Keyword Domains vs. Short Domains
Both keyword domain names and short domain names have value. Of course all domain names have intrinsic value because each and every domain name is unique. However, many domainers like to concentrate on their particular money making “niche”. Keyword domains and short domains are 2 of those niches. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each:
Keyword Domain Names
PRO
- Strong SEO benefit if the domain owner decides to develop the site. Exact match .com domains enjoy the most SEO benefit.
- Potential for type in traffic (this is especially true if a domain is both a keyword domain name and is a short domain name).
- High likelihood of being seen as a trusted “authority” on the targeted keyword (i.e. “loans.com” would enjoy a higher degree of perceived authority for the keyword “loans” than would a non exact match keyword domain like “123-online-loan-finder.net”.
CON
- Potentially hard to brand when developing because a keyword domain is by default a generic term.
Short Domain Names
PRO
- Potentially very easy to remember.
- Potentially great for branding.
- Great for offline marketing (fits easily on business cards, marketing material, etc.)
CON
- An unnatural short domain can be hard to remember as opposed to even a long keyword domain that has easy to remember keywords.
Additional Considerations
What did I miss? Are there any other things that you would like to add to the mix for comparing keyword domain names and short domain names?
About the Author: This post was written by Joel Ohman. Joel runs the domain name tools site DomainSuperstar.com and has a goal of helping everyone consistently find awesome money making domain names!
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May 25th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I am into both, so its all good : )
May 25th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Sorry, all good so long as it ends in .com : )
May 25th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I am in the process of developing a true generic that I will also brand using a unique name. That way I will have the best of both worlds. For example, a name like horoscope.com could also have a brand like Gemini Moon.
May 25th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I think that a good blend of both types of names in your portfolio is a solid strategy. Many domainers are both selling/brokering domains while working on keyword development project. Also, I think that it should be noted that in addition to buying domains (which I do) that there are still some real gems to hand register.
I picked up http://www.2bedroomapartmentsforrent.com which is a direct keyword search match and shows a ton of search volume across the various search engines. As a result I am looking at what it will take to have the site developed for 51,000 geo locations in the U.S.
Not a bad purchase for $9.00
May 25th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Joel,
When you say “Short Domain” do you mean a word with few letters
or a LLLL?
June 12th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Hi to everyone,
I personally find long-tail domain names very attractive and there are many of them easy to remember in fact. etc. ,,longlifebattery,, simple, informative and even gold fish will remember this name.
By the way thanks to site developer for interesting and generous articles.
what do you domainers think of nebulaoperator.com