question State or city

[Belal Elrawy]

Which combination is better when registering a geo domain: a city + niche or a state + niche?
Which one is more desirable and better for SEO?

 

[Future Sensors]

Tagging @bmugford

 

[forge]

Here's a broom. For your sweeping generalizations.

 

[Future Sensors]

Tagging @forge

 

[bmugford]

Tagging @bmugford

Geo term first.

City is better than state, in most cases.

However, you want the dominant metro more than suburb cities of major metros.

The better the term, the lower tier the city can be.

Brad

 

[SpareDomains]

city + niche

If someone is looking for a service it's easier if it's within a hour or two away. Searching state + niche could put the service many hours away depending on the state size.

 

[Future Sensors]

Do some verticals, maybe insurance, lean more toward "state" domains?

 

[SpareDomains]

Do some verticals, maybe insurance, lean more toward "state" domains?

Insurance would be less location specific since most can be done online, with that said I've still done the best with city over state.

Take State Farm for example. My agent in Chicagoland by me, headquarters in farmland USA Bloomington, Illinois. I pay everything online so that geo doesn't matter so much. Now if I need a garage door installed I'm definitely gonna prefer Chicago garage door over Illinois garage door as I'm not gonna pay someone to drive 4-5 hours to me from southern Illinois with a heavy garage door.

 

[bmugford]

Do some verticals, maybe insurance, lean more toward "state" domains?

Sure. Certain terms work better at a state level.

It also depends on state size as well.

Some big states can be good for branding, even outside the local aspect.

FloridaFinance.com or something is a pretty good brand.

Or something a state is know for -

IdahoPotatoes.com is a lot better than any city there.

There is certainly some nuance to GEO domains.

Brad

 

[Donmarick]

I would go city in most scenarios

 

[AEProgram]

if you share an industry example, you will get more specific answers.

 

[nicenic]

City plus niche usually captures stronger intent because users search hyper local more than statewide.