Pick your tool(s):
Google Keyword Tool [adwords.google.com]
Overture Keyword Tool [inventory.overture.com]
Query your keyword OR (short, 2 word) keyword phrase in either tool.
Take note of the frequency of "hits", popularity, etc. More is better, right? You following me?
Overture -> Copy and paste results "table" into Word. Strip away the numbers column. Convert table to text. Copy and paste table into Notepad. Strip away the spaces between the words.
Google -> Export to Excel. Copy and paste results into Notepad. Strip away the spaced between the words.
Copy and paste list into your favorite domain registrar's domain search box. My favoriate registrar has a bulk domain checking box that doesn't require me to add TLD extensions. It defaults to .com. Fine by me.
Run domain availability check. Study the unregistered results. See how the available domains match up with the "search frequency" results in Overture or Google. Aim high.
Next, after sorting out the high volume keyword domains that are available from the low volume ones check for PPC on the high volume keyword domains. Who wants to register a domain if no one sees any value (no bidding) in that particular phrase?
Repeat as time allows.
Careful, I can be addicting.
Does it work? Ya, fer shur.
Why would I publicize something that works?
Ummmm . . . because I'm trying to make a few people happy and successful, so they will supply me with martinis in Vegas? That, plus I really . . . really . . . really really really . . think I have enough domains for a lifetime . . so you all can have what's left.
"Yeah, but there's nothing good left to register!"
Hey, I ain't no preacher. No one need believe me. Go see for yourself. Worthy domains may not be hanging around, all over the place, like low hanging fruit, but . . . well . . in the past few days and weeks . . just a few examples of what was hanging on the domain tree, for the picking . . .
6,013 NYCollectionAgency.tld
6,024 UnderwaterInspections.tld
6,035 ConcreteManufacturer.tld
6,037 USVIHotel.tld
Get 'em whilst you can. I'm not going to explain this in minute detail. You've got to do some thinking and figuring out for yourself, but all the big details are laid out above.
I may go back to the well. ;0)
And, yes, once in a great while, I break my own "don't name names" rule IF there's some value in the lesson . . and no, I'm not going to show the other 800 domains I've picked up in the last 7+ months using this approach. You can figure them out all by yourself. ;-P
[edited by: Webwork at 4:10 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
"More data!" ;0)
Copy and paste list into your favorite domain registrar's domain search box
Each keyword domain not only paid for itself but each made a decent profit. Not a huge profit, but considering I only had touch the whole thing once during the year and that was just to put the pages up, it was certainly worth it.
I won't be a Vegas, Webwork, but I promise to get you a few martinis when I get the chance. ;)
GoodKeyWords [goodkeywords.com]
[edited by: Go60Guy at 2:08 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
Here is the deal with ALL those keyword tools, they aggregate the results on the roots of the word. So this means that the word 'give' contains the results ALSO for 'giving' 'gives' 'gived', etc...
Here is a tip:
1. Use ALL the keyword tools to compile giant lists.
2. MANUALLY (very important that YOU do this, do NOT outsource this) go through each keyword and make a variation of it. ie( so your tool says the keyword 'Arist Ringtone' ...change this to 'Artists Ringtone' and 'Artist Ringtones' and 'Artist Ringers' and 'Art Ringers', etc...
3. So here are some common ways to augment your keyword lists:
-add suffixes: s,es,ing,ed,en,in
-add prefixes: the,a
-change the tense of verb, adverb, etc.
-many more ways to change ;)
Enjoy!
There ARE good domain names available. But I often see content site developers frustrated with the inability to register a good name.
(The biggest frustration is finding that your name is already taken, and parked! Well, check your ego, and offer webwor.... er, the owner a reasonable price for the domain, whether it is listed for sale or not.)
Consider combining both keyword and branding concepts.
Can't get greeneggs.tld? How about greeneggsfozzle.tld?
You won't get type-in traffic, but you might just get a memorable brand - perhaps one more memorable that just greeneggs.tld.
Also, consider compound words.
Same example, greeneggs.tld is taken. Look for words containing green or containing egg or eggs.
Voila! greeneggcup.tld...
But I see that some .net and .org domain names are available for a few popular searches... Dot Com seems to be all gone :-(
Can anyone advise if .net and .org have any typein traffic?
I am a total newbie here so please have patience.. ;-) and thanks for any advice.
Google Suggest Tool - realize that the numbers next to the terms are the number of results one would get if they entered that word into google.
