How much does a good domain name REALLY matter?

We all know that it is better to have a good memorable domain name than a bad one. But my question for you all today is, HOW MUCH better is it REALLY in this day and age where everyone uses search engines to find what they are looking for and thats where the majority of most sites traffic comes from?

 

I wish I started buying domain names 10years ago.

 

I think it is really important.

1. Keywords in a domain name - I have seen this help sites rank well. Of course one of many factors, but every little piece helps.

2. If you do any type of marketing that people need to be able to remember it. You dont want people typing in the wrong domain name.

 

I think the only reason a good name is needed is for people to remember your site once you make it. For example, a games site is always looking for returning visitors, so they will need a good name, like www.kool-games.com, unlike plyfr3gamezonlin.com

If you know what I mean.

 

It doesnt matter much in regards to successs or failure. However it DOES make a difference. If you are able to come up with a interesting/funny domain name then you should go for it. A domain name is the thing that they first see before they visit your website. You really should make the chances of them clicking your url as high as possible.

 

I think it matters alot, as others described, although you can come up with similiar variations of a domain name and not have to spend big bucks for example in buying a bought name from a seller.

i think the best ones are both memorable and have some significants for search as well. (ie at least 1 word in the domain name describing your products).

You can also come up with personal names plus a product/service and give it a brand/memorable name, "Frankiesautoparts" or whatever.

although search can be a primary gateway, over the long haul you want searchers to go back to google and look for "your brand " rather then the same keywords they originally might have found you on.

 

My previous employer had a dictionary word as their domain name and had high profile national advertising including TV/ Radio/ Press etc. Even though it was a dictionary word, and a common word too, they got more hits to their site from the miss spellings of their domain than the true domain - they had to spend a lot of time, effort and money "recovering" all the miss spellings of the domain.

If this is the problems people have with a single common dictionary word imagine the consumer issues with non-dictionary words/ multiple words/ punctuation marks etc

And then you have the SEO implications and random hits if you can get the generic name (eg DIY.com)

 

It matters, and it matters a lot. Could matter in the MILLIONS of dollars per year.


"everyone uses search engines"
- a great domain would have the necessary keywords to rank well in search engines
- a great domain would be old, so it would rank well in search engines
- a great domain would be memorable, so people know what to search for

 

I totally agree. I bought the domain thecupcake.com dirt cheap on the spur of the moment and put up a simple blog with a few dozen recipes and a free traffic tracker. That site started getting lots of natural traffic in no time flat(days, not weeks), most of it from SEs with basic search words; no specialty niches or weird phrases. The site is down now because I'm selling the domain on sedo, but, from my experience and expirementing, domain names seem to play a huge role in SEO and getting traffic in the beginning.

 

It does matter. If people can remember your domain, they will not need a search engine to find you.

 

I think it matters quite a bit!, it leaves a very good impression to the visitor and of course its easier to remember, easier to find in search engines, SO many benefits!! btw go yahoo.com domains I recently registered a .com for 1.99USD!! They often have sales, of course the sale is over now i think, but i recommend u keep checking if ur interested in registering..

 

While great domains are good to have, I think most capable internet markets can do just fine without them.

 

I think Domain name really don't matter.the matter is your content.and your PR as well as search engines rating.

 

I'd say the same. Domain name alone won't be the factor that defines your success or not, but it does make a difference.

like tushardhoot1 said:

2-3 word memorable domain names are my favourites (2 word is better than 3). In terms of SEO, there are advantages for using good keywords in the domain name - although it depends how you get your traffic. For some sites it's mostly from search engines, while some sites could rely on social bookmarking or simply for word-of-mouth.

 

Thanks for your replies guys. So I guess the general consensus here is that while it does help, there is no real need to break your bank on a those so called "high quality" domains like business.com or diy.com etc. Something that is easy to remember and contains the right keywords will do.

Slightly off topic - Anyone remember an anti-tobacco commercial a while ago where there was a guy talking about how a tobacco company compared the addiction of tobacco with an addiction to jogging? It had a crazy domain name that took me like 15 tries to get it right. If anyone here remembers this, could you please send me the url. Thanks.

 

Yep, pretty much so.

Doesn't ring a bell... and why on earth would you like to know that anyway (unless you use it as a negative example on what to name)

 

Your domain name is one of the most important aspects of your website. Like google.com, imagine if they were named infinateamountofwebpagestosearch.com.... nobody would remeber or use that. Also Myspace, very memorable too
Thats how you become an internet empire- people remeber your name, tel their friends, and come back to your site

 

Agrees!

 

There are still good names out there. You just need to find the correct words to use. Just adding an i to a word you want to use could make a big difference on whether you use the word or not.