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Keyword rich domains

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Ant84

Are they still worth the money?

I've been offered a domain which is an exact match (hyphenated) for one of our main key phrases. The cost of this domain is £495 and if it brings in extra customers then it'll certainly pay for itself in no time.

I've been told by our SEO consultant (whose opinion and knowledge I trust) that it would be much easier to rank with this new domain, but obviously it doesn't hurt to get a few more opinions on the matter.

For example, if you're offering car insurace (hypothetical of course), would it be much easier to rank www.car-insurance.co.uk than www.bobsinsurance.co.uk? Just a quick example there but you get the idea.

Also, do domain squatters allow for much negotiation or is it a price set in stone? I have no qualms with putting in cheeky offers but only if I'm not completely wasting my time.

Any advice is very much appreciated, as always.
 
Why would the new domain bring in extra customers?

One assumes you are going to just do a redirect to your existing site so what's the point. On the other hand, if you are going to build up and promote the new domain name that means two sites to manage not just one.

I really wouldn't bother. The great rush of 2010 for exact match domains names is long gone, Google caught on with what people were doing and tweaked the algo do reduce the benefits.

Others of course may have a different opinion...
 
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fisicx said:
Why would the new domain bring in extra customers?
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Well that's the question I'm asking, really. If it does hold enough weight to rank easily, then obviously a better Google ranking usuall equals more traffic and, in turn, more customers.

One assumes you are going to just do a redirect to your existing site so what's the point. On the other hand, if you are going to build up and promote the new domain name that means two sites to manage not just one.

I really wouldn't bother. The great rush of 2010 for exact match domains names is long gone, Google caught on with what people were doing and tweaked the algo do reduce the benefits.

Others of course may have a different opinion...
Click to expand...

I haven't thought about whether I'd redirect it to my existing site or move the service page in question from the current site to the new one. It's only very recently I've been offered the domain so I hadn't thought that far ahead.

However, if what you say is true about the Google algorithm, then I'll probably not bother with it.
 
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Exact match domains have an advantage without doubt.

How long this remains the case is unknown at this stage.

Earl
 
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Yes earl but if you simply 301 redirect to an existing site the advantage is lost.

To get any benefit you need something on that domain for the SE to index.
 
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You don't get an exact match bonus with a hyphenated domain. It has to be all one word.
 
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...and to add, 'domain squatters' will very rarely negotiate on the price of their domains.
 
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Hmm, looks like it's still up in the air whether this might be worth it. Judging by the recent posts, I'd give the new domain its own page rather than redirecting it to my current website.

Any other input on this?
 
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Ant84 said:
Are they still worth the money?

I've been offered a domain which is an exact match (hyphenated) for one of our main key phrases. The cost of this domain is £495 and if it brings in extra customers then it'll certainly pay for itself in no time.
Click to expand...

If you asked this question about 3~5+ years ago we would have replied with a definite yes ! We were buying good keyword domains at regular TLD prices, placing those on well SEO'd sites and we would appear on the first page, sometimes at No 1 in Google in a matter of days.

Regretably that no longer works for obvious reasons.

For example we recently paid several hundred dollars for lost-property.com and dog-walkers.com (we were not happy about the hyphenation nor the prices but had no choice) and have no expectation of those appearing well in Google SERPs for "lost property" and "dog walkers" for at least a couple of years.

So if you can be patient go for it but don't expect a fast ROI.
.
 
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An exact match domain is a big SEO advantage, but using your example, a true exact match domain would be carinsurance.co.uk, not car-insurance.co.uk.

When buying the domain from a private buyer, be sure to haggle and negotiate HARD! Here's the thing about domainers (people who buy domains cheap hoping to sell for much higher) - they usually have very few interested buyers for long periods - a domainer might buy the domain "car-insurance.co.uk" with the foresight of selling it for large profits, but then he may only have 1 enquiry from a potential buyer in a 12 month period. Therefore, you're in a much stronger position to negotiate than most acknowledge.

An exact match domain would bring in extra customers, but truthly it's an unquantifiable investment. Your SEO consultant is right in saying that it will be easier to rank, as the only advantages in exact match domains is purely an SEO advantage:

1) Google see's you as an authority
2) Searchers will subsconsciously see you as an authority, therefore you're likely to get increased clicks even if you're not ranking #1

Be sure to check the age of the domain too. If the domain is one year or older then you will rank even quicker.

