There is an interesting WebmasterWorld thread just kicking off on an old topic of should you go with an exact match domain or go with the branded domain?
It is not a new topic, it has been discussed for years. We’ve probably covered it here a few times before. But since SEO and Google’s algorithms change over the years, it is good to revisit the topic.
The question is, if you want to rank for [blue widgets] and you are starting a new site, should you go with a domain name that matches the keyword phrase, i.e. bluewidgets.com or should you go with a branded domain such as somerandomdomain.com?
Of course, it depends on your strategy.
Bill Hartzer commented in the thread said it depends on the length of the domain name you can find. He wrote:
Netmeg said she’d always go with a branded domain approach:
I agree, it depends on your plans. Is it a short term plan? Is it a long term strategy? What domains are available? What can you work the brand around?
Of course, having a domain with the keywords in it is helpful. People link to you by your domain name. I.e. people link to my business saying RustyBrick because that is my company name and domain name. So it helps with anchor text to have a keyword rich, exact match domain. It does sometimes and often appear that Google likes to rank exact match domain names in the search results – but not always.
What do you think?
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Image credit to ShutterStock for puzzle pieces
