Conflicted
Last Update: November 16, 2011

Here's why...

Been doing some keyword research, trying to zero in on just the right keyword for a particular niche.

First of all, I don't know what QSR to believe. Which one is accurate? Secondly, I am circumspect about buying a domain if someone else owns the .com. Feels weird to me to be an "also run" and jump on the coattails of another site. Am I being foolish? I want to stand alone and not have to worry about legal hassles down the road. I know many marketers think it is an advantage to cash in on the other guys's traffic. I'm just not comfortable with a domain keyword name that someone else already has, unless it's a review site, and your reviewing a product. Then, of course it makes sense  to use the name of the product.

Am I taking it all too seriously? Am I passing up opportunity?

What is your take on having the same domain name as someone else, only the .org, or .net?

Sometimes there is an existent company with the same name, but their domain name is different. If this company has a trademark, you certainly want to avoid that name, at least I do. Sometimes their product is different from yours, but still, who needs the trouble if trouble arises as a result of utilizing the same name? Are you liable in this case? I don't know. You'd have to read their trademark, and you'd have to be a lawyer or ask a lawyer.

I feel if you're going to invest time, money and effort in developing a site, better to have a clear path. Better to be safe than sorry. Joan is cautious.


Join the Discussion
Write something…
Recent messages
Incognito Premium
Hi Joan, I also remember reading somewhere that eventually search engines *may* remove some of the weight keyword rich domains have. Whether it happens or not, time will tell. I know we get told to find a keyword rich domain, but it's still worth considering the above for your long term success. As we've come to learn over the course of the year, Google changes everything on us everyday :)
jatdebeaune Premium
That's interesting Leo. I try to follow my intuition on these things, and I may be right or wrong. I use the rich targeted keywords in the heading, and try to make my domain name more personal and less generic, though I may employ a targeted keyword there too as only part of the title. Don't know what Google's planning on doing. I just like to stand out.
dataplextech Premium
A trademark is one thing. A keyword is another. For example howtoloseweight.com is most likely just a keyword. So howtoloseweight.net is just another keyword rich domain. Most likely, you won't get traffic from the other domain because these domains aren't what people type into address bars - plus the .COM is assumed by most web users.
jatdebeaune Premium
So there is such a thing as keyword domains and you're not infringing by using the same keyword in your domain? Okay. That's been a point of confusion because I know that people are elated if the .org or .net is available. I've been avoiding purchasing such and looking for untapped keywords.
Hussien Premium
I would strongly go against purchasing a trademark domain name as it is not profitable in the long term.

If you really want that domain name then get it in my opinion. whether it's .org .net or whatever

sometimes people just buy the .com domain you want and sit on them and do nothing, don't let that stop you.

pick a domain name that you're proud of and see it unfold before you eyes.

best of luck
jatdebeaune Premium
Thank you for your reply Hussien. I would definitely avoid purchasing a trademark domain name. It was lucky that I discovered it, and discovered it by putting the name I wanted to register into Google plus the word trademark. The domain name I wanted to use was a trademarked off-line business name. Oddly, their website is called something else.
Top