Using your situation though, £495 for a exact-match domain is a good price, if I was in your position I would go for it and not only for the SEO benefits; the domain can be classed as a business asset and will add more value to the worth of your company
 
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There is still shed loads of value in keyword domains even more so on yahoo and bing. Anyone that thinks there is no value in a keyword domain is an idiot.

I happen to have a keyword domain with two hyphens in for a competitve area and it is ranking very well.

The exact match is stronger than a domain with one hyphen and i reckon a keyword domain with one hyphen is stronger than one with two hyphens.

I can't understand how people feel compelled to poo poo these types of domains, it's like all the white hat tards that think sitting around waiting for people to link to them is the way to make money.
 
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sirearl said:
Not true.

Earl
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You're 100% wrong ;)

There is no exact match bonus for a hyphened domain. I'd say the only benefit is an indirect one where people are far more likely to give you the anchor text you wanted when they link to you.
 
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That search result proves absolutely nothing...

If hyphenated domains got an exact match benefit why aren't we seeing lots of reported higher value sales for them?
 
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JohnnyCash said:
That search result proves absolutely nothing...

If hyphenated domains got an exact match benefit why aren't we seeing lots of reported higher value sales for them?
Click to expand...

Well we flogged 3 wind farms this week.:eek:

Not sure what you expect.?:)

Earl
 
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I did expect an on topic, sensible reply - I guess that was hoping for a bit much though.
 
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JohnnyCash said:
I did expect an on topic, sensible reply - I guess that was hoping for a bit much though.
Click to expand...

I have given a perfect example where a keyword rich domain with a hyphen gains quite an advantage over much more powerfull sites.

your lack of understanding is not my responsibility.:|

Earl
 
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Ant84 said:
Hmm, looks like it's still up in the air whether this might be worth it. Judging by the recent posts, I'd give the new domain its own page rather than redirecting it to my current website.

Any other input on this?
Click to expand...

£495 is a lot of money to pay for a hyphenated domain and unless your business is very profitable I doubt you'll ever get your money back. Bear in mind that you're going to have to develop a new site on the back of this which is going to take some time and effort.

If you are convinced by people saying that a hyphenated domain has value then ask them to put there money where there mouth is and underwrite your investment.

If you want to research the matter further then Danny Sullivan, Rand Fishkin and Matt Cutts are the voices of authority on this issue. See what you find ;)

Here's your first link
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/exact-match-domains-are-far-too-powerful-is-their-time-limited
 
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sirearl said:
I have given a perfect example where a keyword rich domain with a hyphen gains quite an advantage over much more powerfull sites.

your lack of understanding is not my responsibility.:|

Earl
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You've picked one random example of a domain with a hyphen ranking. It could be outranking those non hyphened domains for a variety of reasons.

If Hyphenated exact match domains get an exact match benefit, why aren't the prices of hyphenated domains being driven up like their non hyphened alternatives?
 
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sirearl said:
I have given a perfect example where a keyword rich domain with a hyphen gains quite an advantage over much more powerfull sites.

your lack of understanding is not my responsibility.:|

Earl
Click to expand...

Nobody else is targeting wind farm as a search term? Of course you knew that - right?
 
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JohnnyCash said:
If Hyphenated exact match domains get an exact match benefit, why aren't the prices of hyphenated domains being driven up like their non hyphened alternatives?
Click to expand...

I suspect that people do not realise that hyphened domains very often can have an advantage.

Old wives tales e.t.c.;)

Earl
 
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crossdaz said:
Nobody else is targeting wind farm as a search term? Of course you knew that - right?
Click to expand...

Of course he knows... just being silly as usual :)

Earl can you show us a few examples of hyphenated domains getting an exact match bonus for a phrase that actually has any search volume of value, and is even moderately competitive?
 
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sirearl said:
I believe Tin ( ray) gives lessons in SEO if you are interested.?:|

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wi..._gc.r_pw.&fp=ed4c783e8cf55657&biw=922&bih=520

Earl
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Surely an example that actually gets searched would be better?

I have done testing with hyphenated and they never perform as well as non hyphenated. They may help over a domain completely unrelated but they are nothing compared to non hyphenated exact match keywords.

