Which would be a 'Brand' domain (for escort news)?

[SteveGG]

I'm having a resetting brain loop about what new domain I should get, so thought I'd throw it out here for insights...

Let's say I wanted to do a website that was all about escorts; primarily news related to escorts & prostitution etc.

Would the domain name escortnews.com be a 'brand' domain (and/or otherwise a good domain), or is it better to go with something unique, and even nonsensical, like a mashup between two related words such as Jezetute.com - mashing 'jezebel' and 'prostitute'.

The first choice allows for keyword anchor text if another website used my site's url - ie. "visit escortnews.com for more info."...

But I'm also concerned that some other legit sites might not link to mine simply because my website name is so generic and has the word 'escort' in it. (Note: the site I'm considering isn't about escorts, but it is in the realm of sexuality, which - if the name is in the domain - could potentially work against me when it comes to other sites linking in.)

Jezetute.com on the other hand is unique and more brandable, imo, since its not using the generic words 'escort' and 'news', but instead an entirely new word.

... On a tangent, I took a look at a list of companies acquired by Google, and it is chock full of unique and often nonsensical (unless it's based on another language) or mashed names like Kaltix, Skia , Endoxon, Postini, Zenter, Jaiku, Agnilux, Jambool, PittPratt, etc.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Google

So a unique name may be more brandable(?), but it's not as good for anchor text, search engine rankings for its KWs, or to more plainly indicate what the website is about.

Which would you use..? Thanks!

~ Stymied in Seattle

 

[EvilPenguin]

both can be considered 'branded' if you play your cards right.

I would still use EscortNews.com despite all the people saying otherwise. There's plenty of keyword-rich brands out there that are doing very well. Make sure you secure your keyword/brand e-real esate through social media with a service like knowem.com

 

[CCarter]

I'm going to have to agree with EvilPenguin on this one. EscortNews.com is a better choice. One thing you have to consider is the customer profile of your target audience. Are they going to be able to spell that other brand?

The example you used are also inconsequential, since they are technology companies generally geared towards more tech savvy consumers. Are people going to "EscortNews.com" really going to be that tech savvy? When branding, considering your target audience is a crucial point.

It happens to be dumb luck "Google" is spelled that way (cause the investor that wrote the check spelled it that way and didn't know how to spell Googol). Being bright or sheer luck, the team kept that spelling, and I have no doubt it has "helped" in their success. Not by a whole lot, but it has helped. that other spelling "Googol" is too nerdy and the general audience which has a 4th to 5th grade education won't be able to remember how many 'o's - I'm way off topic at this point but i think you get the jist.

And I really hope you are just using escortnews.com as an example... cause... come on bro...

Carry on...​

 

[SteveGG]

...
I would still use EscortNews.com despite all the people saying otherwise. There's plenty of keyword-rich brands out there that are doing very well. Make sure you secure your keyword/brand e-real estate through social media with a service like knowem.com

That actually brings up another point, in that EscortNews.com is an EMD of sorts, which appear to have been slapped to a degree recently - although I've seen some people saying that hasn't been the case for them.

Maybe that supposed algorithm slap didn't affect aged or authority sites but did and would stomp thin or new EMD sites(?).

Good reminder/tip to snag all the social media property too. Knowem should make that a ton easier. Thanks!

 

[SteveGG]

I'm going to have to agree with EvilPenguin on this one. EscortNews.com is a better choice. One thing you have to consider is the customer profile of your target audience. Are they going to be able to spell that other brand?​

That's a good point, as is your contrast between this demographic and the tech types when it comes to nonsensical names.

And thanks for the Google/Googol background - I recall reading that it was originally going to be Googol, but didn't know the exact reason for the switch. Hilarious.

And I really hope you are just using escortnews.com as an example... cause... come on bro...​

LOL. It is just an example and the actual site is in an entirely different spectrum in that very general field.

...but as my affiliate mind thought about it more, there probably are some good ways to make money off such a site:
- Collect and sell leads to escorts/escort sites,
- commission on products clients might be interested to add some variety to their sessions, or protect them from getting caught by their gf/wives, etc
- commission on products escorts might be interested in to fend off 'bad johns', likewise various sex items they might purchase for sessions, etc.

A site related to sex and prostitutes would certainly be able to generate a lot of link bait too, methinks.

But no.

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

Good reminder/tip to snag all the social media property too. Knowem should make that a ton easier.

This should be the first thing you check when deciding on a name. It's unlikely that a generic name is going to be available on most social media properties. Also, rather than trying to force a new word like in your example, look to synonyms or even Greek/Roman/Egyptian gods or goddesses that represent something related to your niche. There are a lot of different angles you can take but just make sure that you can scoop up all of your social media profiles because if you can't then you're not very brandable.

 

[SteveGG]

This should be the first thing you check when deciding on a name. It's unlikely that a generic name is going to be available on most social media properties.

You're certainly correct that grabbing the social media stuff is going to be very important in the long run. Taking a look now, I see that the two-word domain name (ie. escortnews) is available on at least the major 2.0 sites.
"Check!"

