how do you find out the value of a domain for SEO purposes? The company i work for has a list of domain names we are looking to acquire that has specific keywords in them. Some using hypens, some not. Right now i'm looking up the keywords in Google Suggest and Overture keyword tool to see how popular those keywords are. Is there any other way to determine the value of these domain names for SEO purposes?
I think that is your best bet. Keywords in the domain name are definitely a great way to get rankings for many terms...if not a serious boost. Type-in traffic is also possible if the domain is right. The biggest issue with multiple domains is really the content. Creating fresh and good content is really important as are any admin considerations with multiple sites. But, back to your original question, the best case would be thisistheterm.com for the term "thisistheterm". Weighing that against the number of queries found on WordTracker or Shawn's term suggestion tool (WordTracker and OV) for the terms is the way to go. Only you know the value of the terms (Adsense, retail sales, etc) versus traffic. Hope that makes some sense.
i have a list of about 50 domains we are looking at. I was asked to compare them and figure out which one would be the best one to purchase for seo purposes. What would you do to compare these domains?
The shorter the domain name the better. But don't be afraid to purchase extra ones, since you never know when you might want to put up more sites within your field. Good site names can also be a good investment.
Your definately on the right track, the OVT Keyword Tool is a good quick guide to determine keyword search counts.
Don't forget that the domain name is for humans too: How easy is it to remember? How "spammy" does it seem? How well does it describe the content of the site? SEO is great, but remember end users are people, not robots.