Thoughts on domains with locations in them - newyorkveganfood.com

[sunny af]

thoughts on domains with locations such as:

newyorkveganfood.com
restaurantcincinnati.com
dawsonvilleweddings.com

 

[mattyy]

thoughts on domains with locations such as:

newyorkveganfood.com
restaurantcincinnati.com
dawsonvilleweddings.com

Geographic domains are superb in my opinion. With these domains, you instantaneously have a TA whom you should try and market the domains towards, and from personal experience, these domains are not the hardest to sell by any means.

 

[sunny af]

Geographic domains are superb in my opinion. With these domains, you instantaneously have a TA whom you should try and market the domains towards, and from personal experience, these domains are not the hardest to sell by any means.

Thank you for your reply! That was kind of my thinking too and have started to reach out to local businesses via email, so far without success. But I figure it's a numbers game.

 

[DealMaker1]

I agree. These are solid names. They are SV names that people type into search. They have immediate, tangible value.

It is a strange thing for me that most new domainers would rather register nonsense names rather than pick high percentage, SV names like these to start out (until they at least get a sense of buying good brand domains). With a bit of patience, you are sure to make some money. You can even hand reg some of these still! Depending on how much exact SV the keywords get, you could be looking at anywhere from mid $xx to low $xxxx to resellers for these types of domains. It's funny many people dont realize these keywords are EXACTLY what people are looking for! In some ways, they are better than brands because brands can go bankrupt, but these keywords never will! They are guaranteed from month to month whatever the circumstance, for years to come.

Low $xxx reseller

Cheers

 

[Astner]

All these domains are too long and clunky.

Extra keywords always hurt the value of a domain. NewYorkVeganFood.com is going to be less valuable than e.g. VeganFood.com. As for domains like RestaurantCincinnati.com, why would anyone be interested in this domain? Unless you've named your restaurant after the city it's located in (which would be odd) no one has a use for this domain.

If your intent is to cheat your way into a high SEO score with an exact match domain, it doesn't work, and it hasn't worked for well over a decade.

Just because a website has a keyword in its domain name doesn’t mean that it’s more relevant than others for that keyword.

In short, you don’t need to put keywords in the domain name. - John Mueller, Google

 

[DealMaker1]

KoAll these domains are too long and clunky.

Extra keywords always hurt the value of a domain. NewYorkVeganFood.com is going to be less valuable than e.g. VeganFood.com. As for domains like RestaurantCincinnati.com, why would anyone be interested in this domain? Unless you've named your restaurant after the city it's located in (which would be odd) no one has a use for this domain.

If your intent is to cheat your way into a high SEO score with an exact match domain, it doesn't work, and it hasn't worked for well over a decade.

They may be clunky to you because you are seeing them as a brand. They are not brands. They are exact match domains used for SEO purposes and that is not cheating, it is only smart. If I find some keywords that get 5000 exact match searches, why wouldn't I buy the .com? It makes sense. 5000 people are searching, dependably, for that exact generic term, every month, without foreseeable end, and only with some fluctuation. Google's whole thing is to bring searchers to a place where content is closest to the search keywords. Keyword domains are STILL a large part of the equation, regardless of what Mueller says. Talk to 10 different guys at the Google search department and you will get 10 different answers. Take what they say with a grain of salt as they will never divulge their actual algorithms in any case.

Do long tail keyword searches and you will find keyword domains often on page two. And actually as an SEO person, this is all you can ask for in terms of selling product designated by the generic keyword terms.

As far as it having been "over" ten years ago, that is incorrect. If that were the case, carinsurance.com, a keyword domain, would no longer get SEO juice for having those generic keywords, and this is just not the case. It gets juice from both the brand and its generic nature.

Generic keyword domains are not as potent as they once were 15 years ago, as brands have become more important, but they still play a large role in garnering traffic to your specific niche.

These longer names obviously have no aesthetic value, but they can certainly help boost sales to an established brand.

Cheers

 

[sunny af]

I agree. These are solid names. They are SV names that people type into search. They have immediate, tangible value.