Also, rather than trying to force a new word like in your example, look to synonyms or even Greek/Roman/Egyptian gods or goddesses that represent something related to your niche.

Aha! That's awesome - because I did EXACTLY that last night (same wiki page and everything) when I was trying to come up with a good domain name! LOL
As it turns out, even the more obscure ones that I thought feasible appeared to have been grabbed already and 'parked' or otherwise up for sale (~$1100 for one, I recall). :-/

Outside the box thinking always appreciated.

There are a lot of different angles you can take but just make sure that you can scoop up all of your social media profiles because if you can't then you're not very brandable.

For some reason I always put those 2.0 sites on the backburner - probably because I've been at this so long, and it was never really much of a factor to worry about in the 'old days'. However grabbing those will now immediately follow the purchase of the domain itself.

Thanks again!

 

[EvilPenguin]

That actually brings up another point, in that EscortNews.com is an EMD of sorts, which appear to have been slapped to a degree recently - although I've seen some people saying that hasn't been the case for them.

Maybe that supposed algorithm slap didn't affect aged or authority sites but did and would stomp thin or new EMD sites(?).

Good reminder/tip to snag all the social media property too. Knowem should make that a ton easier. Thanks!

not all EMDs have been hit, only those that abused anchor text. It's actually easier to rank EMDs now believe it or not, just avoid using your money keyword when link building. Focus on high quality links only, and a handful of them should be enough.

 

[BabyGotBacklink]

I don't think EMDs have been penalized, they just lost the little boost Google used to give them just for being an EMD. So crappy thin EMDs dropped in the SERPs, not because they got penalized but because they were just propped up, resting on their EMD (smug) and they didn't have the links/substance to keep their spot once Google pulled the EMD bonus from under them.

And the only reason I would consider calling EscortNews.whatever an EMD is by virtue of it containing actual English words. What are we matching? Who is looking for "escort news" ?? Surely those wouldn't be your keywords. No, your traffic would come from searches like "(celebrity name) caught with a male escort" "hot Japanese escort service" "escort blackmails (politician)" etc... it's a news site right?

Contrary to widespread paranoia we are in fact still allowed to use actual words/phrases in our domain names without getting Google hammered. There are times when a branded domain makes sense and other times when it doesn't. Not every domain has to be a made up word a la Doctor Seuss.

Edit: ok so you're not going with escortnews *whew* but I still think a descriptive name is a better fit for this kind of a site JMO I mean you aren't going to brand this into a "household name" Nobody is going to say "Ahhh I only trust ho-flux for my escort news needs." You are going for big stories, flashing traffic and move on to the next bit of link bait/traffic bait.

 

[lincolndsp]

emd domains cannot be brandable?
creditcards.com is a brand emd
dfkddy.com is crap
vozy.com is a brandable

 

[SteveGG]

Thanks again for the additional insights about the EMD slap.

It does make more sense that Google somewhat devalued the juice of a domains' name, and let other factors determine their authority instead. I plan on being white hat with my new one anyway so it shouldn't be an issue.

And the only reason I would consider calling EscortNews.whatever an EMD is by virtue of it containing actual English words. What are we matching? Who is looking for "escort news" ?? Surely those wouldn't be your keywords. No, your traffic would come from searches like "(celebrity name) caught with a male escort" "hot Japanese escort service" "escort blackmails (politician)" etc... it's a news site right?

True - and that concern is a little loose in the example I used as a domain name. But, as in your examples, having 'escort' and 'news' in the domain may help a bit when an individual article's url, title tag, and H1 headline all have those words too.
ie. if people Googling for: news about Hugh Grant with an escort

Contrary to widespread paranoia we are in fact still allowed to use actual words/phrases in our domain names without getting Google hammered.

That's exactly what it is - paranoia!
Huge sites that we typically depend on like Google & Facebook have been known to shut marketers down without warning or recourse plenty of times, and those horror stories tend to make some people a little nervous.

There are times when a branded domain makes sense and other times when it doesn't. Not every domain has to be a made up word a la Doctor Seuss.

Did that make me L. O. L. ?
Yes it did, sure as Hell.

Edit: ok so you're not going with escortnews *whew* but I still think a descriptive name is a better fit for this kind of a site JMO I mean you aren't going to brand this into a "household name" Nobody is going to say "Ahhh I only trust ho-flux for my escort news needs." You are going for big stories, flashing traffic and move on to the next bit of link bait/traffic bait.

That's a good point. The real site I have in mind would actually generate repeat viewers more than one about escort news (I have a very related site that I need to slowly move to this new one, and it has a few thousand email subscribers to it), but there certainly will be plenty of one-off visitors who followed a link from somewhere and may never come back.

emd domains cannot be brandable?
creditcards.com is a brand emd
dfkddy.com is crap
vozy.com is a brandable

Yeah, a generic word or words can be branded I suppose... although I'd say that kleenex.com is more a brand than facialtissues.com would be. But I may be too strict in what I've been defining as a 'brand'.

So thanks guys! I appreciate the feedback and I will go with the two word generic domain name, as that's the overwhelming consensus and has been explained well.