Aaron Wall just wrote about the boost Google gives exact match domains and speculates on the logic behind the extra boost:
It's true the search engine boost you get from an exact match domain is significant - but just as important is the credibility and memorability of such a domain. DiversityJobs.com is a case in point and perfect example of an exact match domain name.
Exact match domain names put the wind at your back! Here's how Rick Schwartz puts it:
A great domain name allows you to suck and still stay in business. I equate it to the pizza stand on the boardwalk by the ocean. Each day a new group of people come and each day you serve your crummy pizza. The pizza sucks, but you are always busy.
Busy because nobody knows it sucks cuz they are tourists and are not coming back and the only reason they came to you in the first place was that you had LOCATION! Location, location, location. So that sucky pizza guy will always make money because of his location. On the other hand if he had a good product he would not only tap into the tourist, but his pizza place would become a destination and he could grow and expand and open new locations.
So while the sucky pizza guy will always make great money, he will never be able to do what the guy with the great pizza does. When you marry a great domain with a great marketing plan and a great base idea, you have something that will grow and expand and that is what it is all about. Catching that lightening in a bottle.
Read Matt Cutt's comments for more on Google's perspective or my lessons for domain developers.
