using a search phrase as a domain name

[Matt1959]

I have seen this touched on before but wondered if anyone that knows could clarify?

Supposing I was a plumber living in a small town/ city say Brighton.

Supposing my trading name is xyz plumbing and I had a website called xyzplumbing.co.uk It would be reasonable to assume that someone living in Brighton that needed a plumber and used Google to locate one, would put a search phrase into Google "plumber Brighton" or "plumbing Brighton" etc etc. Now if as the plumber in Brighton, I registered the domain names plumberbrighton.co.uk and plumbingbrighton.co.uk could these sites come up on page one Google as a result of those peoples search phrases and could they be somehow linked/ redirected to my site xyz.plumbing.co.uk.

I have seen arrangement working in my home town with another trade so am wondering whether this sort of thing is as simple as it sounds!

I hope I've explained it all ok

 

[pdecaux]

Hello Matt1959!

Over the past two years or so, I have looked into this in some detail and have researched it using actual examples.

My view is that if you have a well-crafted website with targeted key phrases then the domain name only plays a very small part in how well your Website does in the search results. Nothing beats a well designed, well structured and clearly themed Website. A good use of folder paths can override any "shortfall" in your domain name, and I would not worry if I had to build a website with name seemingly unrelated to the subject of the site.

Buying the types of domain names you mention may be a good idea (especially if they have not been bought yet!) as they may be easier to remember and thus good for your marketing campaign. However, just having a good domain is no guarantee of success.

 

[DuaneJackson]

Assuming all other things being exactly equal between two sites (which is highly unlikely) then I'd expect the domain name containing the keywords to rank higher than one without.

As Phil says, the domain name on it's own wont get you good rankings.

As for redirecting the domain - that's a whole other water heater full of marine life.

 

[Matt1959]

So, can we expand on this bit here or is there a link to a relevant thread

Just interested................

 

[Invicta]

Whilst my experience is similar to Phil De Caux's, I think having the keyword phrase in the url is beneficial if it's fairly uncompetitive.

A Google UK search on "brighton plumber" lists brightonplumber.com in third place despite having no Google PageRank, no back links (well only 3 listed by Yahoo) and using frames, which is generally considered a complete no-no for search engine optimisation.

So, whilst my experience is generally similar to Phil De Caux's, having the keyword phrase in the url certainly seems beneficial if it has limited competition. However, I think it must lead to a proper site with content the search engine's can spider rather than just redirect.

I'd grab a name quickly such as brightonplumber.org.uk, brightonplumbers.co.uk or similar.

 

[bwglaw]

We bought http://www.disabilityconsultants.co.uk for one of our sites and this has increased our positioning because the domain more accurately describe what the site is about and by putting "disability consultants" in a search engine most of the time our site comes up.

We are thinking to move our site over to the new domain name

 

[pdecaux]

As Matt's second question has not been addressed :

Now if as the plumber in Brighton, I registered the domain names plumberbrighton.co.uk and plumbingbrighton.co.uk could these sites come up on page one Google as a result of those peoples search phrases and could they be somehow linked/ redirected to my site xyz.plumbing.co.uk.

Using redirects and/or duplicating content is always a difficult one to get right and if you get it wrong, you could find your website being penalised by the search engines. Provided you are open and honest about your intentions, then you will probably be alright. You need to make it obvious that the websites are different (different content, plain links, no cloak and dagger stuff) and make sure the user (and therefore the search engine robot) is in control. It is a good idea to use the general site to publicise and give quality links to your main site.

 

[Matt1959]

Phil, ok, if I understand you right, then I use those two domain names and have seperate sites constructed (single page business card type sites?) for each name in their own right which say touch on my services but redirect in an obvious way via a link on the page to my main site for more info. Whether its worth the aggro of paying for these two sites is the question although I guess they won't cost much. I guess the only other thing is that the whole arrangement can start to look a bit dodgy from a consumer point of view!

btw I'm not a plumber and I have very little competition.

 

[pdecaux]

The problem is that you need to create two/three quality websites that perform independently so that they are "liked" by search engines in their own right! This is hard work and you may not find it worthwhile.

Unfortunately, just setting up a "business card" would be pretty valueless from a page rank point of view ...

If I were you, I would buy the other domains and park them for now and concentrate on your existing site. Contribute to forums, write articles and submit to quality directories (there are some decent free/low cost ones out there!) so that you can get some quality links.

Good luck, even if you are not a plumber !

 

[Matt1959]

looks good advice! I think its all clear now. I may or may not purchase and park as you put it. Many thanks