Age vs. Keyword

I'm getting ready to open a new store online. I had a domain I was going to use, but it does not contain any of my keywords for the site. The domain name is just kinda a nifty name for the company I had... not so much the products.

So my dilemma after reading everything about the keywords in the domain name is to buy a new domain with keywords in it. There are two very nice ones available in .com still.

My only hesitation is that the domain I was going to use is already over 1 year old. Technically I've had it since 1999, but I lapsed on renewing and now the creation date reported is 2004. Side note: The old site is not indexed yet.

So would it be better to go with the NEW domain with keywords in it, or stick with the OLD domain that has some age already?

 

Depends how important your company name is for you, and I would probably use the old domain.

 

Well the company name for this product line is something I've had for awhile, but never done much with. I have made up a logo and such, but nothing else really. This is one of those projects that's been on the back burner and is now on my real to-do list.

You would still use the old domain though simply because it's already 1+ years old? I guess what I'm really asking is what has more weight, age or keyword in title.

 

As far as I know, aging factor is usefull if you have indexed domain. In your case a new domain with keywords will be the way to go. Since its has its own advantage in search engine optimization.

Hope that helps.

 

Have you considered pointing the existing domain and a new one at the same site?

 

So I think you're weighing branding with keywords. I think that branding wins in online stores. People remember brands.

 

From an seo perspective I would go with the new keyword rich one. Old domains are only valuable if they have some link pop attached to them. Then again, if the company name one is like just one word and easy to remember the branding benefits of it might outweigh the benifits of the keyword rich one.

 

Here's my 2 cents.

People have to remember the site name to get back to it. Something like buy-my-free-products-here.com is terrible. In that case you are much better off with boingopop.com since boingopop is easy to spell and remember. Keyword targetted domains are only so much benefit. Also, long keyword domains spell out spam to buyers. When I see them in the SE's, I skip right past them, no matter the ranking.

It's entirely up to you. I would buy the domains you are thinking about and then discuss the names openly here. That way you get more solid advice, and you don't have to worry about somebody snatching them up.

For instance, let me tell you about my experience. I started a business years ago, www.ingenuity-ps.com (Ingenuity Professional Services) - that domain sucked. People can't spell ingenuity, and having the dash is a problem, and when you are on the phone ps sounds a lot like ts. I changed it to remedydevelopers.com which is what we do (remedy software development), which still isn't ideal because people can't spell developers easily, and in either case the domain is very long.

I registered several 3d sonogram / 3d ultrasound domains when considering opening up www.ovenbuns.com - but when it comes down to it, "got a bun in the oven? check out ovenbuns.com" has a much better feel to it than "3dultrasound.org" for my target customer base. In the end, the competition for 3d ultrasound web sites was not that large, so I ended up in good shape.

My latest project is bkweddings.com - B and K are the first letter of mine and my partners last names. We had a problem with agile software with agilelive.com and wanted to avoid any trademark issues with this site. It's easy to remember, although it still isn't ideal because at least one person out there is thinking "Burger King does weddings?" - although I'd rather be associated with Burger King and British Knight than kb toys. Will the keyword in the domain help? Maybe one day, but I don't think so right now. If it had a dash, I know it would. Without the dash, probably not, but maybe. I cringe at the thought of having another dashed domain though. It was so much of a problem in communicating my site name to people - and anyone I wanted to send there was tech savvy. I can't imagine targetting a not-so-technical audience with a dashed domain.

Domains are cheap. It's worth 70 bucks to register 10 domains that you like and decide on one of them after contemplation.

On the other hand... one thing to consider is what the SE's think of your existing domain. Does it have at least a PR of 1? If so, that's at least a start. Make sure it isn't banned or anything. Check out backlinks. Even though you haven't done much, it may have some from random spidering directories that run through domain lists. Backlinks are always good. Even if they mention your old content, you at least have something to start out with.

 

I definetly agree on a simple, yet easy to remember and spell domain name.

I worked for a client where the sales manager literally had to spell out the domain name over the phone almost everyday for their company website because it was too complex to spell or even remember ... what's the point in that?

 

simplicity simply rocks! customers want something they can pronounce and remember.

what domains are they anyways?

 

I have found a keyword domain available I'd like to purchase but its actually 3 words. Is it best to pick it up where the 3 words are all run together like "buyyourown" (example only) or should I purchase the domain like "buy-your-own" (example only)? Maybe I should pick up both?
Thanks.

 

That's great advice form nevetS, very accurate.

Still, dashes are not always that bad, as one word domains are very rarely available nowadays and if you do advertising on the road, it's more visible and readable, therefore easier to spell when at the keyboard.

You can still put keywords in the URL while using an old domain, nevermind BLs, PR and LP and whatever, although one year isn't that much, it still might be enough to edge down a competitor in the SERPS.

www.domain.com/keyword1
www.domain.com/keyword2
and so on or
www.keyword.domain.com
and so on again.

But let me quote nevetS when he says:

I totally agree on that.

 

Here is my philosophy: never do something for the sole reason of seo. If you couldn't justify using a domain for any other reason than trying to get ranked, don't do it.
Natural is better, worry about your site and branding it.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. Nevets, that was great info.

My "company" name was going to be Axis7. The site is http://axis7.com

I was looking at it for my cell phone upgrades store that I'm opening. When I was looking through other domain names i found that CellPhoneUpgrade.com is available. Would it be a good idea to just take Dirvish's advice?

My only other problem is that Axis7 I've noticed is not the easiest thing to just say to a person and have them remember. I get a lot of people who want to go to Access7.com, or I'll need to remind them that the 7 is a number at the end and not spelled out.

Perhaps I should just register a new company name to begin with... any more ideas and suggestions are MORE than welcome!

 

age is must better in my opinion

 

age gives a domain more time to get out there and get links and recognition

 

I must say .. 3-4 yrs wud be fair enuf to get a good page rank..
Anusha

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F R E E Domain Name

 

As neither has been indexed yet the 'age' will not matter. Imo Google uses the date it first indexes the page as age=0 and the registration dates are used to check expiration history and the legitimacy of the domain.

You already have some good advice here on 'brand' v 'hyphenated' domain but one strategy you may like to consider is to use both.

Create an authority site using the 'hyphenated' domain i.e. non-commercial, informational content only (lots of it!) and outbounds to other authority sites only (.gov .edu etc.). At the same time develop your 'branded' commercial site in the normal way. After a couple of years you can put contextual advertising on the informational site, which if you have done it right will provide revenue that will more than cover the cost of development, and place outbound links to your commercial site. If the commercial site is doing well in the SERPs at this stage the links from the authority site will often have a very positive and pronounced effect. To protect yourself from any future problems ensure that from the start the domains have completely different registration information and IPs.

I am glad you are subscribing to this thread honey because you owe me $20 from here

- Michael

 

Yep, If it wasn't indexed then it isnt 'aged' but I prefer axis7 to upgradeyourmobilephoneagain.com

 

Thanks for info Micheal.

Design Agent - Yeah, but "upgradeyourmobilephoneagain.com" would probably not be my new url name... though I do see your point. I was just thinking of coming up with a new name instead of Axis7 that is easier to get to when you just say it...