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It probably would have been faster to link to this: http://www.seobook.com/googles-matt-cutts-talks-down-keyword-domain-names than tell me to research it, but whatever. I'll link to it for the benefit of others. Thank you for your input, I will take it under advisement and continue to look into this before I speak to my client.
Would you happen to have a link to some additional information on this topic? I'm still not really seeing the down side to using the geographic domain based on what you're telling me.
Basically, what I've gathered from your posts is that by choosing the geographic domain they may wind up losing the added traffic boost that it initially picked up. However, because we will be addressing linkbuilding and on-page content with the business name, other keywords, and local area in mind, I'm really not seeing where I would be risking much by choosing the geographic area URL over the business URL.
Do keep in mind that we are dealing with a small, local business here, not a national brand. The brand name will not carry much weight outside of the local area they serve, and because they are just getting started it basically carries no weight at all at this point.
iNet, Please don't think that I disregarded your opinion completely. I appreciate the advice, but I'm pretty sure that for this client and in this situation including the geographic area seems to be the better option. What Google says and what Google does frequently seem to be two very different things and I'm not sure if this really qualifies as being a keyword-heavy URL. It's a two word URL, not keyword stuffed, and simply targets the geographic area that the business serves. She wants to be recognized as the number one provider in that area, so the name seems to have relevance on top of being a strong local keyword. If you still believe that I'm making an error, please explain to me why and I will perhaps reconsider my position.
Thank you for the insightful responses. I think that in this situation, I'm going to recommend to my client that we stick with the geographic domain as the main URL. The only question I have now is what to do with the leftover domains she has purchased. Would it be wise to forward them or create minisites/landing pages? Would it be considered spammy to build links to all of these domains regardless of whether or not they are forwarded to the parent domain? Would it be a waste of time?
I am working with a local business owner who has purchased multiple domains. One includes the geographic area she serves and the type of business she runs. The other includes her business name and the type of business she runs. She is unsure of which domain she would like to use as the main URL for her business website. When choosing a domain for a small, local business, would you consider it advantageous to have the main geographic area that the business serves in the URL rather than the actual name of the business?
What would be the best use of domain name which isn't selected from a SEO standpoint?