Are keyword domains any good?
Supposedly, keyword domains no longer matter for SEO because Google doesn't use them as a ranking factor!?
I am here to tell you that the domain name matters because of people's reactions to your domain name.
(Scroll to the end if you want to know how to buy a good domain.)
⬆Brand name
A good domain name signals authority...
Most people know that a good domain name costs a lot.
On the other hand, if it didn't cost a lot of money, the website owner probably bought the domain name years ago. More years in the game signal experience, which is also a positive signal.
A domain name also adds recognizability when it is relevant to the search and adds to the quality signals the user is looking for, along with the title, meta description, and URL structure.
Recognizability is something big brands have, so a good domain name will add brand value to your business.
⬆CTR increases
A brand name will increase click-through rates to the site, which is crucial for SEO.
⬆Conversion rate increases
A brand name will increase conversion rates, which adds value to your business.
Personal Experience
I ran my solo business within B2B consulting.
The domain name was the name of the service area with the country code ending (.dk for Denmark).
Clients hardly ever questioned the authority of the online company, even though I competed against well-known law firms. Even old friends thought the business was managed by an entire team because of the site name.
How to buy a good domain name?
Good domain names are often taken already, so what do you do?
1) The domain might be unused and privately owned and not put up for sale.
The owner might have purchased the domain name +20 years ago, hoping to make a quick buck, but never received any offers as he expected.
--> Cold call the owner. If you offer a "good-enough" price, you might get it. I bought 1 domain like this for 2 average monthly wages.
2) The domain might be used on an old sleepy site with old content.
The owner put a lot of effort into creating a blog when that was very popular, but life happened, so he probably stopped developing the site.
--> Like before, you could offer the owner a reasonable price and, unlike before, also get his content and traffic. I bought 1 domain like this at 1 average monthly wage, which my entire business was later built on.
3) The domain name might be sold on a domain broker's website.
Some domain traders harvest the internet for good domain names and sell them through an online auction.
The individual sellers might have 10.000 domain names and buy and sell as if it was the movie "Moneyball".
This will open opportunities if you have special knowledge about a domain's meaning.
--> You might get lucky - especially if you buy an abbreviation in a foreign language from an English-speaking seller. I purchased 1 domain like this for 4 average monthly wages.
Do you have any experiences with this or questions let me know in the comments⤵️
These are helpful tips. I don't think a perfect domain is a dealbreaker, but there is certainly a bar that we have to meet. Great post!
Thanks man, and good point:-) I agree. It isn't a dealbreaker at all!
yes it works well some time! as compare to other words
Everything you say about a keyword domain name giving an online business credibility, and increasing click-through rates, and conversions is correct. That's assuming it's short, with no numbers or hyphens, and that it matches the searcher's intent. It makes me cringe to see so-called brandable domains where people add "ly" or "ify" to a word. For all the businesses that have had success with that model (e.g. Spotify), there must be hundreds that no one has ever heard of. I'll take names like Cars.com or PersonalInjuryAttorneys.com any day!
Hi @CustomClubfitter. Thank you very much for your comments:-)
Yes, you are absolutely correct - I made this assumption.
In my case, all the domains were "core" keywords, and the sites are/were built as upper funnel sites, which match the search intent.
I see it right now as I build a new site on one of the domains (I just broke 50 visitors today🥳). The clickthrough rates are insane even though I have competitors with better sites objectively (at least for now...).
Normally I go for descriptive domains., for example on colorsandfonts. com I get a lot oftraffic from Google search. Then svggradients.com com and Svgdoodles. com are picking up some traffic but not a big deal at the moment.
The rest ofmy projects have also a descriptive domain, something that users could Google. Unlike two of them, that are on subdomains.
Would you use subdomains for other projects?
Seems like a good way too:-)
What would you put on your subdomains?
Well,now I have added this for my example.
Unwrapped.design is the main
And the subdomains are.
Hey, thx for adding this. You have got me thinking about this, and I honestly don't know what one should do.
If they are separate products, but still within the same brand "unwrapped", then why would you need a subdomain?
I would generally try to keep related products within the same umbrella to build more "power" and "credibility" to the brand, the site and for SEO. But I also see why you would split it up. It seems you have a lot of cool project on different domains and subdomains. What have been your thoughts on splitting them up like this?
Well, my vision was to have Unwrapped as the main store, ( something like craftwork.design fo example ). I am adding more products slowly and then link to them from there, but also have information about what the products is about, and then link to the product and/or add a purchase button.
It sounds more complicated than it is...but I wan those products to be as a standalone as it goes.
Cool, it makes sense:-) Interesting projects you have going on!
Good luck with them💪
Great tips! The best domains aren't always available to register. That is a common newbie mistake to encounter a bunch of great domains at once when looking for domains to purchase. If there are multiple options available that you think are worth it, get a second opinion on here or on NamePros.
Thank you very much for the comment! Could you elaborate on what you mean? I am not entirely sure :-)
Yes, Keyword Focus Domains Helps You Rank Faster
"Most people know that a good domain name costs a lot."
Disagree. The average consumer doesn't know or care about domain sale price in relation to your business. The value is that they're easier to remember and search for (as you and others cover), and other TLDs are less well known and can be confusing.
If you're appealing to a more digital native consumer, "weird" TLDs can work fine. Otherwise it's simpler to stick to .com and country-specific TLDs. However with country-specific TLDs it can give the impression you're only made and targetting one market even if you're global - in which case stick to .com.
Hi @TheCapeGreek. Thank you for adding your thougts. I agree completely!
Keyword domain is not just seo but its also important because common people search and relate that way.
Keeping the same in mind,i have started a naming service recently.
https://www.nameitright.xyz/
Guys! add me on twitter if you also like to connect with more IndieHacker friends. Would love to connect more with like-minded and international solo creators!
You are right about everything you say about keyword domain names that give credibility to your online business and increase click-through and conversion rates. This assumes it's short, doesn't contain numbers or hyphens, and matches the intent of the searcher. I cringe when I see so-called brandable domains where people add "ly" or "ify" to words. For every company that has succeeded in this model (e.g. Spotify), there are bound to be hundreds of companies no one has heard of.
https://apkgarden.net/
If you are trying to target a specific keyword and this domain is an exact match, then yes. Even if there is very high competition, it is good as you can give backlinks to your homepage with the keyword as an anchor text and google will not ban you because that's your domain name.
https://ethereumprice.org/
https://www.cryptoprofitcalculator.com/
Few examples from the Crypto industry. But if your plan is to target quite a few keywords then it is not a good idea.