Domain Names and SEO

Domain names with keywords in them don't affect rankings just by having the keywords there but that does have some effect on rankings. The main reason for the effect they can have is from inbound links. With domain names that have the targeted search terms in them it is usually much easier to get links to the site with the same keywords for anchor text. This is because people tend to link to a site with the site title or domain as the link title or anchor text of the link. Also when submitting a site for inclusion in directories like DMOZ for example, it is usually the official title that is accepted for the title of the link in the directory. Having the keywords in the domain name means that there is a very good chance links any inbound links to the site will have those Keywords for the anchor text of the link.

So it is important to plan your SEO strategy right for the beginning. Do keyword research at the very beginning and find the most targeted search term you can. Get a domain name that includes that search term. However, when buying the domain name be sure to avoid using hyphens and making it very long. Hyphens make the domain look spammy and they are not as marketable. Long domains also are just not as marketable.

To help the internal pages of the site to rank better, be sure to also include targeted search terms in the names of those pages. Before creating the pages do some keyword research and find the best search terms that relate to the content of each internal page. Name the pages using those keywords. Using hyphens is acceptable with page names but keep the page names short. Don't use too many keywords. Stick to the 2 or 3 most relevant keywords.

Once you find a good domain name and you have bought it you should set up a mini site as quick as you can. Don't wait to have every page of your site ready and full of content. Start with a small site of 5 to 15 pages. and get those pages up right away. It takes time for a new site to get indexed and you want to get your site indexed as soon as you can. Even a small site that has some good content and some affiliate links can payback much more than the cost of the domain.