So many people say they don't work, but they are so easy to rank for average keyterms :)
 
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There are so many factor involved and even those are constantly changing...
I seem to find fresh content has more of an effect that URL matches.
 
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sirearl said:
Oh really you mean like wiki.?:D

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wi..._gc.r_pw.&fp=ab90aaaebdbbd579&biw=922&bih=520

Earl
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Of course I forgot Jimmy Wales the wind farm guy :)

When wiki are on the same page for your search term because of random text in the body that is a very clear signal that google are struggling to find a good result.

I'm not going to stand by while the op throws £500 down the drain on the back of ill informed advice so carry this on all you like pal.
 
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A domain containing keywords has a benefit over one containing none, this is fact.

We also know as fact that when using adwords the click through rate is well higer than non key words so the op is making a good investment.

We also now have the google serps showing domain under the title of the serps making domain become more prominent seen as it is read before the snippet now. All in all the op is buying something that has seo value and the clickability factor, we all know free traffic is getting less and less.

Don't listen to the bull shitters that go on about "keyword being devalued" blah blah get real.
 
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MASSEY said:
Don't listen to the bull shitters that go on about "keyword being devalued" blah blah get real.
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The key here is 'exact match'. A hyphen is not an exact match - it is two separate keywords

Exact match keyword (or keyphrase) still gets a boost but it has to be all one word. There is no evidence to suggest a hyphenated domain ever did get a boost unless it was also getting some anchor text benefit in backlinks as mentioned previously.

I'd suggest a hyphenated domain is going to be a handicap in future with the impact of panda because they can look spammy. If you have a good key phrase and there is no other option the fair enough but no way is it worth paying a premium for.

Over time the biggest influence is going to be how many people look directly for your site with a branded search term and this is where exact match will become less of a factor.
 
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MASSEY said:
If you had a lesson off tin and he suggested hyphens get the same % benefit as an exact match benefit you wanna get on to him for your money back :D

You can't use a hyphen domain that is a .biz and has only very weak competition,
Click to expand...

1.5 million searches a month for wind farm according to adwords may be a tad weak to you.;)

Earl
 
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crossdaz said:
The key here is 'exact match'. A hyphen is not an exact match - it is two separate keywords

Exact match keyword (or keyphrase) still gets a boost but it has to be all one word. There is no evidence to suggest a hyphenated domain ever did get a boost unless it was also getting some anchor text benefit in backlinks as mentioned previously.

I'd suggest a hyphenated domain is going to be a handicap in future with the impact of panda because they can look spammy. If you have a good key phrase and there is no other option the fair enough but no way is it worth paying a premium for.

Over time the biggest influence is going to be how many people look directly for your site with a branded search term and this is where exact match will become less of a factor.
Click to expand...

Im aware that the hyphen does not get the benefit of the exact but a domain containing keywords does help and an exact with hyphen will help a little but no where near the same as the true exact, i have plenty of evidence from personal experience. If your doing seo on a budget every little helps, especially for the likes of yahoo and bing they love domains that contain keywords, they still give vast benefit to exact domains and domains that are not exact but contain keywords.

Personally i think people are more interested in what you can do for them over what you are called, B&Q went for the keyword domain and they do alright.

The domain won't cost the full 495 to the op anyway you get tax relief on business expenses.
 
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Can someone please explain how a single word can be an exact match for a two word phrase?

If my keywords are car insurance then surely car-insurance will be a better match than carinsurance. Google said years ago that hyphens and underscores are treated like spaces so a hyphenated domain is the better option.

And another thing. An exact match domain is only any good for one set of keywords, expand the business and it can be a hinderance. So if you have a generic domain name (like amazon) it's easier to diversify.
 
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fisicx said:
Can someone please explain how a single word can be an exact match for a two word phrase?

If my keywords are car insurance then surely car-insurance will be a better match than carinsurance. Google said years ago that hyphens and underscores are treated like spaces so a hyphenated domain is the better option.

And another thing. An exact match domain is only any good for one set of keywords, expand the business and it can be a hinderance. So if you have a generic domain name (like amazon) it's easier to diversify.
Click to expand...

Where A hyphened domain comes into its own is in cases where the search engines can not seperate the words.

As in the often quoted example www.expertsexchange.

Earl
 
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