Domain names

Eye seven

Eye seven

Eye seven

Associate
Joined
19 Feb 2009
Posts
338
Ok, so the domain I want is taken so what is the best alternative?

I want my domain to be the main keywords of the site so my options are:

Option 1 - www.keyword-keyword-keyword.co.uk
Option 2 - www.keywordkeywordkeyword.com

I am based in the UK and it is quite a UK focused site so I quite like option 1 of just using a domain with hyphens and keeping the domain a .co.uk. So, what option is best or is there a better option I have not considered. SEO on the keywords is my most important concern.

Cheers.
 
Oxy said:
If what you are doing is legal and popular in the US, host it in the usa on a .com?
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He just said his businiss is based in the UK and focussed on the UK, why on earth would anyone ditch the awesome service of TSOhost/Vidahost to host it on a server four thousand miles away? What possible benefit would American hosting have?
 
asim18 said:
He just said his businiss is based in the UK and focussed on the UK, why on earth would anyone ditch the awesome service of TSOhost/Vidahost to host it on a server four thousand miles away? What possible benefit would American hosting have?
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HE may have focused his business on the UK, doesn't mean there isn't business in the USA. 60m vs 300m and all that...

I never even suggested hosting his .co.uk in the USA :rolleyes:
 
asim18 said:
He just said his businiss is based in the UK and focussed on the UK, why on earth would anyone ditch the awesome service of TSOhost/Vidahost to host it on a server four thousand miles away? What possible benefit would American hosting have?
Click to expand...

He didn't say host it in the usa, he said get a .com

Calm down dear.
 
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Sp00n said:
He didn't say host it in the usa, he said get a .com
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He did actually:

Oxy said:
If what you are doing is legal and popular in the US, host it in the usa on a .com?
Click to expand...

There are benefits to hosting your website in the same country as your main business, but as long as the business is mainly based in the UK I'd stick with UK hosting (I use TSOHost, highly recommended) regardless of the domain.

Edit: I was trying to say "TSOHost ***" but apparently the abbreviation for "for the win" is censored. Sadness :(
 
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Eye seven said:
Ok, so the domain I want is taken so what is the best alternative?

I want my domain to be the main keywords of the site so my options are:

Option 1 - www.keyword-keyword-keyword.co.uk
Option 2 - www.keywordkeywordkeyword.com

I am based in the UK and it is quite a UK focused site so I quite like option 1 of just using a domain with hyphens and keeping the domain a .co.uk. So, what option is best or is there a better option I have not considered. SEO on the keywords is my most important concern.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

The .co.uk will be easier to rank on google.co.uk than the .com. However, Google does tend to figure it out that you're in the UK even if using a .com. So for SEO, go with the .co.uk.

The only reason to buy the .com is if you think you might use it later or you don't want a competitor getting it.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I think I am a bit clearer now although there seems to be no definitive answer. So here is a slightly fuller explanation of needs.

The business is UK based and one of the problems I have is that one of the keywords is a place name which is shared in the USA. It is also an area that is already well served for websites but I have taken a slightly different slant on and the first website I did has done well. This is also another issue. I will be running several websites all based within one county but as I move to a new area there is no guarantee that the format of domain I choose will be available on the next site I do. For branding that does not sit well with me but I can't see a way around it currently.

Armed with this new info can anyone see the best way forward or should I just stick to hyphens and a .co.uk?

Many thanks.
 
If the business is UK-based and will never be international, go for the .co.uk but please try and avoid hyphens. If that means re-thinking the keywords or keyword order in the domain, it's worth doing. Hyphens are harder to remember, and can look unprofessional and spammy. Especially if there is more than one.

Whichever you use, .com or .co.uk, you should still register the other and point it (using a permanent HTTP 301 redirect) at the main site - this isn't expensive and is good business sense - now your customers don't have to care or remember whether your site is .com or .co.uk as both will work! You also avoid any potential domain squatting/hijacking issues down the line.

RE future projects: If you're developing a group of similar sites and would like the domains all to have the same format (eg. examplejobwales.com, examplejobengland.com), I'd advise choosing a format which does work for all the domains and registering them all now. If your next site will be a totally different project, however, then does it matter?
 
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