>Like Saliya, I'd like evidence of this. I've just had a quick look at
>Search Engine Watch at
>http://www.searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/rank.html and it makes no
>mention of keywords in domain names.
>
>Now, you wouldn't be thinking of the <TITLE> tag would you?
>
>Cheers
>
>Paul Foxworthy


And note from the same page of info (that seems very 101 level) at
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/rank.html

"Meta tags are what many web designers mistakenly assume are the "secret" to
propelling their web pages to the top of the rankings. However, not all
search engines read meta tags. In addition, those that do read meta tags may
chose to weight them differently. Overall, meta tags can be part of the
ranking recipe, but they are not necessarily the secret ingredient."

The subsequent link http://www.searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/meta.html
states this:
"Before we start, let's make it clear:
  a.. Meta tags are not a magic solution.
  b.. Meta tags are not a magic solution.
  c.. Meta tags are not a magic solution.
Meta tags provide a useful way to control your summary in some search
engines"


In my opinion and experience, there is no single factor that can be claimed
to be or to add the magic result.  However, it does appear that whilst there
are many aspects to search-engine optimisation that with exactly identical
pages the one with the generic domain will prevail over that which is not
generic in most search engines.

The main benefit of having a 'generic' surely is the ease of recall and in
the way that the majority of the Internet user population use generic words
in search engines.  Not everyone is Boolean savvy and the KISS principal is
a clear factor.

People are probably less likely to search for "Asphalt Plant Pavers
Equipment" or go to http://www.asphalt-plants-pavers-equipment.com/
directly!

But instead they are likely to use a search engine and type in "pavers".
Any well
constructed site with the domain including the word 'pavers' (being an exact
match for the search) will be likely to be ranked towards the top.

Likewise most people wouldn't search in an engine for "CSR" when looking for
pavers they would search for "pavers".  But if they already knew that CSR
made pavers then the simple easily recalled URL www.csr.com.au could be used
directly.

The chances of someone having the need to going back to the search engine to
find www.csr.com.au for a second time are surely less than
www.asphalt-plants-pavers-equipment.com/ ??

Substitute www.csr.com.au with a generic like www.pavers.com.au and surely
the same assumption can be made.

The point is that generic domains are not magic but generally as a rule they
are far more easily recalled and easily remembered just like www.csr.com.au
or www.pavers.com.au.  Surely it would be far easier to build branding and
recognition and recall of a simple generic than that of
"www.asphalt-plants-pavers-equipment.com" ??

Phil Wright
Internet Marketing Consultant