Question for SEO experts: is the domain name REALLY important?

[grace5]

backlinks,backlinks,backlinks...
they will make all the differance

the keyword in the domain is very good and will usually out run most of the competetion but only so far ,age is always great but votes (backlinks) is what gets you in the top ten.

 

[Shaggy]

SEO or not, aged domains are priceless and will rank higher then a newly regged domain name!


Aged Domain VS New Domain + same SEO applied = AGED Domain Higher Rank!


Google favors aged domains! - apply the same SEO using my formula and you will see for yourself!

Thats true and all, but it all depends on what life that name had. I have picked up a few names that expired and turned around and slapped on good content and it took a long time to show up on google. I register a brand new name, never registered, and slap on some content and it shows on google within weeks. I think it has to do alot with how the name was raised if it has age.

 

[adonivideo]

Long term SEO, if you don't have control of a top level TLD, we dont' even take you on as a client. You build a real SEO/SEM campaign around ONE THING, a keyword. No keyword then you will NEVER control page one for long term. Google discounts on ppc to exact match domains, links to exact match domains pop link value, etc, etc, etc.

 

[briteday]

Hmmm, well, I have been using Market Samurai as a tool for determining the first page google competition for a potential keyword, assuming my domain would be exact or very close to the keyword (and .com, .net, or .org). What I tend to see as a pattern is that domain age and backlinks gets them onto the first page. However, if there is an exact match domain, especially if it has been properly SEO configured, it makes it into that top elite even though it lacks age, PR, and may be weak on backlinks.

 

[PlayaSwe]

I think it's a combination of many factors, not only backlinks. A premium domain name and good on-page SEO certainly helps.

 

[DomainsInc]

its certainly not as big of a factor as it was before googles 'panda' update. i had domains that were number one for their keywords for years drop like a stone from the listings after that.

 

[midgetlov]

There's a lot of myths being thrown out in this thread, so I thought I should try to clear the confusion...

its certainly not as big of a factor as it was before googles 'panda' update

Incorrect - the Panda update didn't focus on keyword domains, it targeted low quality sites with useless content. If your sites suffered, it isn't because of the domain.

What I tend to see as a pattern is that domain age and backlinks gets them onto the first page.

age is always great...

Domain "age" hasn't mattered ever since Google became a registrar (SEVERAL years ago). For some reason, a high majority of Domainers still think this is a good way to assign a value to a domain - and it's complete nonsense! Whenever a domain gets transferred to a new owner - Google knows it. The domain's "age" starts over.
Think about it this way - if you hand register a domain today (2011) that someone registered back in 1995 but let expire a few years later, do you think you now own a domain that is 16 years old? Of course not.
It doesn't matter if you purchased a domain that has expired, dropped, or was transferred via acquisition - once Google knows there's a new owner they hit the reset button.

I think the reason people believe a domain's age has value is simply because they're confusing "age" with "trust". Everyone has heard of Google's PageRank algo - but not everyone knows about TrustRank. Basically, your website's reputation is created over time. Google follows your site's progression and actions over time and assigns you a "trust" rating. The more they trust you, the higher you rank. This is why Amazon can rank #1 for the most competitive keywords while having duplicate content and an impossible-to-index site architecture, but XYZSite.com wouldn't get past the 50th page.

TrustRank = Reputation over Time
Domain Age = Amount of Time a Domain has been Owned

Domain Age by itself means absolutely nothing...and both the TrustRank & Age get reset once a domain gets transferred to a new owner.

For those that are just dying to argue something like: "Well, what if Amazon sells their company & domain - Are you saying they would get reset!?!"

Nope. There are definitely ways to maintain but it would take me way too long to explain. The quickest way for me to answer is this: If Amazon got acquired, the new owner wouldn't suddenly change the entire site and turn them into a comic book store. They would still be the same company, and therefore would be able to keep all the relevancy they had from before.


In any case - back to the original question about keywords in a domain...
They help.
How much? No idea.
Impact/Benefits will depend on the competition for the keyword.

I do know that to get ranked in Bing/Yahoo having the keyword in the domain is extremely helpful. As for Google...they are REALLY good at identifying & applying other relevancy signals for determining rankings.

Assuming everything else is equal - having the keyword in the domain will tip the scales in your favor.

Hope that helps!

-Midgetlov

 

[rush123456]

Not completely, but yes Google has some inclination toward to it, if some good links with good anchor texts are coming that way.

Ex: for the keyword "engagement rings" http://engagementrings.com doesn't rank on page 1 because it doesn't has any good links coming int
for keyword "tardive dyskinesia" www.tardivedyskinesia.com ranks well because it has good links.

PERIOD