Domain Name and SEO

[Vincent]

Does domain name affect ranking of the site? Fore instance, tv.com vs t-v.com, if people search for keyword tv, would one be more likely found than the other?

creditcard.com vs credit-card.com, are they the same to search engine, assuming same content, keyword, metatag, and everything else?

[amplify]

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[HarveyJ]

Yes, a direct keyword match in the URL against a search term will rank a lot better than another site that does not have an exact match, if you discount other factors.

I've seen numerous sites get to #1 or #2 SERP on domain name alone, with zero backlinks and almost no age.

[domaintrader2007]

yes direct keyword is more useful to rank than -. But if u do good Seo then no difficulties in making website with - domain name ranking top in search engine .

[Tekime]

I believe a dash is generally interpreted as a space/word break by bots, so in your example t-v.com might not match "tv" but "t v" and that could make a big difference.

[Vincent]

I believe a dash is generally interpreted as a space/word break by bots, so in your example t-v.com might not match "tv" but "t v" and that could make a big difference.

As far as parking, if you use key word same as "tv", wouldn't search engine enterpret them the same? Just wondering. I thought key word is the key to searching a site.