Does domain name affect seo?

Does domain name affect seo? For instance is there a difference between domain_name.com/wedding-hotel or domain_name.com/wedding_hotel or any other type of variation?

 

A good domain name that explicitly relate to your selected niche will boost your chances for high ranking.
This is the reason why a domain can cost a fortune.

Goodluck

 

yes .. domain does affect seo. usually, top SERPs will filled by domain related to the keywords.

 

Definately. Keyword rich domain usually rank well.

 

Yes a domain name with keywords in it definitely helps ranking. For one thing, if a site gives you a backlink that just contains your domain name, the link will also contain your keywords.

 

I prefer to choose a domain name without '-' or '_', but use '-' in directories or file names. In your case, I would go for:

domainname(dot)com/wedding-hotel

I would stay away from using '_', they are not treated same way by all search engines

 

Any small change in the URL treats SE as different. But domain name not effecting SEO, all are same even the SE spiders giving same privilege from all the extension

 

Get a load of that - 'that' and 'that' and 'that'

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Bottom line, Google prefers dashes over underscores.
You should also consider all subsequent pages to be modeled the same.

 

A keyword rich domain is always better. it can do wonders in seo

 

Yes, keyword inside domain name helps alot on SEO.
Try to avoid "-" or "_". However, if need to choose either of them, then "-" will be better "_"

 

yes it odes ....

 

yes. the primary keyword should be in the domain name and the secondary keywords in the giles names.

 

Search engines can parse hyphens not underscores, hyphens are better in domains and page names.

 

Yes, Domain name is pretty important. Like a few people said already, go with hyphens if you really need to, and try to get a keyword or two in the domain name.

 

No, I don't think so.
The rules has changed now
Google look for backlinks now.
This is what I learn from SEO.

 

if users can remember domain, its very helpful for getting traffic

 

Yes, if it short and easy to remember but now most short domain names are taken.

Hope this helps.

 

well, it helps but its not a panacea...backlinks, domain age matters much more...dont think that if you have a keyword in your domain name you will instantly receive good rankings..

 

Acquiring the dot-com of a longtail keyphrase gives you a significant advantage. How you optimize and promote the domain afterward will almost surely determine a high/top 10 ranking.

For example Google Search "gourmet gift baskets" and see who comes out on top. I can also assure you the 1st result will not always have the highest pr or be the most aged domain either.

 

Keyword rich domain names can be helpful but it seems they only contribute a small amount. The current forum is a good example with no keywords in the domain name. Other factors clearly swamp the contribution of keywords in the domain name.