Exact match obsession

JMOT · 18-01-2011, 06:27:39 PM

I've come to the personally thought provoking decision that I no longer MUST seek out the exact match domain of choice for any future project AND I must stop pissing money up the wall on my obsession with exact match domains....

This rant has 2 key issues:

1) forking out for high value exact match domains
2) aimlessly registering and buying any exact match extension in niches i'm interested in now or for future.

Both these issues have many a pit-fall...

- What I've spent on them in last 18 months I could have ranked ANY domain in ANY (minus insanities like viagra, poker, car insurance and a few others) niche and have another site doing �xxx,xxx a year in profit!

- if/when Google levels the playing field so so many affiliates/businesses will be crying into their cornflakes playing catchup.. if they know how and can afford to!

- Just how many URLs can you actually successfully develop, rank and earn REAL money from unless you have an industrial setup and bank balance to match?? Real money imho = �xx,xxx a month in profit

- how many domains are in the "development queue"?? yeah right... 90% of what most people develop is fit for the shredder and will earn a pittance because so little has been invested into the site and user experience...

- most people including me have unrealistic value expectations on the domains they hold... i guess thats natural... but if you wont sell to someone at fair & realistic market value your little asset is in fact a little hole in your pocket... the more of those you have the more it becomes a big problem!

Until I have so much money that investing �10k to �150k+ on a generic is neither here nor there or at least I have a multiple of that amount as marketing budget to make a REAL SUCCESS of the project its simply a fools game unless you are prepared to not be greedy and flip quickly for generous margin. Look at Gold.co.uk as a prime example...�42k paid.. wanting �200k+ now to flip... but then Barry is loaded so thats his luxury!

Just look at how many non exact match domains rank and earn successfully!!! Thats my whole point...

Yes you lose certain CTR in PPC and potentially SERPS but then big whoop?!

You get to the top of serps with LINKS.. because at the end of the day LINKS are what drive sites to the top of Google etc. Links is what you should be spending your money on be it a well thought out PR strategy or seeking out high quality relevant blog posts yada yada whatever...

But then Links and seo opens up a whole different discussion lol

I feel so much better now

Edit: I ranted to Frank about this the other day lol

woopwoop · 18-01-2011, 07:26:48 PM

I feel the same way about most of what you said. i never completely bought into exact match and still like brandables on my development pile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMOT

... have another site doing �xxx,xxx a year in profit!

I'm almost that ambitious!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMOT

...Real money imho = �xx,xxx a month in profit
- how many domains are in the "development queue"??

If only I had more time to develop!

wb · 18-01-2011, 07:50:18 PM

Not much to add really except I agree

For less competitive areas, exact match domains make it easy to get ranking quick and can often be the main keywords so are memorable too. When an area is competitive enough to need a great deal of links though, I would much rather have a memorable domain which is brandable for the long term (e.g. a nice single word) over an exact match.

domainseller200 · 18-01-2011, 08:10:15 PM

Nice to see you getting this written down after our MSN chat yesterday - I am surprised there was no reference to me in this post somewhere.

You know it makes perfect sense in the long game mate, and I am glad that you also agree with it now

boxfish · 18-01-2011, 08:24:16 PM

I completely agree. I use exact match for quick wins but all my 'proper' sites are based on decent 'brandable' names.

domainseller200 · 18-01-2011, 08:32:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxfish

I completely agree. I use exact match for quick wins but all my 'proper' sites are based on decent 'brandable' names.

There is such thing as both

boxfish · 18-01-2011, 08:42:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domainseller200

There is such thing as both

That's true, it's just not the be-all and end-all as some make out.

domainseller200 · 18-01-2011, 08:50:54 PM

To be honest what I have said may be taken out of context as I would always develop a generic over a brandable every day of the week

There is no such thing as a brandable domain to be honest, and anyone that disagrees is kidding themselves.

Unless you plan on spending big time on branding exercises and advertising, then no name is brandable - generic or not

JMOT · 18-01-2011, 09:03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domainseller200

There is no such thing as a brandable domain to be honest, and anyone that disagrees is kidding themselves.

Unless you plan on spending big time on branding exercises and advertising, then no name is brandable - generic or not

The second part of that is totally true

wb · 18-01-2011, 09:03:51 PM

Brandable domains to me are ones which wouldn't necessarily be searched for as a keyword but are still generic words. So by that, I don't mean random words like Yahoo or Google but quality ones like Barry's Gold.co.uk or Accessories.co.uk.

