GEO, prove it !

[findtim]

does anyone have a link to a report that PROVES whether it is best to have the town name first or last?

eg: dubbodentist or dentistdubbo ?

tim

 

[James]

Well ideally what is more popular in search volume will be the better choice in my eyes

First do some research on the area:

Compare the terms on: http://www.google.com/insights/search/
Compare the terms using your own keyword research too see whats more popular:
example post I did - http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/advanced-seo-keyword-research-tips-and-ideas-14216

See which term is more popular overall, you can even go more advanced if desired, I have further software for that.

In regards to what will work I mean it all depends what you are trying to rank for after you know what term is more popular.

I mean any thing is possible depends on the domain and SEO, but the thing is in the end of the day the job is going to be easy if you have the right domain to work with in terms of which is more popular.

 

[findtim]

thanks james , and i will do more research and HAVE DONE heaps of research, the reason for my question comes from the brisbane meeting and the MANY people i spoke to had 50/50 opinions on it so i was looking for someone to actually PROVE which was better.

otherwise you could assume neither is better or worse?

YES, you should never rely on your domain name to give you rankings......

tim

 

[snoopy]

Agree with what James has said in the main.

Something like "dentist dubbo" though doesn't make much sense to me as a name.

Who speaks like that? It is a couple of related words stuck together, people might search for that but it isn't logical as a domain.

 

[findtim]

Agree with what James has said in the main.

Something like "dentist dubbo" though doesn't make much sense to me as a name.

Who speaks like that? It is a couple of related words stuck together, people might search for that but it isn't logical as a domain.

So are you more inclined to "dubbodentist" ?

tim

 

[snoopy]

So are you more inclined to "dubbodentist" ?

tim

Yes. In terms of being a name "dentist dubbo" is missing an "in". People don't bother with that for search queries, but for in terms of it functioning as a logical name I'd describe it as using data without the common sense factor.

 

[neddy]

I also prefer the geo term first, but that's not to say I wouldn't still buy names the other way round. It depends what they are - e.g. I believe the terms "accommodation" or "hotels"
are ones that works both ways. (Though having sold a few in recent times, the geo name first is still worth quite a bit more imo).

The other factor is availability. If the "geo first" name is gone (and held by someone who is unlikely to sell it), then this comes into the equation of valuation or worth.

Here are a couple of examples from GAKT:

• [accommodation noosa] 2,400 Exacts @ A$3.00
• [noosa accommodation] 9,900 Exacts @ A$3.27
• [hotels sydney] 4,400 Exacts @ A$6.42
  
• [sydney hotels] 9,900 Exacts @ A$7.19

So "geo first" is far better, but other way around is not to be sneezed at.

Imho.

 

[FirstPageResults]

I usually find that when dealing with services, the geo works better as the second word:

"dentist melbourne" 1,600 exacts/6,600 phrase
"melbourne dentist " 390 exacts/880 phrase

But as James said, do the research and take it on a case by case basis.

Also, I accept that often having the geo first may make more sense for traditional advertising, but this is an SEO thread..

 

[findtim]

i like neds post as all my geos are first LOL, but it does make for interesting debate.

tim

 

[neddy]

I usually find that when dealing with services, the geo works better as the second word:

"dentist melbourne" 1,600 exacts/6,600 phrase
"melbourne dentist " 390 exacts/880 phrase

Good point FPR - I remember you telling me that previously.

So research is the key, and there are always going to be exceptions and variables.

And to avoid all doubt, grab both if you can!
.

 

[James]

Best research to do if you have the money is to run tests using paid search advertising on the term, the problem with the data from Keyword Tool is some times it can have issues with been correct and it is estimates.