Before I buy domain... hyphen .net, or 3 character prefix .com.....

[paperclip]

Ok, I've done a search, and I know these subjects have been discussed... but there's some saying that the keyword density is the most important thing... but also that they prefer not to use hyphens... so, I'm just looking for advice from a guru as to which domain to go for here... and, is a 1 character prefix the same, in terms of domain density as a hyphen in the middle, ie, keyword-keyword?

ok, my choices.

1) keyword-keyword.net, the .com is gone. 93% keyword density.

2)xxxkeywordkeyword.com, 82% keyword density.

I'd rather not use "my" as a prefix, the 3 character prefix works much better... I understand the importance of having a high keyword density, but surely a cool sounding domain name carries some weight... if it's only an extra character of course.

So, the hyphen, or 3 character.net...

[Bill Thomson]

Paperclip cool sounding domains mean nothing whatsoever to Google and that is the entity that we really have to inpress here - the higher the density the better but you will get arguments bewteen experts on the fine points of the debate. Some experts don't like the hyphen others do - the only agreement is that 2 or more hyphens is bad news. I suspect that when it comes to very minor differences in keyword density it probably doesn't matter that much. I'm comfortable with a hyphen & prefer a suffix rather than a prefix - but unfortunately it's hard to get absolute proof as there are too many unknown variabes in Googles search algorithms.

Bill

[pinoygadfly]

Paperclip cool sounding domains mean nothing whatsoever to Google and that is the entity that we really have to inpress here - the higher the density the better but you will get arguments bewteen experts on the fine points of the debate. Some experts don't like the hyphen others do - the only agreement is that 2 or more hyphens is bad news. I suspect that when it comes to very minor differences in keyword density it probably doesn't matter that much. I'm comfortable with a hyphen & prefer a suffix rather than a prefix - but unfortunately it's hard to get absolute proof as there are too many unknown variabes in Googles search algorithms.

Bill

Hi Bill,

Seems like keyword density is important as well as traffic. I just need a judgement call from you on this one. I don't want to seem like I have overanalysed but I have gone thru some keyword problems before and I just want to spend a little more time on this step because it can affect whatever I do later on. i have a choice between two similar keywords that has the following numbers:

Keyword A has a SEOT of 559 but the PBR is 9, SEOV is 291
Keyword B has a SEOT of 306 but the PBR is 82, SEOV is 144

What does your gut feel say to go for Keyword A or B?

Thanks.

[Bill Thomson]

Pinogadfly since SEOV has no bearing on the Challenge keyphrase choice and a PBR of 9 is below the Challenge threshold then this is not a choice - Keyword B is the only option providing it's SEOC is 30,000 or below.

As to keyword density and traffic choices. The keyword density is important but not critical for a domain - the traffic numbers are by far one of the most important figures. High traffic numbers make it easier to quickly test a niche and easier to help profit from it if it proves lucrative.

Bill

[Stu30DC]

@pinoygadfly

The higher the PBR the better I'd go with the 82% keyword.

Correct me if I'm wrong however my understanding of PBR is that it basically means thats how often that keyword phrase is been typed into Google.

So looking at your traffic numbers 9% of 559 people are typing Keyword A and the other 81% are not = 50 actual people using this keyword
And for Keyword B your actual number of searchers is 82% of 306 people = 250 actual searchers

If you did The Challenge last year I think either Guru Bob or Brent Hodgson showed everyone that if you find a high traffic keyword and low PBR BEWARE you can find out what people are actually searching for by using Market Samurai's Permutation function in the Keyword Research Module.

You basically put the keyword into Market Samurai, so it shows at the top as a separate tab, and then click on 'Add Permutations' instead of 'Generate Keywords' and then analyze them as you've been taught so far. The longer the keyword (in terms of words) the more permutations you'll have to analyze.

You'll also so that some of them will have no data at all as the orders make no snese however this will also show you what people are actually typing into Google.

HTH

[paperclip]

Hi Bill, I just need one thing clarified... does keyword-keyword.com have the same keyword density as, ekeywordkeyword.com

In the related video, this is not covered, and in market samurai's domains feature, there's no hyphen used...

