Domains and SEO - Domain Age plus Domain Match
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The domain match strategy doesn't work well with new domains. Regardless of keyword proximity, Google doesn't trust new domains, so to really make the domain match strategy work, you need to find an old domain name.
This is the tricky part. Most domain names with an exact match for competitive terms are OLD, expensive and already taken. Those that are for sale, even with .net extensions, go for at least $5,000 - $10,000, so you need to have solid ground for a purchase.
If the site has many links, has a good click through rate and is a decent age, Google may place site links for your keywords and make the listing authoritative. Authoritative listings can account for up to 80 percent of all visitors searching with the term, so the investment is well worth it.
On the contrary, however, an exact match is not necessary to get site links.
Bad Domain Names
Example: get-mortgage-loans-low-interest.com
It's bad because it appears spammy, it's hard to remember and just doesn't sound right. Though I stated above that making your domain exactly match your keywords is a good strategy, it's good only for as long as the domain appears to be memorable. Once it crosses the line into "goofy territory," all of its match leverage is lost.
In general, domains should be easy to remember and have no dashes. They must be easy for someone to type into the address bar (dashes complicate things) and easy to cite on the blog or a page. It should also be easy to convert a domain name into a brand, so the shorter the name the better.
Domains With and Without Dashes
Dashes are evil. Most people won't remember your domain, and those who do will not remember to put dashes.
.COM vs .NET, .ORG and other extensions
The .com extension is synonymous with the Internet and is the BEST one you can use. But .coms also costs much more than their counterparts. For example, site.com will cost at LEAST three times the price of site.net or site.org.
Go for .coms when you can. People automatically include .com at the end of each domain name. You may even miss some direct visitors if you park on .net or others, because users may remember the address but assume it's a .com.
Stay away from .INFO. Those are hard to remember and create a WEAK impression by default, which is passed on directly to your brand.
Local domains like .CA, .CO.UK, .AU and others are as powerful in terms of branding as .COMs. The down side is that they are limited to one country, and it's a lot harder to appear on Google.com. Local country domains are perfect if you're only after your country's market and don't care about global rankings.
Nonprofit organizations and charities usually reside on .ORG domains, though it's not a rule. Seomoz.org is has a functional business on .ORG which is by no means a charity.
.FM is perfect for radio stations, and was in fact created with radio stations in mind. .TV is perfect for television, but most networks prefer .COM (because it's the default extension in people's minds).
Next: Keywords in a Domain >>
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