Have you ever wondered why some websites are able to rank highly in search engines with very little traffic while others struggle to get any traffic at all? It may seem like a chicken and egg scenario, but the truth is that it isn't. Search engines place certain keywords in certain categories more often than not, and that means certain websites must target those keywords in order to be successful. So why can some sites struggle while others are able to consistently generate traffic with a low amount of traffic despite having very little competition?
There are many reasons, actually. Most people don't realize it but when you're trying to optimize for a particular keyword or phrase, you must incorporate the keyword into your domain name, otherwise you won't have any chance of optimizing for that particular phrase. The reasoning behind investing in exact match domain name extensions makes perfect sense, but basically they don't give much, if any, benefit. To know why let's answer the last question: what is a domain name? That's an easy one: the actual name of your website appears in the address, so when someone types in a domain name into their browser, your website will appear right there.
However, when you invest in domain registration, you get a chance to avoid this problem. With domain registration you register the actual name, not the extension, which allows you to avoid keyword extensions. In addition to this, you also get a chance to avoid the problem of the domain name disappearing in a sea of other domain registrations. As long as you avoid popular domain registration like misspelled domain names, you're in good shape. But here comes the real revelation: what is the real value of SEO and domain registration?
Well, the value of SEO lies in building backlinks, because without backlinks your website just isn't going to get anywhere. At least, you wouldn't get anywhere on the Internet anyway, because search engines take backlinks into account when ranking websites. And that's the secret of online marketing - they take backlinks into account when ranking websites! So you can see now why it is important to register your domain name and keep it registered, even when it's old and outdated. You don't want Google or whoever to see your domain name as being inactive for six months, do you?
Now let's look at domain names. Again, from a marketing point of view, registering a domain name is far more valuable than buying a domain name. Let's face it - there are hundreds of thousands of people out there trying to sell you their "secret" SEO tactic for "breaking the top three search engines." Most of these techniques are worthless, so don't waste your time or money with them. Buying a domain name (even when it's older) is far more important than SEO techniques.
If you really want to succeed online, you need to register your domain names, because they are the building blocks of your business. Don't let Google breaks you. Don't let your competition do that. And most importantly, don't let old domain names keep you from building your online business. The age of the dot-com is over, but your domain registration is never too late!