So, lets take a money word like "lawyer".
Google suggest says:
lawyer ............... 34,400,000
lawyer ............... 34,100,000
lawyer jokes ......... 1,960,000
lawyer search ........ 12,700,000
Register one of these as a domain name and it simply means you are competing with millions of established sites which are already indexed.
GoodKeyWords - I have been leary of these types of tools when they are "free" and even moreso when they are downloadable software. Chances are (and I'm not saying this one is), but there is a chance that such tools are spyware -- reporting back the terms you research to the another party who is using you as an unpaid researcher.
In fact, I would not use any tool to brew domain names, if you think people are not data mining, you are sadly mistaken.
Do your research using Overture Suggestion Tool where the numbers reflect "how many people searched for a given term", (you may still want to double check and see how many results there are for that term too).
Always have another window open to your domain registrars site -- do the names one at a time and be ready to buy them if they are available -- I beleive that some registrars, or people working at registrars also data mine -- too many time I have checked a fairly obscure domain name, not registered it and come back to find it was taken within hours of my search --- maybe coincidence, or maybe data mining and squatting.
Lets take a ficticous example:
Google Suggest says "flarbergooten.tld" 1,000,000
Overture Suggestion Tool "flarbergooten" 2,000
Now lets run some numbers:
(if) Google gets 50% of search traffic
(and if) Yahoo/Ask/Overture gets 30% of search traffic
Multiply the overture number by 1.66 (to project the number of searches done on Google for similar term).
So, if (rougly) 3,250 Google searches result in 1,000,000 results, you have about a 0.03% shot at getting a hit... (and actaully much worse ratio since the other sites were established before your's, may have ibl's, good content, and most people don't click past the third page).
Conclussion: go for names that have high numbers in Overture Suggestion tool and low numbers in Google suggest. And personally, if I am buying for "type in value", I won't touch a name with less than 10,000 in Overture.
Remember: statistic prove that statistics work, and that your milage may vary.
I've been using the overture/google keyword tool method for years - both for domains and for general market research when building new sites. However your point is very interesting and raises an issue that bothers me.
I would really like to know whether "Artists" was more popular than "Artist" - but Overture groups them into the same word.
Doe's anyone know a good way of determining which is more popular?
Folk should also bear in mind that an overture keyword tool exists for most countries - not just the main .com / .co.uk versions. Good for country specific terms.
P.S. Common Sense must be used when looking at Overture keyword Tool results - it provides good data but some strange keyterms do end up having huge monthly counts (from bots etc). So long as you use your common sense its a great tool.
[edited by: TravelSite at 4:00 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
When you make these mini sites, do you host them at the same location, maybe even same IP, or do you spread them across multiple IP addresses and hosts?
If the song was released last month, the counts on overture could be in the millions for "pearl" and "apartment" --- but a month or two later the numbers drop back to their historic averages.
[edited by: Webwork at 4:32 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
PsychologySeminar.tld - (Ya, I've got a psych degree too.)
RepairMachines.tld - (You should see my garage.)
SecurityAttacks.tld - (A matter of concern for all webmasters.)
I gravitate towards domains that relate to my life experience or life interests. The fact that I may filter for keywords that also have a PPC stream is simple practicality. A man who loves to fish will eventually starve if he doesn't catch the occasional fish. ;0) I've often said it would be great if life lasted 700 years, simply because life IS so interesting . . and my domain portfolio mirrors that world view. All that "about me stuff" aside, in time, I - like hannamyluv - will be rolling out scads of small, yet high value-in-use sites - about many many many topics that interest me . . and many others, too.
[edited by: Webwork at 4:43 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
Google Suggest Tool - realize that the numbers next to the terms are the number of results one would get if they entered that word into google.
Exactly - but the list is ordered by popularity of the searches. No exact numbers, but it's a great idea generator - following up with additional research of course...
securityattacks.tld
-webwork
================================================
Overture:
Searches done in September 2006
Count Search Term
199 attack network security
91 attack home network security wireless
27 attack homeland memorial security silence
================================================
Google Results:
Security Attack 12,000
Security Attacks 13,700
================================================
...so where's the money? Google shows thousands of results for the term "security attack(s)" and Overture shows not many people searching for it.
Now MamaDawg is saying the results are ordered by popularoty--- so I wanted to see what Google says the numbers are. They ARE NOT the total number of SERPS on Google for that term, e.g. -- "security attacks" shows 13,000 in the suggest tool, but a search on google gets 52,900,000 results for the term...
