Would you consider business1.com better than business1.plumbing for SEO and why?

[getphound]

(Business1 is only an example.) Thanks!

 

[djbaxter]

Yes. Absolutely.

The domain itself has little to do with ranking these days. The TLD (.com vs. plumbing) isn't a critical factor for ranking but it is still a factor for traffic. Most of the new domains at this point look spammy and do not look trustworthy to many people.

As a general rule, I would always choose .com, a regional TLD like .ca or .co.uk, or a .org or .net TLD over the new ones.

 

[bhartzer]

Why, djbaxter? Why would business1.com be better? It describes what the business does, which is obviously plumbing.

Based on my research and testing, a .Plumbing domain would convert better on Google AdWords for less money (cheaper CPC) than an equivalent .COM domain.

 

[djbaxter]

Why, djbaxter? Why would business1.com be better? It describes what the business does, which is obviously plumbing.

Based on my research and testing, a .Plumbing domain would convert better on Google AdWords for less money (cheaper CPC) than an equivalent .COM domain.

See above. I hit submit too soon and went back to edit the post with my reasons.

The original question was about SEO. I would ask why do you think the .plumbing TLD is cheaper on AdWords? And whether you have considered user experience?

 

[getphound]

Say you had 2 websites. Both same pictures, text, pages, etc. on both (assuming duplicate content "wasn't a thing"). Would the .com rank above the .plumbing website?

 

[bhartzer]

Well, here's what I'm finding:

- it's true that the domain name doesn't matter, technically speaking. We know that, Google has verified it more than once.
- When you have a domain that includes your keyword in the URL, then it's more likely that your links are going to have your preferred anchor text.
- It's easier to get "plumbing" as a keyword into your anchor text naturally when you have plumbing in your domain name.

I've seen (and written case studies, publicly) that show that when a site moved from a .COM to a keyword rich new gTLD domain, they rank better. Especially for their preferred keywords, which are included in the URL/domain.

My theory is that it's not necessarily the domain, it's the fact that the links and anchor text have the influence.

Regarding .plumbing on AdWords, I've tested new gTLDs vs .COM domains and the new gTLD domains such as .plumbing cost less, have a better quality score, better average positioning. They also get clicked on more often--and convert better. That's based on my testing and research I've been doing since 2014.

 

[bhartzer]

If you had two websites, .com and .plumbing, it would be easier to rank the .plumbing site because of the anchor text links to the .plumbing site.

I have seen sites that couldn't get ranked on first page with their .COM domain and moved to a keyword rich TLD and started ranking on first page.

 

[djbaxter]

Say you had 2 websites. Both same pictures, text, pages, etc. on both (assuming duplicate content "wasn't a thing"). Would the .com rank above the .plumbing website?

No.

- it's true that the domain name doesn't matter, technically speaking. We know that, Google has verified it more than once.
- When you have a domain that includes your keyword in the URL, then it's more likely that your links are going to have your preferred anchor text.
- It's easier to get "plumbing" as a keyword into your anchor text naturally when you have plumbing in your domain name.

I've seen (and written case studies, publicly) that show that when a site moved from a .COM to a keyword rich new gTLD domain, they rank better. Especially for their preferred keywords, which are included in the URL/domain.

I would like to see that evidence.

 

[bhartzer]

Have you tested the .COM versus .plumbing (or any other new TLD)? I have, and I've seen it work. It turns out the links are what helps, it's not because of the domain.

Here's a case study posted on SEL:
Can moving to a new TLD boost search rankings?

And here's a link to several of the case studies and research that I've personally done:
https://www.billhartzer.com/pages/which-domain-name-is-best-for-your-business/