Quality single words and phrases should hold a strong value because of all the other factors (not including the 'exact match' bonus).

18-01-2011, 06:27:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
JMOT Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 876 Classified Rating: 100% (1) Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 15)	Exact match obsession - I'm out! maybe you should be too?! I've come to the personally thought provoking decision that I no longer MUST seek out the exact match domain of choice for any future project AND I must stop pissing money up the wall on my obsession with exact match domains.... This rant has 2 key issues: 1) forking out for high value exact match domains 2) aimlessly registering and buying any exact match extension in niches i'm interested in now or for future. Both these issues have many a pit-fall... - What I've spent on them in last 18 months I could have ranked ANY domain in ANY (minus insanities like viagra, poker, car insurance and a few others) niche and have another site doing �xxx,xxx a year in profit! - if/when Google levels the playing field so so many affiliates/businesses will be crying into their cornflakes playing catchup.. if they know how and can afford to! - Just how many URLs can you actually successfully develop, rank and earn REAL money from unless you have an industrial setup and bank balance to match?? Real money imho = �xx,xxx a month in profit - how many domains are in the "development queue"?? yeah right... 90% of what most people develop is fit for the shredder and will earn a pittance because so little has been invested into the site and user experience... - most people including me have unrealistic value expectations on the domains they hold... i guess thats natural... but if you wont sell to someone at fair & realistic market value your little asset is in fact a little hole in your pocket... the more of those you have the more it becomes a big problem! Until I have so much money that investing �10k to �150k+ on a generic is neither here nor there or at least I have a multiple of that amount as marketing budget to make a REAL SUCCESS of the project its simply a fools game unless you are prepared to not be greedy and flip quickly for generous margin. Look at Gold.co.uk as a prime example...�42k paid.. wanting �200k+ now to flip... but then Barry is loaded so thats his luxury! Just look at how many non exact match domains rank and earn successfully!!! Thats my whole point... Yes you lose certain CTR in PPC and potentially SERPS but then big whoop?! You get to the top of serps with LINKS.. because at the end of the day LINKS are what drive sites to the top of Google etc. Links is what you should be spending your money on be it a well thought out PR strategy or seeking out high quality relevant blog posts yada yada whatever... But then Links and seo opens up a whole different discussion lol I feel so much better now Edit: I ranted to Frank about this the other day lol Last edited by JMOT; 18-01-2011 at 09:02:00 PM.

18-01-2011, 08:10:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
domainseller200 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: wales Posts: 2,594 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 55)	Nice to see you getting this written down after our MSN chat yesterday - I am surprised there was no reference to me in this post somewhere. You know it makes perfect sense in the long game mate, and I am glad that you also agree with it now __________________ Colour Blind Test \| Louise Porter \| Fwitter \| Charlie Brooks \| Gemma Bissix \| Commercial Offices \| Tribal tattoos \| Cheap Holidays Last edited by domainseller200; 18-01-2011 at 08:15:30 PM.

18-01-2011, 08:50:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
domainseller200 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: wales Posts: 2,594 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 55)	To be honest what I have said may be taken out of context as I would always develop a generic over a brandable every day of the week There is no such thing as a brandable domain to be honest, and anyone that disagrees is kidding themselves. Unless you plan on spending big time on branding exercises and advertising, then no name is brandable - generic or not __________________ Colour Blind Test \| Louise Porter \| Fwitter \| Charlie Brooks \| Gemma Bissix \| Commercial Offices \| Tribal tattoos \| Cheap Holidays

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18-01-2011, 07:50:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
wb Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,922 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 29)	Not much to add really except I agree For less competitive areas, exact match domains make it easy to get ranking quick and can often be the main keywords so are memorable too. When an area is competitive enough to need a great deal of links though, I would much rather have a memorable domain which is brandable for the long term (e.g. a nice single word) over an exact match.

18-01-2011, 08:24:16 PM	#5 (permalink)
boxfish Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 399 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 10)	I completely agree. I use exact match for quick wins but all my 'proper' sites are based on decent 'brandable' names.

18-01-2011, 09:03:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
wb Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,922 No Classified Ratings Domain Trader Rating: (100% / 29)	Brandable domains to me are ones which wouldn't necessarily be searched for as a keyword but are still generic words. So by that, I don't mean random words like Yahoo or Google but quality ones like Barry's Gold.co.uk or Accessories.co.uk. Quality single words and phrases should hold a strong value because of all the other factors (not including the 'exact match' bonus).