before pulling trigger on domain purchase...

[perry]

Ok, so i have a niche that meets all the needs of the challenge. I can get a domain with the 2 keywords and 95% density by adding the prefix e.
For example ekeyword1keyword2.

Now it is keyword 2 that takes the competition down to under 30,000. Together, these 2 keywords are ok as the theme keywords But...

Just for fun I wanted to see what could be registered for only keyword1, where the competition is close to a million. It turns out I could get a .com with a 2 letter prefix that, together, actually sounds good as a brand. I'd like to purchase this domain because it makes more sense as the theme keyword.

So I have a few questions :

Can I use this prefixkeyword1 domain and then meet the challenge criteria by making the original keyword1keyword2 a Category keyword??

In other words, can I still rank on the front page for those 2 keywords, even if the domain name only includes the more general, higher SEOC theme keyword, by putting the 2 keywords in the articles, headlines, links etc.?

There are various ways to rank for category keywords that more experienced people know about and I am sure get discussed as part of the challenge. I need these experienced people's advice because I need to purchase the domain now to move on and want to know I can still drive traffic from getting to the front page of google with the lower SEOC category keywords, despite the theme keyword domain...

I don't want to buy the lower SEOC keywords category domain and then regret it when I get to the section of the Challenge where categories are discussed and then move everything over to the higher SEOC theme keyword domain because I find out that you can still rank for these category keywords with the later revealed techniques. Make sense?? Thanks

[farang]

Hi Perry,

There is a very good reason why the Challenge recommends you choose a domain name that is as close a match as possible to the theme keyword phrase - because it increases your chances enormously of ranking in a relatively short period. An exact match is even better. But if you choose just keyword1 with 1M SEOC, as a newbie I can bet you will be here next year and still not ranking. If you want to go for one of your category keywords, then change that to your theme and validate again. These guys know what they are talking about, so I suggest you follow their advice.

Good luck.

[Nicolass]

Hi Perry,

If you want to follow the challenge rules, you have to optimize the domain url by including all the theme keywords within it. However, from what I have retained in one lesson about the domain name, if all keywords exist in the url that's ok, these need not be necessarily in the domain name. Thus let's say that the theme keywords are keyword1 keyword2, if your domain name is www.keyword1.com it's ok as long as the url u're optimizing also contains keyword2, like this www.keyword1.com/keyword2.html or www.xyz.com/keyword1keyword2.php, etc.

[DeanRichards]

Can I use this prefixkeyword1 domain and then meet the challenge criteria by making the original keyword1keyword2 a Category keyword??

No. The Challenge criteria are theme keywords in the domain name. If keyword1 does not meet the challenge criteria for a theme keyword then using it as a domain name does not meet The Challenge criteria.

In other words, can I still rank on the front page for those 2 keywords, even if the domain name only includes the more general, higher SEOC theme keyword, by putting the 2 keywords in the articles, headlines, links etc.?

Ranking isn't that simple. The key issue is that Google gives a lot of weight to domain names that match the keywords people are typing into the search box. Google gives less weight to keywords that match further down the line in URLs of titles, etc.

I need to purchase the domain now to move on and want to know I can still drive traffic from getting to the front page of google with the lower SEOC category keywords, despite the theme keyword domain...

It all depends on what is important to you. If you want to give yourself the best possible chance of success, you will follow The Challenge criteria. If you want to experiment and try something with less chance of a success within The Challenge time frame, then you can do that too.

I don't want to buy the lower SEOC keywords category domain and then regret it when I get to the section of the Challenge where categories are discussed and then move everything over to the higher SEOC theme keyword domain because I find out that you can still rank for these category keywords with the later revealed techniques. Make sense?? Thanks

The Challenge method isn't ever going to "reveal techniques" later on that negate what has already been taught. This method has been painstakingly worked out and tested from beginning to end by people who know everything there is know about how to do internet marketing. They aren't going to reveal things later that you should have known sooner.

There will never be anything you can do to guarantee your success. Let's not forget that The Challenge method is a niche testing method, not a niche guaranteed success method. If you want to do your niche testing in the best possible way, then follow The Challenge criteria. If you want to do something else, that's fine too. Just don't confuse "doing something else" as following The Challenge method.

[perry]

Dean, good advice. Just one follow-up question. Nicolass mentions that as long as keyword 2 is still in the url, then your still optimized. Do you agree?

From above "if your domain name is www.keyword1.com it's ok as long as the url u're optimizing also contains keyword2, like this www.keyword1.com/keyword2.html or www.xyz.com/keyword1keyword2.php, etc."

[DeanRichards]

Dean, good advice. Just one follow-up question. Nicolass mentions that as long as keyword 2 is still in the url, then your still optimized. Do you agree?

URL matching and domain matching are two different things. Google knows the difference between a domain name and a longer URL. As I said, Google gives the most weight to domain matches and less weight to URL matches. Just because Market Samurai is set up to check URLs doesn't mean that a URL match is as strong as a domain match. If having the keywords anywhere in the URL was just as strong as having the keywords in the domain name, then that is what The Challenge would teach.

I think it is really good that you are thinking carefully about what we're doing here and asking questions to improve your understanding. That's the perfect approach. Just be careful about trying to re-think The Challenge method. Theme keywords in the domain name means theme keywords in the domain name and you can't change that by looking at it another way. Like I said, none of this is written in stone and as you gain experience as a marketer you will be able to know when you can safely deviate from what is taught here, but for now, the best and safest approach will always be to follow The Challenge method as it is taught.

[perry]

"If having the keywords anywhere in the URL was just as strong as having the keywords in the domain name, then that is what The Challenge would teach."

Brilliant! That's what I needed to hear. Thanks again for taking the time to answer. I've been accused of over-thinking things before... time to just pull that trigger and purchase the domain. It is just testing the niche afterall...