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<span class="basic_member_name">Sierra Night Tide</span>
Sierra Night Tide
Online Marketing
Los Angeles, California
Biztalk » Business networking tips and resources »
Posted by Sierra Night Tide, Los Angeles, California | Mar 29, 2009

Subscribe to Business networking tips and resources Keyword-Rich Domain Names vs Branding Domain Names

Not too long ago I read a blog posting where the “writer” said keyword-rich domain names have little value. The article was written in a manner which leads readers to believe they could chose any word, phrases or string of words and it won’t matter as long as you market it. I cannot disagree more.

Does having the keywords you want to rank for in the domain name really give you an advantage? All things being equal, yes. But before you run over to GoDaddy for vacation-rentals-worldwide-cheap . com consider the difference between keyword rich and branding.

Keyword-rich domain names are great; “brandibility” is better. A memorable domain name will increase brand awareness and is worth much more than a domain name picked solely for search engine optimization. The ultimate domain name goal should be to have a domain name that is both likable and has your number one top priority keyword. When this isn’t achievable, you should pick a domain name based on how memorable it is.

One advantage to having keywords in your domain name is that you don’t have to worry about using targeted anchor text when building links. What is targeted anchor text

Links without targeted anchor text always look the most natural to Google.

When you are ready to choose a domain name and you have an opportunity to grab hold of a keyword-rich domain name, do not hesitate to grab it and use it! But branding domain name reigns supreme.

4 Bizniks have posted replies

  • Mary McBride
    Posted by Mary McBride, Hampstead, New Hampshire | Apr 07, 2009

    Sierra Night Tide. . .

    Can you give me a little help with this? I'm brand-spanking new at it. .. the name of our business is "Simple Gifts". . . and because we're in New Hampshire and focusing on local products, we're "Simple Gifts NH".. our domain name is simplegiftsnh.com.

    Simple Gifts are exactly what we're offering. Almost an "un-gift-basket" approach. Very little packaging, affordable, and most of all, practical and usable!

    So, I'm learning about branding.

    How are we doing so far? If you have a chance, will you check out my little home page of our website? I'd welcome an opinion.

    Mary Doane

  • Jack Young
    Posted by Jack Young, Bellevue, Washington | Jun 18, 2009

    ah...i wish i read your article five years ago! :-)

    Seattle Wedding Photography by Jack Young
  • Barry Hurd
    Posted by Barry Hurd, Seattle, Washington | Jun 19, 2009

    I could argue on this from either side, but it is really my opinion that you MUST choose a side and stick with it.

    If you choose keyword rich, use it. The point of a keyword rich domain is to have top results in search. Don't muck around, set goals and make sure you get ranking on a good traffic keyword that makes A LOT of sense (you can't change the name of your business every month!)

    If you choose branding.... brand it! Define your market and establish a niche for yourself. Cut a little bit of the pie out for your market and don't passively watch your "brand asset" turn into a "nothing asset"

    In an ideal world, you can have a little of both.

  • Rick Anderson
    Posted by Rick Anderson, Edmonds, Washington | Jun 21, 2009

    An excellent case in point would be seattlearchitects.com That's not the name of the guy's company, he doesn't appear to do any of the SEO stuff he should to rank well. He's not particularly informative, he's not famous. BUT search for "architects seattle" and he shows up very near the top. Well ahead of well established, well known competitors.

    It's gotta be the keyword "rich" domain name.

This forum is unmoderated, but please keep discussion courteous and not too far off topic.

Members posting in this topic

  • Mary McBride
    Mary McBride
    Elegant, Practical, Affordable. Simple Gifts
    Hampstead, New Hampshire
  • Jack Young
    Jack Young
    Studio Owner/Photographer & Designer
    Bellevue, Washington
  • Barry Hurd
    Barry Hurd
    Social Media Promotion and Training
    Seattle, Washington
  • Rick Anderson
    Rick Anderson
    Seattle area Residential Architect
    Edmonds, Washington

Post tags

  • branding
  • keywords
  • domains