The word "The" in domain name?

by 23 replies
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The domain name that I want is not available but it is available with the word 'the'.

For example: keyword.com keywords use your keywords to GO direct to web pages and files. - taken
Thekeyword.com - Keywords Resources and Information.This website is for sale! - available

Does the word 'the' have an affect? Will search engines ignore the word 'the' and see this domain as the keyword that I'm going for?

I've been hesitant to purchase these domain names due to my lack of understanding on this issue.

Any clarification is appreciated
#search engine optimization #domain #word
  • If the domain name with "the" in it fits your website then you should go for it.

    For SEO purposes there is nothing that is better than just the keyword . com. Everything else is all the same.

    So you can add anything before or after the keyword in the domain and it really doesn't matter what it is and it will not hurt. Meaning, if you used "butter" "keyword" it would be the same thing in the search engines eyes as "the" "keyword".
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    • Thanks a lot Aaron! got it. Actually I also had no clear idea regarding this issue!
  • Thanks Aaron.

    Big help!!
  • Banned
    "The" is what's known as a "stop" word. Read this on my blog - Using "Stop Words" to Get Desired Domain Dot Com ForSEO - SEO Tips - Your Internets
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    • If "the" is ignored by Google, why are the SERPs different for "keyword" and "the keyword"? Very different actually.

      Just do a search for "sound" then "the sound" and you can see what kind of effect it has.

      Clearly having a "the" does make a difference, but the domain name doesn't make too much difference in ranking, it's only 1 small factor. What will be more important is the anchor text in your backlinks.
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    • If the domain is brandable,
      then avoid "the".

      Or else, you cam go for it!
    • Thanks for the info...great!!
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  • What you can also do is add "Site" at the end of the keyword

    Like keywordsite.com
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    • Was wondering about this also! Thanks
  • Exact match domain names should be your main priority. That's not to say that you can't rank for "keyword" just because the word "the" is prefixing it; however, in my experience, you will take longer to rank for "keyword" compared to a domain that does not include the prefix "the" on it.
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  • i agree with you paulgl,

    i see some webmaster use this on their domain and he/she rank pretty good on google. i must said he did a great job, i still wonder how he can get those rank...???

    here is what he use : (keywords)x/y/z.com
    here is sample site:
    - commissionblueprintx.com rank 3 on google
    - hemorrhoidmiracley.com rank 6 on google
    - earth4energys.com rank 5 on google

    i remember last 6 month he got many site rank at google. now maybe he/she just focus on product launch! just check his commissionblueprintx.com, he promote almost every new product on jvnotifypro.com and he got rank almost for all the product he promote, such as : commission payload, TriFilliate PayDay, etc.
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    • Paul, the reason people are asking so much about this is because exact match domains give you a boost in the serps. If you have the keyword.com you can rank on the first page easily with very little seo work. Having the .net or .org exact match requires a little more work, but people are trying to avoid having to do the professional seo work and get an easy ranking.

      I mean if you can rank for a word without having to do extra work, why not ask about it.
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  • It is true that websites are ranked, not domains, but if you doubt the view that domains are factored into the ranking process, do a search for something a little obscure. For example, do a search in Google for blue wood. I just did, and out of 47,500,000 results, 8 of the top 20 results have bluewood in the actual domain. Whilst there are always other variables to consider, I'd say that search alone demonstrates there is validity in the view that the domain name plays a part in the ranking process.
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  • Thank you guys!

    This thread has cleared up a lot of doubts. There are definitely valid points to be made on both sides of this coin. I know, I know....this seems to be an ongoing debate with internet marketing folks but there is always something to learn and take in when it is brought up.

    Thanks for all the input!
  • I have not seen that many domains with "the" in the url with top ranking. More ofter I see a .net or org. Just my observations.
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • I would really recommend avoiding domain names with The, unless it is fitting / works for the name. The does not work with many names imho
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    • If keyword.com is taken, what do you think would have rank with LESS work?

      thekeyword.com

      or

      keyword.net/keyword.org
  • i always get the .net version of the exact match domain IF .com is gone, then after .net, go for .org...but that is it....i dont think any of the other extensions are that strong for SEO to easily rank as those 3...
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    • Extensions have nothing to do with SEO. And blue wood? Has nothing to do
      with domain name as to why they rank. Come on people. Get a grip on
      reality. While you are worrying about the magic of domain and SEO,
      other people are truly doing SEO. If there is a website hat ranks high
      with domain keywords, is it because they have done what it takes to
      reach #1. Not the domain name. This fantasy keeps proliferating for
      whatever reason.

      Here's just a couple of more kick-@$$ examples that rule :
      six-bucks.com, zineguru.com,wolf-howl.com all very cool domains, nary
      a keyword in the domain. One could not even guess as to what the
      website is about just by domain!!!!!!!!!!!

      Want solid proof? (of course it gets ignored) Look at the domain of
      this forum. I guess they were going for all of those warrior searches.

      I wish this case was closed, but, no. We shall file these threads in the
      same bin as the other big myth: getting backlinks too fast hurts.

      Pick the coolest sounding domain name and run with it. That's what the
      big boys do. They could care less about putting keywords in a domain.

      Paul
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  • Well, yes search engine will divide your domain into The+domain, so if someone enters domain, he will see your site. But just domain will get higher ranking than The+domain.
  • Exact names definitely help, especially for long tails.

    Sometimes they will rank high just on the name alone, even with PLR content.
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