Does domain name really matter?

Discussion in 'Google' started by BOOMBOOM, Mar 27, 2009.

  1. #1
    Does it really matter if your domain name contains words related to your niche? For instance: If I have a company that builds houses would having my website named,
    www.housebuilding.com
    Code (markup):
    help with my search results on Google?
     
    BOOMBOOM, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  2. imnajam

    imnajam Well-Known Member

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    #2
    long story short, yes it does matters:)
     
    imnajam, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  3. Joshua Pitts

    Joshua Pitts Well-Known Member

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    #3
    Yes it would, because the domain is relevant to the content on the site.
     
    Joshua Pitts, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  4. maney

    maney Active Member

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    #4
    Depends how good a SEO you are, generally yes it will help but a skilled SEO doesn't have to worry so much.
     
    maney, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  5. slo007

    slo007 Banned

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    #5
    you domain name is the most important criteria when it comes to niche and search engines.
     
    slo007, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  6. vansterdam

    vansterdam Notable Member

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    #6
    No your domain name is not the most important criteria for search engines. Backlinks and content are much, much more important.

    Keywords in your domain name do help your search engine rankings though. Some search engines may give a small rankings boost if your keyword is in your domain name. Another benefit is that your keyword gets included in all of your backlinks, even if they force you to use your company or website name. So your backlinks directly help that specific keyword more.

    Another non-ranking benefit is that it may help increase your search engine click through rate. This is because the search engines would bold the keyword in your domain which draws more attention to it.
     
    vansterdam, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  7. BOOMBOOM

    BOOMBOOM Peon

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    #7
    This is what I think now. I have domains indexed on goolge specifically related to my niche, but not even in the top ten pages of relevant keywords associated with the domain name.

    For instance, I have www.southfloridadesigns.com But if i google south florida designs I am not there.

    I also have www.failingbusinesses.com and when I google failing businesses I am first... And the crazy thing about it is, I don't have any good content on failing businesses, nor have I marketed it or tried to drive traffic to it. No SEO work has been performed whatsoever.

    So this confused me a bit...
     
    BOOMBOOM, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  8. ploked

    ploked Peon

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    #8
    yes, it matters to an extent. it is not the end of the world if your domain name does not keyword rich, but every little bit helps in improving your positioning within the serps. it is just one of many factors that can help improve the strength of a website.
     
    ploked, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  9. john1021

    john1021 Member

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    #9
    john1021, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  10. BOOMBOOM

    BOOMBOOM Peon

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    #10

    How do you find out if a website is indexed or not?
     
    BOOMBOOM, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  11. samatuprintingdotcom

    samatuprintingdotcom Peon

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    #11
    It helps SEO, but can hurt branding. A mix of a brandable URL and SEO friendly url is ideal. In the end, everything adds up in optimization.
     
    samatuprintingdotcom, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  12. pipes

    pipes Prominent Member

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    #12
    To me its saying that it does, i have a new site ranking well that i didn't expect to see anywhere in the serps, its got 2 keywords, i believe it helps.
     
    pipes, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  13. JeddahBikers

    JeddahBikers Guest

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    #13
    Yes it will matter .
     
    JeddahBikers, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  14. john1021

    john1021 Member

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    #14
    you type site:www.southfloridadesigns.com into google. you can do it with any of your domains, just change the website. get some backlinks and then you'll be indexed. you're not gonna get any traffic off of the keyword "south florida designs", so it doesn't really matter much anyway for that term.
     
    john1021, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  15. BOOMBOOM

    BOOMBOOM Peon

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    #15
    WHAT??? I am indexed on google then. When I type the domain www.southfloridadesigns.com I am first under the results... :confused:
     
    BOOMBOOM, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  16. coolseo36

    coolseo36 Well-Known Member

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    #16
    check Google for site:www.domain.com ..if it fetches the pages from ur site...then its assumed to be indexed:)
     
    coolseo36, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  17. BOOMBOOM

    BOOMBOOM Peon

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    #17
    OK, I made a noob mistake. Thanks
     
    BOOMBOOM, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  18. welivethis

    welivethis Peon

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    #18
    It definitely helps SEO purposes, but that may not necessarily be the most important element of your site or product. By having a generic name associated with your product, you really lose out on building an identity for your website.
     
    welivethis, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  19. coolseo36

    coolseo36 Well-Known Member

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    #19
    to get ur site pages indexed quickly..just create a xml sitemap for ur site and submit it 2 Google through 'webmaster tools account'...whithin a week u'll get 2 see the pages from ur site indexed in Google:)

    BTW having a word related 2 ur niche i.e ur keywrd in domain name really matters for following 2 reasons:

    1) when ur site will get a backlink from directory listings as www.domain.com...if u hav targeted keywrd in domain, it will automatically work as a backlink with keywrd rich anchor text..no need to be obsessed with anchor texts ne more:)

    2) abov will definitely help u get the top search rankings for ur keywrd...thereafter when ull be in top search ranking, a keywrd will b highlighted in domain name in SERP snippets as an exact match..making it felt more trustworthy for visitors..high click through rate..win win 4u:)
     
    coolseo36, Mar 27, 2009 IP
  20. IceZig

    IceZig Peon

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    #20
    Yes, it does matter. It helps you to rank for house building
     
    IceZig, Mar 27, 2009 IP