When you build a website, one of the most important decisions is choosing the right domain. It will influence search engine optimisation ( SEO ), the user experience of your visitors and therefore the success of your website.

The keyword in the domain name?

For many years, it has been believed that choosing a keyword is good for SEO. For example, if a company sold electric bicycles, then it would register the domain elektricna-kolesa.si. Such a domain represented two big advantages:

1. The presence of the keyword meant better rankings in search engines.
2. The domain made it immediately clear what content was on the website.

But times are changing and using a keyword in a domain does not necessarily bring better results in search engines anymore, because Google has changed the search logarithms. According to a study by marketing agency Semetrical, websites that use a keyword in their domain name have slipped from 13th place to 26th place on average.

Impact of a keyword in a domain on CTR

Keywords are also linked toClick-Through Rate (CTR), which measures the performance of online advertising campaigns that appear in search engines, on many websites and on social networks.

In some cases, the use of particularly popular keywords in a domain name can increase the CTR on ads that appear on Google search. Popular keywords include those that are used most frequently on the web, for example: real estate, consultancy, accounting, car, etc.

A study carried out by a UK domain sales company found that using a specific product in a domain name (e.g.: electric-wheel.com) is slightly better than using a more generic name (e.g.: my-wheel.com) or a domain name that does not contain any keyword (e.g.: choose-something-for-yourself.com).

Another study by the US company RootOrange showed a better CTR for domains using popular keywords. For example, DivorceLawyer.com achieved a 298% higher CTR for ads than VladimirLaw.com.

In view of the above, the question arises, is buying a domain containing (popular) keywords the best choice?

There are 3 questions to answer when choosing a domain containing a keyword:

1. What is the search volume for a given keyword? Use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to find out how often a particular keyword is searched for in a search engine. If the keyword is not searched for often, then this option is not the best choice.

2. Is the domain still free? There is a good chance that one of the most popular keywords will already be taken. If you want to check whether a particular domain is still available, you can do so at preveri.si.

3. What are the costs? Most popular domains are already registered but available for resale. The prices of such domains are much higher than free domains, so it is a good idea to check the price before registering.

Trademark as a suitable domain

Although there are some advantages to using a keyword in a domain name, we advise you to use your own brand name as your domain name. Such a domain name is an important step towards building your online visibility. A domain name is one that visitors to your site will remember, share and associate with your identity or that of your business. In social networks and search engines, the domain name is the primary way in which users link to the content they will see on your website.

Many people still think that optimisation (SEO) is only about keywords, links, but the fact is that Google also likes brands. That’s why it’s important to choose a domain that will represent your brand.

At https://www.neoserv.com/domains you can register yours and start building a successful online presence.