"Keyword rich" domains are really not important to the success search engine optimization. As Google always says - content is king. Any legitimate business with legitimate content can rank well without a keyword rich domain.
I think as search engines evolve, keyword-rich domains will become less and less important.
Not important to the success search engine optimization?? It's what matter most, sure content is nice but won't get you anywhere. Here is an example. I own realestatecompany.ca, the content is not good, the site is using a well known directory script and I haven't updated in like 6 months.
If you go to Google and check for Real Estate Company here is what you get:
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=...aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=2911983a5b1aa07d
3rd spot on first page before Remax, Century21, Prudential and tons of huge "Real Estate Companies" with a lot of updated daily quality content.
Now just for fun lets check realestatecompanies.ca which I own and have used only as a redirect to the singular. Never did anything to it.
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=...aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=2911983a5b1aa07d
#1 spot on google.ca before any other real estate company or companies.
Now don't you think it would be Remax best interest to buy this domain for half a million and use it for marketing? Every time any Real Estate Company advertise something anywhere I get more traffic for those looking for maybe competitor deals or looking for that deal or that specific real estate company.
So really Mr. Space, don't believe what Google tells you, above is a clear example that shows that keyword rich domain is the only way to go at least for now.
What will kill the keyword rich domains is the fact that most of them are set on poorly designed mini sites or parked page. Eventually, Google and friends will get tired of that and search in a different way.
I don't think keyword rich domains will loose much value even if search engines change their ways but they won't go up in value. I love my keyword domains, I recently put one up for a great niche and I'm already on the front page in like 1 week... but I'm preparing for the day that they all get off the front page. Really, RealEstateCompany.ca shouldn't be on the front page or at least not before Remax and those guys.
I remember in the late 90s early 2000s, as a designer we use to set porn keywords in the meta keywords of all our pages to get good ranking as porn was the only good stuff online and it did work for a while until google realized that meta keywords doesn't work. See how important are meta keywords nowadays, not a whole lot that's for sure. Same thing might happen to the keyword rich domains. The only reason to change a system that works is when it gets abused.
I'm probably completely gone bizerk.
D.