Do Domain Names Even Matter Anymore?
Let me ask you a question and I want you to really think about it for a minute.
Let me ask you a question and I want you to really think about it for a minute. Other than Google or Amazon or something obvious, when was the last time you actually put your cursor in the address bar and went to a website by typing the domain name?
If you can’t think of a time, don’t worry, because chances are neither can anyone else.
When I started my website, I spent an embarrassing amount of time considering my domain name. And what did I end up with? A misspelled stand-in for something that looks like a keyword-rich URL. Sure, if you squint you might not notice, and it gets the point across, but the truth is that it really doesn’t matter at all!
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See the misspelling?
The truth is that SEO and Domain names have very little impact on each other these days.
When I started my career (I’m not THAT old), it was a different story. Back then, domain names were everything when it came to SEO. You want to target a keyword? Make sure your domain name has that keyword! And if you could get a .com extension with that keyword in it too? Even better!
But things have changed since then. Google’s algorithms have become much more sophisticated and they now take into account many more factors than just the domain name.
And as for people typing in your domain name? Well, that’s not really a thing anymore either. With the rise of social media and other platforms, people are much more likely to stumble across your website through a link on Twitter or Facebook than they are to type in your domain name directly.
So, when it comes time to choose a domain name for your website or blog, don’t stress about it too much. Pick something that’s easy to remember and that you’re happy with, but don’t worry too much about keywords or SEO. It really doesn’t matter as much as you think it does!
Let’s look at some examples:
https://www.adamenfroy.com — Adam Enfroy is an affiliate marketer who specializes in keyword-rich, search engine optimized articles that provide useful information on a ton of different topics. Once he optimizes the article for the keyword, he then turns the article into a money-making machine using affiliate links. But… and here’s the kicker, every one of his articles is not on some super keyword-targeted microsite. All of his articles (for like a million different topics) are just on his website ademenfroy.com. His articles rank magnificently amongst a ton of different keywords and his domain name literally makes zero difference.
https://amazon.com — OK so I know this one seems like a bad example because millions of people type this into their browser every day, but the truth is that the word amazon has nothing to do with selling anything. After all, Amazon is a river, not an e-commerce site right? RIGHT?
https://twitter.com — And what about Twitter? “Twitter” isn’t really a keyword, is it? Nope.
https://www.facebook.com — I think you see where I’m going with this…
Now that’s not to say that there aren’t any rules when it comes to picking a domain name. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend just mashing the keyboard and then putting “.com” on the end (although that would be an interesting experiment).
Advice for picking a domain name:
Keep it short — Long domain names are hard to remember and hard to type. If you get some super fans who actually do want to type your domain name, it should be something they can remember.
Make it pronounceable — A domain name that’s easy to say is also easy to remember. Notice I didn’t say anything about it being a word. Keywords are out, pronounceable is in. For example zynga.com — it’s not a word, but you will remember it.
Stick with .com if you can — It’s the most recognizable and most trusted extension. That being said, there are other options like .net or .io that can work well too.
Use a powerful search tool — It can be hard finding a domain that works for you, so don’t waste a bunch of time trying too hard (like I did). Namecheap.com has an amazing domain search tool called “beast mode” which powers through tons of domains to help you find one quickly.
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At the end of the day, though, don’t worry too much about it. Domains don’t really matter that much anymore! Just pick something and get started. SEO will come by writing keyword-rich articles and getting backlinks.
The bottom line is that, when it comes to SEO, your domain name really doesn’t matter all that much. So pick something you like and move on! After all, there are much more important factors to worry about when it comes to SEO!
