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so when you type www.branded.com you go to ip address 555.555.55.55 and when you type www.keyword.com you go to the same ip.
Is this a problem?
Is this duplicate content?
Would it be better to have www.keyword.com/keyword-keyword.htm with menus that take her to www.branded.com store?
Thanks for your help
For the second part, if you're very careful on setting this up you can make it work. If you work hard to make sure there is now duplicate content between sites, make sure each site has a (mostly) different set of incoming and outgoing links, etc., you *might* be okay. Keep in mind that you'll be walking a fine line and might have to pass a hand check if any of your competitors take notice.
There's going to be a lot of other opinions on this but that's my 2 cents.
Jim
Thank you for your reply.
Sounds like I shouldn't do it. Huh?
We have a competitor for product "widgets" that has "widgets.com".
If you do a search in google (and a few others) for "widgets" on its own they come up #1.
We're No. 3 for a search for "widgets" with our www.brand-name.co.uk.
Search for "widgets [insert numerous important phrases here]" and we slate them in the SERPS and are #1 everywhere.
I would bet we get more valuable hits than they do. Few people these days do single keyword searches.
We have good content, that's what it's about.
If your keyword.com competitor has good content, a good easily navigated site etc. then you may be in trouble.
If not, then stick with what you have, get inbound links with anchor text wherever possible and concentrate on your content and a really good navigable site.
And stick your keyword at the front of all your page titles with the following words containing other search related terms related to content on that page.
TJ
I seriously doubt that, although it may depend a lot on the search topic.
>If your keyword.com competitor has good content, a good easily navigated site etc. then you may be in trouble.
This is true in general. Of course, if whoever has keyword.com does a lousy job of site optimization, they aren't going to do well in Google. I recently have been dealing with the webmaster of a site going after a very popular keyword (1.5 million pages with it, and a very well known word, and likely to be searched on). This site is doing *apallingly* bad on Google for this critical keyword search, behind tons of minor sites that have the keyword in the domain name. And, this site has an awesome PR7 home page, which is really high for the keyword in question. The problem this site has is that it is in the form of brand.com, which means it has tons of inbound links with "brand" in the anchor text. The magic of having the keyword in the domain name is that the vast majority will link to you with that in the anchor text, rather than the keyowrd. His problem is all the webmasters linking to his site with the brand as the anchor or alt text, which he absolutely does not want.
I have no doubts - this is tested theory - we do more online business than they do. But, you're right, we're in a (slightly) niche marketplace.
Search topic is of course vital. If you're marketing MP3's - different story. But that's down to lack of anchor text on the inbound links.
Certain "hot" keywords of the day will always lead to keyword.com.
>>The magic of having the keyword in the domain name is that the vast majority will link to you with that in the anchor text, rather than the keyowrd. His problem is all the webmasters linking to his site with the brand as the anchor or alt text, which he absolutely does not want. <<
Agreed. Again, down to the inbound anchor text. Keywords rule the roost in that respect.
But the best inbound anchor text (commercial) is not "http://www.keyword.com" but "Buy [keyword] online here".
Nobody uses single term keyword searches anymore.
TJ
Forget about search engines, think about what
words humans want to see when they are doing a search.
www.highly-relevant-keywords.com
+
good content + 1 year plan (yawn)
and you have a winner.
At the end of the day, it's about getting people
to click on that link in google.
People are more likely to click on a domain
that sounds like what they are looking for.
Hence, all the fuss over sex.com. and people
buying domain names left right and center.
It's harder do it just on an unknown brand, brands
don't really exist in the mind of users, just what
keywords they are searching for, well known
brands give reassurance, but so does a "proper" page
behind a "proper" relevant domain name!
So, how much does it cost to build a national recognised brand?
How much does it cost to get a good keyword domain name,
and put a proper page behind it? The latter will appear
just as high in a search engine as the brand name with mega
PR and mega links.
so keep both, and keep the brand on the footer of the keyword site - you need them to be different. Not the same site, and different domains pointing to it, now that is pointless. "brand" is about the "brand". "keywords.com" is what what the keywords are about, backed up by the brand, and futher by just linking to the brand site.
Add value.
end of conversation.
TJ
>>I seriously doubt that, although it may depend a lot on the search topic.
I disagree. Single words bring much higehr traffic, but multiple words and phrases bring much more targetted traffic.
For example my common search technique when wielding my credit card looking for a certain product would be to search for:
"blue widget" brand £ uk
It doesn't work like that. Title text is more important for detailing what you do. Not domain name.
www.highly-relevant-keywords.com
+
good content + 1 year plan
or should I have put:
www.highly-relevant-keywords.com
+
>>>***GOOD CONTENT***<<< + 1 year plan
extra wide yawn this time.