I tried to read the FAQ on the Suggest Tool, but it's a dead link.
[labs.google.com...]
GoogleGuy?
so where's the money?
All of my domains that I bought to test this were basically set up with merchants who had products that related to each keyword phrase. For me, the product's average order value is about $60-$80, of which I get 10%. Each domain only needed to get 1 sale per year to pay for itself. After that, the sales are gravy. Bonus was that one of the merchants had a script that displays the products matching any keyword. Since these domains were all keywords, it just works out beautifully.
These domains were so niche that if someone typed one into a browser, they were very confident of what they were looking for. Conversion was really high since I offered exactly what they were looking for.
I have them all sitting on the same IP. I wasn't concerned with search engines, just the type in traffic. I even have them interlinked since they are closely related to each other. But I do believe I am getting some SE traffic.
My domains are even really only relevent about 3 months out of the year and even the best one gets only about 1000 searches a month in the peak months.
Don't have anything you can sell? Collect leads and find someone to sell them to.
I would really like to know whether "Artists" was more popular than "Artist" - but Overture groups them into the same word.Doe's anyone know a good way of determining which is more popular?
The more data you have from different sources to back up your findings the better you'll feel.
A note about using Google Trends. Although it does not show you actual numbers of queries, it does show you the trend. To get a better idea of where those numbers stand, enter a keyword phrase you are familiar with and see how the phrases under study stack up against it.
So you are WAY too late to the game if you think your clever by using even more advanced tools like WT or Tril.
I back you up on that assertion 99.999999999999999999999%, Phil. :)
Yesterday I purchased a two word dot org keyword domain without hyphens. According to the Overture tool that phrase gets nearly 1000 queries per day. The Google Trends tool supports that figure, too. Add longtail queries plus link voodoo and you have decent traffic.
Two weeks ago I purchased a typo of a well known URL. It's not a brand name so I won't be getting C&D's from it either. That domain has, among other links, a PR 7 from a well known and hyper-authoritative PR 9 website. I know that GTPR isn't what it used to be, but in this case the website is indeed an authority and people pay many thousands to get a link from it. I paid fifteen bucks.
The funny thing about those purchases is that I wasn't on an earnest domain hunting expedition. It was from casual searching which I do pretty much every morning while eating breakfast. Serendipity plays a role, but I guess you have to put some effort into being at the right place at the right time for it to happen.
[edited by: martinibuster at 6:03 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
13.7 million no?
Also you would probably want to register <hyphenated versions>
[edited by: Webwork at 6:02 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
[edit reason] Please, let's not get into throwing up further domain names. Thank you. [/edit]
It was from casual searching which I do pretty much every morning while eating breakfast.
Great minds eat breakfast alike MB . . but I am soooo done registering domains.
Develop! Develop! Develop! Processing . . .
13 million-davidof
yes 13,700,000... typo... still the point is the same. Millions of results for "security attacks", only a handful of people searching for it.
the full blown selection algo is a bit more complex than outlined here and includes weighting variables slowly added to the "selection algo" by virtue of 8 years of experience.-webwork
If "years of experience" counts: You'd have to defer to me --- registered my first names in 1994 (12 years ago), was online for about 10 years before that doing BBS software development, and my experiece with online systems goes back to 1974 on DEC mainframe with 300bps cradle modem connected timeshare tty's. Oh yeah, and I have a print marketing background...
Google Suggest Tool FAQ... "dead link"...-me
found a FAQ at a different URL, still nothing about what the numbers mean or why they are different from the main inxed "total number of documents".
[labs.google.com...]
For the rest of this, I am going to defer to WebWork since this thread appears to be more about buying names for "type-in traffic" than general "find domain name of value" info -- although the two are not mutually exclusive.
We've had to work a little harder to reign in domains since late 1998 - early 1999, when I got my start, as that was the time when Master Ye and BuyDom were heating up the CPUs in their drop catching servers.
[edited by: Webwork at 8:35 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2006]
In the late 80's early 90's I was involved with a lot of municipal information systems, so at the time I registered "place names".
I, (like many others), thought; "Register something like radio.com or cars.com? Why? The names are too generic" I can remember hearing "internet.com" got registered and thinking, "Boy that's stupid".
G Suggest has a much larger base of numbers than Overture or others. Not always accurate, but gives some great long-tail results.
