It's going to be a portal revolving around a particular industry. I have a couple of domains in mind. One domain has the main keyword in it and another one does not. Anyway, the domain that doesn't have the keyword in it is more brandable. I know that for SEO purposes it would be easier to start with the domain that has the keyword.
What do you guys think? I know long-term a brandable domain is better but it's a lot harder to promote and rank high. Would you agree? I still see Google paying attention to the keywords in the domains. You don’t necessarily need a keyword in the domain name. There are countless numbers of high rated sites with wacky slang terms as their domain. Take Mashable for instance, it is one of the most popular blogs on the internet about social media news and “Mashable” has nothing to do with the topic. Quote: Originally Posted by once janister You don’t necessarily need a keyword in the domain name. There are countless numbers of high rated sites with wacky slang terms as their domain. Take Mashable for instance, it is one of the most popular blogs on the internet about social media news and “Mashable” has nothing to do with the topic. Yep. I understand. I think there are a couple of issues I am struggling with:
1. It's easier to rank high for your targeted keywords if they are in the domain name. Especially for a new site.
2. Long term it's better to have a brandable name because you won't depend on SEO as much.
Let's say I am selling red widgets and people are searching for "red widgets", "big red widgets", "how to grow red widgets", etc. If I have a domain name www.red-widgets.com, it will be easier (cheaper) for me to get rankings for my targeted keywords. But if I have a name like mybrand.com, it will be easier for me to build a brand around it than around red-widgets.com because other people will be selling red widgets as well and it will be just another generic domain name. The downside is I will have to work a lot harder and spend more money to get traction.
Has anyone run into the same dilemma and which way did you decide to go? Quote: Originally Posted by poster Yep. I understand. I think there are a couple of issues I am struggling with:
1. It's easier to rank high for your targeted keywords if they are in the domain name. Especially for a new site.
2. Long term it's better to have a brandable name because you won't depend on SEO as much.
Let's say I am selling red widgets and people are searching for "red widgets" Well, I agree and disagree with your thoughts.
1. Yes, there tends to be a bit of an advantage in the SERPS if your keyword is
What do you guys think? I know long-term a brandable domain is better but it's a lot harder to promote and rank high. Would you agree? I still see Google paying attention to the keywords in the domains. You don’t necessarily need a keyword in the domain name. There are countless numbers of high rated sites with wacky slang terms as their domain. Take Mashable for instance, it is one of the most popular blogs on the internet about social media news and “Mashable” has nothing to do with the topic. Quote: Originally Posted by once janister You don’t necessarily need a keyword in the domain name. There are countless numbers of high rated sites with wacky slang terms as their domain. Take Mashable for instance, it is one of the most popular blogs on the internet about social media news and “Mashable” has nothing to do with the topic. Yep. I understand. I think there are a couple of issues I am struggling with:
1. It's easier to rank high for your targeted keywords if they are in the domain name. Especially for a new site.
2. Long term it's better to have a brandable name because you won't depend on SEO as much.
Let's say I am selling red widgets and people are searching for "red widgets", "big red widgets", "how to grow red widgets", etc. If I have a domain name www.red-widgets.com, it will be easier (cheaper) for me to get rankings for my targeted keywords. But if I have a name like mybrand.com, it will be easier for me to build a brand around it than around red-widgets.com because other people will be selling red widgets as well and it will be just another generic domain name. The downside is I will have to work a lot harder and spend more money to get traction.
Has anyone run into the same dilemma and which way did you decide to go? Quote: Originally Posted by poster Yep. I understand. I think there are a couple of issues I am struggling with:
1. It's easier to rank high for your targeted keywords if they are in the domain name. Especially for a new site.
2. Long term it's better to have a brandable name because you won't depend on SEO as much.
Let's say I am selling red widgets and people are searching for "red widgets" Well, I agree and disagree with your thoughts.
1. Yes, there tends to be a bit of an advantage in the SERPS if your keyword is