Should I switch domain before starting this project > should I go for the plural?

[monty]

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Hello, I've been away from AM for a while, but now looking to return - but I have a dilema!

A few years ago I registered the domains I intended to use for this project, basically they take the format:
<location><thing><guide> dot com.
so examples would be, say:
glasgowpublocator dot com, or
londonrestaurantfinder dot com

Neither of thouse are mine, just examples of the name format. For my one I have the hyphenated version, although the one in question remains readable unhypenated.

Now, these domains I have are .com's and a good 5+ years old, owned by me with no change in ownership.
However, having checked the adsense tool, the plural of <thing> (e.g. <location> <things>) gets far more searches than the singular.

The domains for the plural are still availble, so should I switch to:
<location><things><guide> dot com?

As I see it:
- the existing domains are aged (does this help with .com's?) but there has been no site.
- they have a small quantity of existing backlinks, nothing major, just some I've done when oportunities arose.
- most of the traffic (initially) will probably come from some sources I have acess to, so search is not envisaged to be a main stay initially. I expect direct return visitors (who orignially came from my source) to grow before search becomes important, but eventually build a site brand.
- however every little helps, so why not get the better domains for search
- yet the singular is more 'natural' as an expression though (so will be retained regardless for type in).

So, the question for the main domain of the site:
- keep the aged domains? or
- switch to the plural?

Any opininos gratefully recieved.

[alphawave]

Are you sure a search for the plural doesn't bring up results that contain the singular version as well? In this case the more natural sounding version would be preferable IMO

[monty]

Good thought. From my investigations, the only ones using <singular> that seem to rank well for <location> <plural> seem to be the real underlying things themselves.
[Good news is that only difference to convert singular to plural is the addition of an 's'.]

Just trying to work out to what extent that observed result is due to google, and to what extent it is the sites involved themselves.
I should say, <location> +<thing> regardless of whether singular or plural, is high volume and highly competetive. But plural:singular ratio is 10:1 on the adwords tool, if not 50:1.
Having said it is competetive, I think given time I will rank ok for it, due to the quality of where I can get my links and some expert knowledge/unique content in the field.

[monty]

Can't recal the rules here on bumping your own threads, but any other opinions?

[When I said the singular was more natural, that is only as a combined expression: <place><thing><tool>. So a better thing to read, but nobody searches for that, only for <place><thing>. But more people seach for <place><thingS>.]