[Bill Thomson]

Hi Bill, I just need one thing clarified... does keyword-keyword.com have the same keyword density as, ekeywordkeyword.com

In the related video, this is not covered, and in market samurai's domains feature, there's no hyphen used...

Yes keyword density is dependent on character numbers so hyphen & e prefix are equal

Hyphens were not covered in video as there was a need to keep it simple and emphasize the COM NET ORG sequence. There are also different interpretations between experts on their use it. Caro had a discussion with GuruBob who has confirmed that a single hyphen is fine in a domain name but no more than that.

As far as Market Samurai is concerned it is possible to insert a hyphen into the domain searches by going into the domain filter dropdown box on the domains search page and choosing custom filter, You then tick the tickbox that says *Include Domains With Hyphens* to use hyphens when searching for your niche domains - you must of course apply this filter when you search for it to work.

Hope this helps you Paperclip

Bill

[sfgreg]

Paperclip,

I think you are getting too hung up on a mechanical item. "Keyword density" percentage in a URL is a sort of ridiculous metric.

You don't have to slavishly follow some number like that.

First, it's cool to have a keyword in your URL because that tends to help you rank better for that keyword. The website www.imagecss.com will tend to rank well when people search for: image css, because that keyword phrase is in the URL.

You are smart enough to figure that out for yourself, and so some measure of "keyword density" in the URL is pretty much worthless to you. Right?

Also, it's nice to have a URL that's going to be easy for people to remember and type in, and only a human being like you can tell how cool, catchy and easy to remember any particular URL is.

So have confidence in yourself! Pick a great URL because it's keyword rich and because you like it. That will be a winner domain for you.

[Sandra]

paperclip,
I do think that if you used the search function of the forum you would find a huge number of posts that answered your question, and it will save you waiting to grab your domain name (it will also save a mod pointing out to you that you need to read the forum rules)


sfgreg,
You are offering a lot of helpful advise on this forum (a lot of it in links to other sites) but personally I feel that if you have not watched all of the videos and read the transcripts then it is not fair to offer advise that is contrary to what "The Challenge" is teaching. Although the advise you offer may be correct, and is always positive, it can create confusion for those who need to follow something exactly, before they know where there is room for adjustment.

I have two reasons for my opinion (and it is only my opinion), Ed has made it very clear that "The Challenge" is slanted to newbies and also pointed out that he made no apologies for that, and it is quite obvious that a lot of preparation and thought have gone into the way "The Challenge" is offered to us all.

The second point is that if you know a set of rules for anything (not think you know, as I often do) it is then far easier to bend or break said rules, in a way that produces a positive outcome. Each of us has a different learning modality and the way "The Challenge" is presented to us, it appears that Ed and his team have taken that into consideration.

I do know, from reading your posts that you understand that most of us know more than we think we do and need to trust ourselves more than we do, so I think that the positive encouragement you offer is wonderful, but sometimes you do make suggestions contrary to what is being taught, that is all my post is about.

Sorry to be so long winded about it.
Sandra

[Caro :-)]

Hi all,

First up - thanks Bill that is spot on advice, and as we are teaching in The Challenge.

And yes this has been discussed on other threads, so @paperclip, Sandra is right to pull you up on that

@Sandra - thank you for your comments to sfgreg from a community member's POV.

@sfgreg - I have spoken to you about this before. And this will be the last time I do. You have offered some wonderful advice and encouragement and overall are a positive energy here. And you seem genuine in your desire to assist. You also have this tendency - especially with domain names - to offer advice that is completely contrary to what we teach in The Challenge, and also contrary to how Google works regarding domain names, and contrary to what an experienced internet marketer outside The Challenge would recommend - it is well documented online the importance of keyword density in a domain name. If you have an offline budget to build a business online as well as offline - like many of the big brand names - it's a different kettle of fish.

@sfgreg, I have spoken to you about this before. I will begin to remove any future posts I see where you do this - so I hope you will choose to focus on the wonderful positive support you offer that is in alignment with the Challenge and why people are here.

Best

Caro