Authored by: Fester

If you are just new to the world of SEO ( search engine optimization - defined), or you are a seasoned vet - you’ve most certainly heard of the ‘myth’ of putting keywords in your domain. All experts will tell you it’s bunk… ‘doesn’t make a difference’ you’ll hear repeated again and again…

But, after pondering this issue, I will have to disagree with this hypothesis. (No, this is not a FACT, it’s a hypothesis… because - as the experts will tell you - no-one really knows, except the search ‘engineers’ who write the algorithms.) Here’s my opinion:

1. Keywords in your domain name causes others to link to you inherently with keywords in the anchor text because most websites link to other websites using the domain name (at some point) in some form or another.

Typically, if your domain is keyword focused, so is it topic focused, so others will more than likely use keywords in their anchor text to link to you. If you were to have to guess the content of a domain like www.pink-dog-shoes.com, there would be some comedic response to possible content in the site, but more than likely the content will be focused on it’s literal meaning. You’re gonna find pink dog shoes there my friend, unless you find some other more ‘entertaining’ site occupying this very well thought out and focused marketing plan’s property. AND, when people link to you, you are inherently going to get others linking to you using keywords describing your site whether you like it or not! If you sell nice pink dog shoes, and there’s someone mentioning in a blog that they saw your site, and describing it and linking to it, what would you think the keywords in their anchor text would be….? Does keywords in the anchor text on sites that link to you have an effect on rankings, SERPS, click-throughs? Do your own research (or look here), and you’ll find it most certainly does.

2. Point two is not really SEO related, but makes another good argument for keywords in domain names…

Again, if your site is keyword focused, it is more than likely to be topic focused as well. Thus, www.pink-dog-shoes.com delivers a site about pink dog shoes. AND, this is the most important thing outside of SEO is a MEMORABLE DOMAIN NAME.

Now, stop reading. Grab a bite to eat, do some push-ups, write an article, but when you come back to this or tell someone about what you’ve read, I’m sure you’ll remember the name of the domain we’ve been talking about. If the domain of the aforementioned site was www.patriciapolson.com, www.pamperedpuppy.com, www.handsnpaws.com or www.glamourdog.com (the last 3 are real sites offered by Google for the subject) , you wouldn’t remember their names if someone asked you if you new a resource for pink dog shoes? But you’d sure as heck remember www.pink-dog-shoes.com, wouldn’t ya!

So, unless you have tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on ‘branding’, then keyword focused domain names are your best, cheapest bet for help in your SEO efforts, your marketing efforts, and as well - your branding efforts.

Now, what does this have to do with the question: “Is Google evil?”… well, not much really. But a more clear - yes - more clear set of practices has to be set forth by Google regarding website construction, content, hosting and marketing such that any website, whether old or new, has to pass through a certain application process ongoingly to insure quality service. I know that some will say that that is what the algorithm already does this, but with the recent discovery of guidelines for human editors (more), the ability to implement simple human reviewed application process - coupled with a spam reporting feature - would be a much more effective means of providing valuable content to the viewer IMMEDIATELY. Any new site currently must go through the mythical yet very real ’sandbox effect’, and through this method, Google is losing out on presenting some very valuable content to users, while MSN and Yahoo pick them up in a reasonable amount of time.

What about the model of paid review a la Yahoo Express Submit? Do you think the Google shareholders would like to see the profit generated by this application method?

COME ON FOLKS!!!!! Google is a great machine, but it can do much better in doing what it was created to do - and that is to provide information - from the source, about the source, to improve the source, which is ultimately YOUR site, which Google displays as their content.

I am sure though, that from an SEO standpoint the importance of keywords in the domain name is greatly diminished since it was so badly abused by spammers in recent years.

So, what do you think?

Can anyone offer up any other reasons why it is good - or bad - to have keywords in your domain name?

This entry was posted on Monday, July 4th, 2005 at 10:07 am and is filed under Google the Good, Getting Ranked on Google.