Keyword -> domain name question

[sren]

Wasn't sure if this question belongs to this forum or the Domain Names forum.
Ok I decided it belong to this one.

Let's say I've found my main keyword phrase:
"blue widgets are cool"
Then do I get some benefit at the SE index time by registering "blue-widgets-are-cool.com"?
Do I get some other kind of benefit that I can't see?
Or it has nothing to do at all?

Thanks all.

[justgowithit]

I personally feel that keyword placement within the domain has been devalued in algorithms. Heck, look at the domains Google.com or Yahoo.com. There is nothing about those names that has anything to do with a search engine.... until the names were made synonymous by the sites themselves.

I suppose keywords in a domain count for something but I would rather have a domain that is:

Easy to remember
Easy to type
Marketable
Easily branded
Unique

than a domain that is a mile long with a bunch of “-“ just because it is keyword relevant.

[strangerrr]

I agree with above post ....

apart from above post i only see one benifit of keywords in domain names and that is anchor links, that is keywords in back links to your site. If a webmaster links back to your site from their site they often use the domain name as the anchor text.

[cabowabo]

Domains that are keyword rich worked like a charm back in 2001 when you could do a LookSmart and Yahoo! submission and be in the top five in less than a week.

It is all about branding now. Stick with what works and avoid the keyword rich throw away domains.

Cheers,

Cabo Wabo

[Skylo]

Ones domain should be a reflection of a company's name. This is for the sole purpose of developing brand recognition in an ever changing and more competitive market place.
For sub pages i think it is extremely important to have the keyword in the url for example:

Homepage: www.widgetseller.com

Blue widget sales page: www.widgetseller.com/blue_widgets.html

[Accelerator]

Best of your domain name reflects your product IMO. Don't let the domain name be too long, must be easy to type and remember.

[cabowabo]

What happens if your or your company change focus? The domain is now dead. While domains are cheap to buy, they are expensive to build. Choose wisely.

Cheers,

CaboWabo

[JamieBrown]

I guess a reasonably keyword rich name may help to enhance click thru rates? If a name contains the term that the user is looking for then they may be more likely to click on it. I know I look at the URLs before clicking.

But I think that people are getting a bit smarter to the long keyword optimised URLs, because they're usually scraper sites. But if you can get a short, snappy name that also describes the market you're aiming for then I think that might help.

Jamie

[JasonVanOrden]

I like the strategy of registering two domains. The first is a keyword phrase (with hyphens) for the search engines. This gets used for your online presence.

Then you also register a "brand" domain name that redirects to your hyphenated keyword domain name. This is used for print and where the easier to remember brand domain name is more useful.

Jason