How to use EMD

[opportunist86]

My previous site which were EMD's were hit by google and never recovered. I'm going to start some new sites now and need some suggestions regarding selection of domain names. FOr example if my keyword is "best exercises", what domain name is best and how many keywords should I use?

 

[iMechanic]

Google don't have any problem with EMD but with content. If your EMD has lot of content and those are good then EMD is also good. I am creating lot of content now for my EMD ..............

 

[Glenn BH]

How to use EMD

Just like any other domains

...if my keyword is "best exercises", what domain name is best...

ExerciseBuddy.com Seriously, you don't need exact keywords in your domain name. If you want to make money in the long term, brand yourself.

...and how many keywords should I use?

Using in the domain or on your site?

 

[evilclown]

Well EMD still hold value but Google actually deprecated this value while Bing still gives high value to this. Now days you don't buy 1 domain. You buy a few EMD's and a Brandable domain. Point the EMD's to your Brandable domain. Don't forget from time to time to toss a link here and there to your EMD, don't go all out and post a full pyramid campaign.

 

[kasheshe]

I know I'll get noise from saying this but to be honest with you, you will get more mileage in the long run if you learn how to brand things.

I used to have websites based on keywords until I discovered that I could never scale on them. So I'd get a lot of traffic for a season but once the emd has lost its lustre, I'd have a site I can't do much with. So now I just brand and then follow the market. The sites have more value to everyone and its easier to scale.

So yes, EMD's still have value but if you are playing long term, think BRAND.

 

[HereComesTheDrop]

i think branding is very important like kasheshe says. in the long run you will probably make more money.

 

[maecenas23]

No matter if your domain is an EMD or not, adding very few content and/or poor backlinks + over-optimizing your pages, will send you to the same place-> Nowhere in SERPs

 

[service hub]

According to me emd is the correct option and will rank easily

Thanks

 

[topcat]

The EMD update diminished the amount of value there is in having a keyword in the domain name. It may still have a positive effect on rankings but it is so much smaller than it was before.

Attempt to form a brand, it will work wonders in the long run and you'll soon find that you can attain decent rankings without having keywords in the domain name.

In terms of building links, it shouldn't make a difference if your site is an EMD or brand name. Your methods should be no different.

 

[redchillies]

Exact match domains have always been the source of a lot of contention among SEOs. For quite some time, EMD's have offered a competitive advantage for SEO's who understood how to use them.

 

[The SEO]

If your EMD site is unique content rich with backlinks coming to authority websites, the
Google have no problem to hit your website.

 

[ekamai]

From what I experienced recently: EMDs can still rank quickly and well in microniches. But excessive use of affiliate links will kill any EMD value. I had one site with only a few words of content and without SEO going from nothing to 5, then I added affiliate links and it went back to nothing. EMD value is still there, but affiliate links are a counterweight.

 

[topcat]

If your EMD site is unique content rich with backlinks coming to authority websites, the
Google have no problem to hit your website.

Precisely. Don't think of the EMD update as a PENALTY, think of it as you are no longer getting a free boost simply because your site is named right.

 

[trevorhoang]

good informative comments. I learned a bit and will look into branding in the near future.

to OP, I am in the same position as you are. Lost all EMDs. What i understand now is low quality EMDs with weak articles and few posts will get hit. But EMDs that are made to look authoritative (tons of posts rich in content) will rank very well for the main KW and carry on to long tail KWs as well.

 

[topcat]

But EMDs that are made to look authoritative (tons of posts rich in content) will rank very well for the main KW and carry on to long tail KWs as well.

So just like a non-EMD name with good content and good links? The weight EMDs carry has been extremely diminished.

 

[scalf31]

you can still have an EMD, you just need to make sure that your anchor text is diversified. Do not keyword stuff. Also, change your image
alt text, don't make every one your main keyword. Google did not slap sites for having an EMD. That is a myth in my opinion.

 

[matt broody]

Think more about branding nowadays
EMD still have some SEO boost especially in Bing but not so much as it was earlier

 

[peakrankings]

Post unique contents on regular basis, EMD domains performs well but they need content support atleast in starting.

 

[offwhite]

I'm experimenting with partial match domains at the moment

 

[maecenas23]

I made a lot of tests regarding the EMD matter simply because it doesn't make sense to ban a website just because it's an EMD.

To make the long story short, to avoid problems you have to do 3 things:

a) Don't create a weird EMD like: Howtoloseweightfastandwithnosideffects.com
This doesn't look natural

b) Put some content on it. Don't put 2x 400 words pages and wait to hit the first page simply because the KW is in the URL. I had good results with 15 pages x450-500 words.

c) Don't over-optimize it. You have already an advantage because of the URL, you don't need to point 75% of the backlinks to the same KW. 15-20% is safe if the others are contextual anchors.

Hope it helps.