Google is still using the domain name as a primary ranking factor. With a good domain name, rankings are nearly guaranteed.
Below is an example of a niche retail site, but if you want to rank for “Keyword Keyword” all you need to do is purchase www.KeywordKeyword.com and you will have no problems getting to the first page.
In this example, if you do a search for beach towels several sites show up in the Google SERP’s
http://www.google.com/search?q=beach+towels
The #9 result is a single page redirect site, that doesn’t mention the keyword phrase ANYWHERE on the page!
The site ranks for the fairly competitive keyword phrase “beach towels” while breaking every search engine optimization rule available. With some simple SEO this site could rank #1, and beat out target.com
All they did was spend a few thousand dollars on a premium domain name, and the rankings come with no effort.
Note to all SEO’s and entrepreneurs: invest the extra money on your domain name and you will be duly rewarded, premium domain names will increase in value like real estate.
4 Responses
Although not a highly competitive keyword. I was able to get Chicago 5k to the top of the rankings in just over two months by having the exact match domain name.
Congratulations Tim, I think exact match domain names will continue to hold their value.
We agonized over our domain name and believe it is letting us ace our niche.
I am amazed at how few people really understand the domain name buying and selling business. acquiring premium vanity domain names is the best long term strategy for any business.