Do domain names matter for SEO?

[Kevin]

Like do they have to be related to the product? For example, would a computer business be better off with a name johnsoncomputers.com? Rather than a made up name like vikross.com?

[hs_jha]

In terms of SEO , the domain names used to matter until last year when Google started punishing crappy sites with keyword specific names.Now it is more about brand name and how much important a content or service is to the web apart.Social Media indicators and bounde rates have taken front seat.

[Joseph]

Yes and No. If you want to get a website domain name like looseweight.com then no. Your competition is way to steep anyways. If you want keyword rich domain names you should shoot for a highly searched keyword and the domain should have that keyword phrase in a long-tail fashion. In other words. Try http://www.looseweightinyourbutt.com the phrase loose weight in your butt is probably searched quite a bit with a lot lower competition. Use the google keyword tool for your search too. Try to get something that has over 5,000 local and phrase searches and your golden. Remember long tail keyword domain name go google that. If you need any more help the link below is a group of guys who offer a lot of free info most people are charging for.

[Dr Timothy Sanders]

Hi Kevin!

I have taught marketing and communications at the University of Arizona for nearly 30 years now and even with the panda updates, I guarantee that domain rich keywords still do matter. Yes, google is punishing crappy websites, so no matter what you do, if your website sucks you're out of luck. But if you have a good quality site, a keyword rich domain name does help a lot.

Since this is going to be your business website, you must optimize it first and choosing the right keywords and domain is the most important thing to do to start on the right foot. You need specific tools to do this. The top level application, used ethically by many internet marketers is http://goo.gl/6Q4YS (This is an affiliate link). You can use the trial application in full for free without buying anything. The website contains videos that will help you using the software. Use the best possible keywords as part of your domain.

If you need further help to see which domains are available for your chosen keywords, try this other free program: http://goo.gl/zrKwX but pay particular attention to choosing the keywords right. I register all my domain names with Namecheap using the above tool.

[gruntmaster9000]

Short Answer: Yes, it is factored into the algorithm, but it is not everything.