It is a strange thing for me that most new domainers would rather register nonsense names rather than pick high percentage, SV names like these to start out (until they at least get a sense of buying good brand domains). With a bit of patience, you are sure to make some money. You can even hand reg some of these still! Depending on how much exact SV the keywords get, you could be looking at anywhere from mid $xx to low $xxxx to resellers for these types of domains. It's funny many people dont realize these keywords are EXACTLY what people are looking for! In some ways, they are better than brands because brands can go bankrupt, but these keywords never will! They are guaranteed from month to month whatever the circumstance, for years to come.

Low $xxx reseller

Cheers

Thank you for your thoughtful response!

 

[DealMaker1]

Btw, it HAS been 10 years since Google disallowed keyword stuffing of domains ie having keyword domains without content. In order for keyword domains to get SEO boost these days, you have to have a great, highly relevant site with very targetted content.

 

[Astner]

As far as it having been "over" ten years ago, that is incorrect. If that were the case, carinsurance.com, a keyword domain, would no longer get SEO juice for having those generic keywords, and this is just not the case. It gets juice from both the brand and its generic nature.

What SEO juice? It's not even on the front page (or even the second page) for [car insurance]. The traffic it does get comes from the site there that people click on.

Generic keyword domains are not as potent as they once were 15 years ago, as brands have become more important, but they still play a large role in garnering traffic to your specific niche.

Do you have any evidence for this? Because I'll have no reason to take your word for it over a lead programmer for Google's search engine.

It doesn't even make sense from a search engine perspective to make use of the keyword composition of the domain. If people search for [buy apples] what reason would there be to redirect them Apple's site? Because that's what you're advocating for.

Btw, it HAS been 10 years since Google disallowed keyword stuffing of domains ie having keyword domains without content. In order for keyword domains to get SEO boost these days, you have to have a great, highly relevant site with very targetted content.

So in order to get a good SEO with an exact match domain you need a site that generates good SEO already? It seems like you're just muddying the waters here. Your statement is effectively impossible to prove or disprove without access to Google's search engine algorithms. Even then, you dismissed John Mueller's explanation without presenting any counter statements.

If what you said is true then sites like boatrentals and rentboats wouldn't be parked, they'd capitalize on the supposed traffic could generate.

 

[DealMaker1]

What SEO juice? It's not even on the front page (or even the second page) for [car insurance]. The traffic it does get comes from the site there that people click on.


Do you have any evidence for this? Because I'll have no reason to take your word for it over a lead programmer for Google's search engine.

It doesn't even make sense from a search engine perspective to make use of the keyword composition of the domain. If people search for [buy apples] what reason would there be to redirect them Apple's site? Because that's what you're advocating for.


So in order to get a good SEO with an exact match domain you need a site that generates good SEO already? It seems like you're just muddying the waters here. Your statement is effectively impossible to prove or disprove without access to Google's search engine algorithms. Even then, you dismissed John Mueller's explanation without presenting any counter statements.

If what you said is true then sites like boatrentals and rentboats wouldn't be parked, they'd capitalize on the supposed traffic could generate.

Hey Bub,

I was just giving a possible example with "car insurance". Don't take it so literally, otherwise you miss the big picture. There are many keyword examples one could cite.

Why would I want you to take my word for it? Please don't. I was just explaining what I see. 10 years ago Matt Cutts explained they were going to disallow keyword stuffing. I actually saw that happen. I haven't seen what Mueller said come true. So like I said, 10 different programmers, ten different answers.

Interesting you should use "buy apples" as an example. Google's algorithm will assume you are looking for what the majority of people are looking for, the computer and not the fruit, and will show you results accordingly. I would never register buyapples.com (if I have a fruit store) because of this. However, I would register "buyelectronics.com" knowing Amazon will be in position one. Even if I can get to page 2 and garner 1% of the traffic for "buy electronics" I'd be happy with that.

First you find a domain that has high exact match SV and then you put up a site with great content that matches the keywords. Pretty straight forward. But you could also already have an electronics site and buy a new domain for it. No one "right" way. Just have to find out what works for you via experimentation.

If I had boatrentals.com, I would definitely build it out and try to get it to page two. It has enough exact match SV in order to make it worth it. I would be looking at trying to build a long-term asset with great content and affiliate links, not an overnight fortune. Knowing people will be always ne looking for those keywords gives me impetus to build this asset and keep it...or sell it at a multiple. I know many people don't like this business plan because it takes time. But anything worth it DOES take time. That's just how it is.

