Keywords in your Domain Name?

We all know that keywords inside your URL help in SEO. However to what degree?

I am currently launching a new E-commerce website and if I were to focus purely on what is searched for mostly on Google then I would use the world "glasses" in my domain name.

If however I wanted the domain name to be more descriptive of what the website will do as a whole then it should contain the word "eyewear" since it doesn't not technically sell just glasses.

The site will sell protective eyewear but most people searching for protective eyewear search for the keyword "safety glasses". Therefore having glasses in my domain would be a good thing.

You may suggest putting both safety and glasses in my URL but this is simply too long with the other words that need to be included also.

So, do i go for a SEO friendly domain or a domain that would be more representative of what i do as a whole?

If keywords in the domain are very important / advantageous then I would do it, if its only a tiny aspect then maybe not.

Your thoughts please

 

keywords in domain will definitively help your search engine rankings and exposure in front of users that perform a search for the targeted keywords. But there are some things you should consider such as having a URL of a brand name or company name, which is very trendy nowadays also it is easy for visitors to remember, and this also have positive effect on your traffic because your visitors may directly type your URL instead of using search engines.

 

Use whatever word(s) you think most people would do a search with. If you find most people will search for glasses then have glasses or safety glasses in your URL.

 

You have probably already thought of this, but check out Google's keyword tool. I use this thing anytime I am in doubt about what terms are being searched. You might find a term that you had not considered...
Good luck to you.

 

To have a single keyword for your industry "glasses" is great, but as you say yourself, dont penalise yourself by having a long awkward domain name. It will be a comprimise between keywords and branding.

Changing your URL in years to come to something shorter could end up in a costly rebranding exercise, so think long and hard before committing.

 

Your domain name can add a significant boost if it is an EXACT match for a search phrase.

But partial matches in domain names (e.g. keyword1keyword2.com and search phrase "keyword1 keyword3") carry little if any additional weight than simply having that word somewhere else in the URL likel a folder name or page name. The gain you get from having partial match domain names is generally not worth the usability benefits you give up (mainly having a domain name that is short, easy to remember, easy to type).

If you want people to remember your site and build some sort of brand, you're better off picking a domain name that is short and easy to remember, and easy to type. This may not have any keywords in it that you want to rank for like Google, Amazon, etc.

 

Having the entire targeted keyphrase in the URL is crucial. Having the entire targeted keyphrase in the URL is also important, but not crucial. You can use subdomains or subdirectories to get your keyphrase in the URL.

If I had to choose between a domain that was short and easy to remember or one that was my exact keyphrase I wanted to optimize for, I'd choose the latter.

 

don't go for something like thisismybigdomain.com try to hav the domain as simple as possible

 

Exactly. I used to be an administrator of the company website, and the domain was like: "somethingforsomebody.com" - it was a keyword. Because it was to long, we've bought domain like "sfs.com". Both pointing on the same site. After few months the visit ratio for the shorted domain was like 5:1.

 

Yea keywords in the domain help, but as you're building an e-Commerce website, i take it this is a long term investment? There for i would actually come up with a unique name rather than influenced by keywords. This will help with branding. It all depends on your style of business. For quick get ranked and forget adsense website's keywords in the domain is a must, but for a long term business, think of a unique catchy name.

 

I think you should choose "glasses" in this case. You can always use "eyewear" in important spots on your site, and in h1 and h2 headings, Also, use both "glasses" and "eyewear" in the description tag, as that will be shown on the search results page, so the user will get a good idea of what your site is about.

 

I always put the keyword I want to rank for in my Domain name. And I always picks the keywords with the higher amount of search volume!

 

Hi northcave,

Keywords located in the domain name is a HUGE factor for organic ranking. To the point, where I would not launch a new site unless the keyword was in the domain. The amount of effort to rank an unrelated term is not worth it, unless your site name is short, catchy, and brandable, but you have stated you are going for organic traffic.