Amazon and BOL are good examples of the business model of choice.
TJ
That way, Google will index both sites and to the user, they will lokk identical.
My two cents.
>Nobody uses single term keyword searches anymore.
You contradict yourself, or are unclear. I'll believe you that *for the users of your site*, single keywords aren't important. However, whatever your market area is not true for others. D'ya really think amazon.com doesn't make oodles of money being #1 on Google for "books"? If anyone else can get #1 for that search, they'll make a mint.
Right. Particularly so if what you sell is a rather generic commodity. Do people really look for a brand name when buying cell phone batteries?
You may my point for me though - a search for "books" brings up amazon, bol etc - *not* books.com.
TJ
TJ
But you also mentioned people don't do single word searches. They do, and a lot. Of course, it is possible to get #1 without a keyword domain name. BTW, books.com is another domain name that Barnes & Noble uses. Thus, the #2 on the SERP for "books" is books.com.
>Also....... just out of interest, "cellphone batteries" does not bring up "cellphonebatteries.com"!
Check the SERP for "cell phone batteries". It is laden with domain names that are keyword stuffed, and not well known brands. Quite a few multi-hyphen domains names coming up on the first few pages even.
<sound>two pennies plunking</sound>
Simple. If I own widgets.com, and sell only widgets at widgets.com, then I am going to get tons of people linking to me with "widgets" in the anchor text. If at brand.com you sell widgets, doodads, doohickeys, thingamajigs, etc. then you are going to either get people linking to you with maybe one or 2 of those keywords, or "brand". Because everyone is pointing at my widgets.com with "widgets", then I'll come up #1. One thing you seem to forget is that the vast majority of the web is *not* e-commerce. This heavy weighting on anchor text works well for non-commercial searches. Google emphasizes the more important non-commercial searches. The Google search engine wasn't created for the benefit of e-commerce firms. In fact, Google would rather e-commerce firms buy Adwords. Why should Google change their algo to benefit e-commerce sites at the expense of info sites (which don't use branding), when this will lower Google's Adword revenue? Searchers are less happy, and Google makes less money. Worse all around for Google.
You may come up #1 on searches for "widgets" by owning "widgets.com".
My point is that if people want to buy "widgets" they don't do a search for "widgets", they search for "where do I buy widgets" or "widgets London" or "buy widgets online".
People who use the web in a mature fashion (and by that I mean quality customers who actually buy stuff on the internet) are experienced users in general. They do not search for "widgets" because they know that will bring up 10 million+ search results, the bulk of which are not relevant to them.
If you're selling widgets online "buy-widgets-online.com" is the domain of choice for the anchor text inbound links.
The original question was related to single keyword domains. On all other stuff in your postings I agree with you 100%
This is just my 2c, and my own personal experience.
TJ
TJ
TJ
And, the owner of widgets.com will be in the best position to optimize for "where do I buy widgets" and "buy widgets online". "widgets London" won't work unless he is located in London. Of course, the widget store in Phoenix doesn't care if he doesn't rank for that SERP. ;)
>People who use the web in a mature fashion (and by that I mean quality customers who actually buy stuff on the internet) are experienced users in general. They do not search for "widgets" because they know that will bring up 10 million+ search results, the bulk of which are not relevant to them.
Hmm...I just searched for "books", "compact discs" and "travel", and the SERPs were dominated by relevant listings if I were interested in purchasing any of those.
>If you're selling widgets online "buy-widgets-online.com" is the domain of choice for the anchor text inbound links.
>The original question was related to single keyword domains. On all other stuff in your postings I agree with you 100%
OK. I see we are actually in closer agreement than I thought. ;) The reason is that every worthwhile single word domain name has long been taken. Thus, as a practical matter if I want to sell widgets online at this point, I'll have to go with buy-widgets-online.com or such. You agree that keyword stuffed domains are best. The issue of the value of a single keyword domain at this point is basically academic.
Of course having "widgets" in your domain name can do you no harm in that respect.
But, even if you could still buy "widgets.com", what I'm saying is that if you sell "widgets" don't buy "widgets.com" (ok - buy it anyway to stop anyone else getting it) - buy "buy-widgets-online.com".
That, in my experience, will yield more actual customers buying your widgets because people buying "widgets" don't search for "widgets".
"widgets.com" is a great domain if you offer non-commercial advice about widgets.
TJ
