How To Score Good Domains and Dominate SERPs

It doesn't take long for many people to see that having your keyword in your domain is like SEO steroids. Unfortunately, people often think that all the good domains are taken. It is true that many of the domain names in established verticals are taken, but new topics and verticals are being created all the time. Below are some great tools you can use to spot trends and jump on a great domain before the crowd shows up:

• Twitt Scoop shows a tag cloud of what is hot on twitter right now.
• Google Trends - duh
• Google Insights
• It's also a good idea to follow some forward thinking blogs or publications in certain verticals and watch for new concepts or keywords.

Act now because keyword rich domains won't always be a one way ticket to the top of the search results.

Don't Be Afraid To Buy Premium Domains As Well

You'd be surprised at the quality of the domains you can pick up for $300 - $1000. This may seem like a lot of money, but not when you really do the math. I estimate that sites with spot-on domain names can rank for the keyword in the domain name with 1/2 - 1/4 of the links than without that domain. Would you spend $300 on a link from Yahoo? Think of the hours you would need to spend link building. If you need a 1000 links to rank with non-keyword domain, you might only need 300 or 400 to rank with a keyword friendly, premium domain. Would you buy 500 good links for $300 - $1000? Well of course you would.

Important Note - When shopping for premium domains always negotiate, and negotiate LOW. Many of these people have been holding on to these domains for years and get few chances to sell them. If you see a domain selling for $1000, offer them $200 to start out with. Never give the opening price for a domain name. Some sites don't negotiate, but always try.