domain name relevance!

domain name and keyword use

[thejavascripter]

Hello fellow googlers. I'm working on a very fun project that's involving metatags on the inktomi side and also keyword placement for the Google side. I'm doing this for a very large computer company.

I realize that domain names have a major influence on the placement in search engines. Keep in mind, this example is very hypothetical. If I'm selling Cisco Switches and for example I use Ciscoswitch.com/switch/index.htm as the home page. I'd like to know if this is just a myth that Google will place this higher than most. Does google still see domain names as an influence to placement?

Also, how does google read this in it's directory if it was in the domain. Ciscoswitch.com/Cisco_switch/index.htm. Will it read it as "Cisco Switch" when someone does a search for it or would it be better to just type it out as "Ciscoswitch" all one word. In other words, does the underscore actually help Google see that it's two words?

Someone help me understand this.

Thanks,

Ken Eynon

[caustic]

There's another recent thread on this topic, but it contains so many unsubstantiated theories its not worth reading ;)

Google doesn't read domain names, only when it is part of anchor text or plain text in page content. Google also doesn't read words that run together without a space or hyphen or other separating character:

[google.com...]

If you want to benefit from a domain name where it appears on a page either as anchor text or text then Cisco-switch.com is better because .com is a common word (ignored, and separated by a period) and hyphen is treated as a space.

(actually characters like a hyphen and forward slash are treated first as what they are and then as a space: [google.com...] )

[jcoronella]

Google doesn't read domain names, only when it is part of anchor text or plain text in page content. Google also doesn't read words that run together without a space or hyphen or other separating character

I smell an unsubtantiated theory. ;)

There is evidence that a '-' is better than a '_' (search for allinurl:term1 term2)

[caustic]

you can test for yourself what google treats as separating characters, ie google.google.google or google#google#google etc. Underscores by the way are not: [google.com...]

[caustic]

jcoronella you have a good nose ;)

[Dave_Hawley]

Caustic, why state that all others offer unsubstantiated theories then simply post your own unsubstantiated theory?

I have found that Google DOES use keywords in domains whether they are seperated or not. See the "unsubstantiated theory" thread for details.

Dave

[caustic]

I have found that Google DOES use keywords in domains whether they are seperated or not.

Hi Dave, didn't mean any offence. Do you have an example of the above?

[Dave_Hawley]

Hi caustic

No offence taken. 95% + of what is posted in this forum is theory, some good, some bad.

I'm not sure how one could provide an example as proof. Just as one cannot provide an example as proof that google doesn't.

If you read my few posts in the mentioned thread you will see some reasons for my beliefs.

I can sticky you the URL if you like?

Dave

[caustic]

yes pls.

I would have thought the examples I provided were fairly quantitive?