Cheers

 

[Jordon M.]

Low-xx to High-xx ea.

 

[VadimK]

They do have some value (yes, because of exact match or SEO), however not near what you probably expect to sell them for. You'll be very lucky to get some low to mid XXX for New York one. Cincinnati is less likely and even less - Dawsonville, which, if I am not mistaken, has about 4000 people in population - just too narrow of a niche.

Generally I wouldn't go too much into specific Geo domains nowadays. But, on the other hand - this is a niche where you might try some outbound and succeed (again, on a lower price tag).

 

[Alop]

Recycle bin these give them to VadimK for reg fee

 

[Astner]

I was just giving a possible example with "car insurance". Don't take it so literally, otherwise you miss the big picture. There are many keyword examples one could cite.

But this is the example you chose to facilitate your argument.

Why would I want you to take my word for it? Please don't. I was just explaining what I see. 10 years ago Matt Cutts explained they were going to disallow keyword stuffing. I actually saw that happen. I haven't seen what Mueller said come true. So like I said, 10 different programmers, ten different answers.

In Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide they make it clear that the subdomain and the directory is accounted for in the SEO, and for different counties a ccTLD can help. But one of the things that's not mentioned is the keywords in the SLD.

It gets even more interesting when you consider the fact that Google wants you to separate words in the directories by hyphens, e.g. mysite.com/today-i-ran-a-mile (recommended), as opposed to using underscores or joining the words, e.g. mysite.com/today_i_ran_a_mile or mysite.com/todayiranamile (not recommended).

So why is this interesting? Because hyphens are generally discouraged in SLD. If I was a search engine programmer I'd ignore to the SLD altogether, but if I had to account for it I'd analyze it the same way I'd analyze the directories, and in that case vegan-foods.com would be more valuable than veganfoods.com for SEO.

Interesting you should use "buy apples" as an example. Google's algorithm will assume you are looking for what the majority of people are looking for, the computer and not the fruit, and will show you results accordingly. I would never register buyapples.com (if I have a fruit store) because of this. However, I would register "buyelectronics.com" knowing Amazon will be in position one. Even if I can get to page 2 and garner 1% of the traffic for "buy electronics" I'd be happy with that.

When I Google [buy apples] my first result is agro-market24.eu. It might have to do with my location, but still.

Now I'm not sure if you're being facetious by saying you'd never register buyapples.com, because that domain is a lot easier to sell than any of the domains in the OP that you valued at $XX - $X,XXX.

First you find a domain that has high exact match SV and then you put up a site with great content that matches the keywords. Pretty straight forward. But you could also already have an electronics site and buy a new domain for it. No one "right" way. Just have to find out what works for you via experimentation.

I understand what you're saying, I just don't think you're correct.

Of course, if your site is buyelectronics.com then your site name is going to be "Buy Electronics," and that phrase (and related phrases) is going to be repeated throughout the site, which is going to be reflected in the SEO. But if you uploaded the exact same site to the domain hsgapfhwif.com I think it would have the same result. In other words, it's the site, not the SLD that matters.

If I had boatrentals.com, I would definitely build it out and try to get it to page two. It has enough exact match SV in order to make it worth it. I would be looking at trying to build a long-term asset with great content and affiliate links, not an overnight fortune. Knowing people will be always ne looking for those keywords gives me impetus to build this asset and keep it...or sell it at a multiple. I know many people don't like this business plan because it takes time. But anything worth it DOES take time. That's just how it is.

How is building a simple Wordpress site and then send out a bunch of requests for affiliate links "time-consuming?" It takes what, 2-3 hours? Either way, it would be worth the investment.

Of course, the way I see it this, in itself, wouldn't be enough to actually garner any traffic. And this falls in line with the behavior of most of these Exact Match Domain owners.

 

[sunny af]

Very interesting. Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[DealMaker1]

But this is the example you chose to facilitate your argument.


In Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide they make it clear that the subdomain and the directory is accounted for in the SEO, and for different counties a ccTLD can help. But one of the things that's not mentioned is the keywords in the SLD.

