Page URLs versus Domains: Brands, Queries, and Identities

There are three types of domain names:

1. Brand Domains
2. Query Domains
3. Identity Domains

Brand and Identity Domain names share similar characteristics but the Identity domain name has little to no brand value and cannot be used to springboard other identities or brands. When a domain name becomes well-established and capable of serving as a springboard for other domains it has achieved brand status.

Query Domains are purchased for the minimal SEO value they provide with keywords in the URL (but you don’t need to buy a Query Domain just to break into a SERP). You get about equal value from using keywords in page URLs as in domain names and I find there is actually greater value in relying on page URLs than in relying on domain names for the keyword boost.

If you’re building a new brand you have to start out with an identity domain. It’s unique but not well-known. It is brandable but hasn’t yet shaped a query space. Of course, there are always some blurred distinctions.

For example, when we picked up the SEO-Theory.com domain last year we first checked on “seotheory.com” and found that domain was taken (but not used). I had invested enough time in the concept that I wanted to go ahead and build a brand value around an SEO theory domain, so we elected to take SEO-Theory.com.

Today when you search on “SEO theory” this Web site consistently appears at or near the top of the results (as does its predecessor, the seo-theory.blogspot.com account). “SEO theory” is also the most popular term that people use to find this site, bringing in three times as much traffic as the next most popular expression (SEO tips).

I have not yet used SEO-Theory.com to springboard another domain (unless you count my huckleberry products site, but I also promoted that site from within Xenite.Org). I don’t feel that SEO Theory has yet become a brand, although I built up the query space around this blog. It’s not like you can easily package and sell search engine optimization theory.

Nonetheless, this site serves as a good example of how an Identity Domain develops. If someone were to buy a domain name using “SEO theory” today they would be buying a Query Doman because the domain is relevant to an established query space. In fact, if people were to start creating SEO theory Web sites (and a few bloggers have actually added the category to their sites, which is not quite the same thing but still a step in that direction) then the SEO-Theory.com domain might step up into the Brand Domain category.

Creating a brand takes considerable investment. People have to identify a specific product, service, or concept with the brand name. I still see enough people using “SEO theory” without reference to this site that I am sure there is little to no brand value here yet. But the point of the blog was not to create a brand.

We can extend these domain name definitions to page URLs (hereafter referred to simply as “URLs”) and speak of “Brand URLs”, “Query URLs”, and “Identity URLs” but we would have to add a fourth category: “Inspecific URLs”. An Inspecific URL acquires no value in itself. It may be loaded with parameters or it may simply be a typical blog post URL loaded with words. It is not memorable enough to establish an identity or a brand and it is not relevant to a query space.

Brand URLs may be built by adding a sub-domain to an existing site, such as forum.example.com (and the brand would be the Example.com Forum). But you can place the brand to the right of the primary domain name. For example, you could do something negative like this for a major brand. The URL is a Brand URL because it refers specifically to the brand and acts invasively toward the brand’s name space.

Brand URLs can only be used in two ways: to build the brand or diminish it. There is no such thing as a brand-neutral URL. If you create a Brand URL you’re using it to share something about the brand. Otherwise, you’re just creating an Inspecific URL. Inspecific URLs really don’t accomplish anything because they are not memorable and don’t convey a brand-relevant message.

Query URLs are more flexible than Query Domains because you can load up on them. You only get one query per Query Domain but you can replicate your query as often as you wish with Query URLs. Query URLs can chase the subtle variations of the long tail keywords you’d like to capture. Query URLs cost you nothing and they are easier to work with than satellite website seo.

Basing your search engine optimization on URLs and domain names is foolish but developing a marketing campaign around them makes more sense. You can market a concept and the domain name or URL encapsulates the concept very succinctly. Domain names can work better with trademarks and identifying logos and expressions; URLs are more flexible for search engine optimization and broaden your reach considerably. In a robust marketing effort you would want to use both domain names and URLs to address as many needs as possible and leverage all available advantages.

I’ve occasionally seen SEOs debate the merits of using domain names versus page URLs and, frankly, the fact that such debates exist at all underscores just how poorly people understand what they are working with. The best approach is to work with all available options as efficiently as possible. While it’s unlikely that a Query Domain could ever become a brand, I would not rule out the possibility entirely. In fact, I’m sure it’s probably happened more than once, though I suspect such evolutions would be rare.