authority site and I purchased some aged domains but I am not sure which one is better to use. I would really appreciate some feedback on which one is better and why.

    1. healthcareheadquarters.net registered 2010

    2. health-care-solutions.com registered 2007

    Also, if I decide to go with the hyphenated version, do I need to include the hyphens in the anchor text when I backlink?

    Thanks for your responses!
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  • Profile picture of the author johnny125
    If project is something bigger and important, I would rather use the older one. But it should be allready indexed, in other case for me it has got the same value as the second one.
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