It gets even more interesting when you consider the fact that Google wants you to separate words in the directories by hyphens, e.g. mysite.com/today-i-ran-a-mile (recommended), as opposed to using underscores or joining the words, e.g. mysite.com/today_i_ran_a_mile or mysite.com/todayiranamile (not recommended).

So why is this interesting? Because hyphens are generally discouraged in SLD. If I was a search engine programmer I'd ignore to the SLD altogether, but if I had to account for it I'd analyze it the same way I'd analyze the directories, and in that case vegan-foods.com would be more valuable than veganfoods.com for SEO.


When I Google [buy apples] my first result is agro-market24.eu. It might have to do with my location, but still.

Now I'm not sure if you're being facetious by saying you'd never register buyapples.com, because that domain is a lot easier to sell than any of the domains in the OP that you valued at $XX - $X,XXX.


I understand what you're saying, I just don't think you're correct.

Of course, if your site is buyelectronics.com then your site name is going to be "Buy Electronics," and that phrase (and related phrases) is going to be repeated throughout the site, which is going to be reflected in the SEO. But if you uploaded the exact same site to the domain hsgapfhwif.com I think it would have the same result. In other words, it's the site, not the SLD that matters.



How is building a simple Wordpress site and then send out a bunch of requests for affiliate links "time-consuming?" It takes what, 2-3 hours? Either way, it would be worth the investment.

Of course, the way I see it this, in itself, wouldn't be enough to actually garner any traffic. And this falls in line with the behavior of most of these Exact Match Domain owners.

So I'll just respond to one thing, since I think the rest is really up to debate and splitting hairs is really not my thing.

There is no way you can build a proper site in 2-3 hours. And I mean PROPER. Not garbage content where a person is just saying nonsense for the sake of nonsense and speed. I see so many of these duplicate, crash-dummy sites and Google ranks them off in the forest somewhere.

To do a proper job, a person needs patience. It is the same for exact keyword domains. You won't get ranked just because you put up some shoddy site within an hour. A proper site takes time. That's what quality is all about. This is the highest priority for Google search.

And I would suggest, yes, your location definitely affects your search results.

Cheers.

 

[lock]

They certainly work for local businesses but i hate how long they need to be to be relevant.

 

[DealMaker1]

They certainly work for local businesses but i hate how long they need to be to be relevant.

Yes, I agree. But there are no short-cuts. It seems intuitive that the computer is so fast so "overnight success" seems a possibility. But think of it this way: there are MILLIONS of onliners all over the world competing for a share of the market. The only way you get success at that game is by producing quality. The sooner a person accepts this, the less time will be wasted in fruitless endeavour. So perhaps it's best to make sure you love what you are doing so patience won't be so hard to practice.

Cheers

 

[Astner]

So I'll just respond to one thing, since I think the rest is really up to debate and splitting hairs is really not my thing.

There is no way you can build a proper site in 2-3 hours. And I mean PROPER. Not garbage content where a person is just saying nonsense for the sake of nonsense and speed. I see so many of these duplicate, crash-dummy sites and Google ranks them off in the forest somewhere.

To do a proper job, a person needs patience. It is the same for exact keyword domains. You won't get ranked just because you put up some shoddy site within an hour. A proper site takes time. That's what quality is all about. This is the highest priority for Google search.

And I would suggest, yes, your location definitely affects your search results.

Cheers.

There was another thing I thought about, which was the the choice of gTLD doesn't matter.

So if we accept this, then according to what you said, buyelectronics.club should have the same SEO potential as buyelectronics.com, right? I bring this up because buyelectronics.club isn't registered. Would you be willing to put your money where you mouth is and buy it and build said site for traffic?

 

[DealMaker1]

There was another thing I thought about, which was the the choice of gTLD doesn't matter.

So if we accept this, then according to what you said, buyelectronics.club should have the same SEO potential as buyelectronics.com, right? I bring this up because buyelectronics.club isn't registered. Would you be willing to put your money where you mouth is and buy it and build said site for traffic?

Hmmm. I never said anything about gTLDS or which one is better.

I would never reg a .club. I stick to .com, when I can. I am one of the people that sees Google still prefers .com. Perhaps I'm old school, but I think solid keywords and .com are still a good combo, if you know what you are doing.

I look at this all as more of an art than a science. For you it is more a science than art. And that is about it.