exact match domain names

B

bubba_babba

Newbie
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Messages
33
Reaction score
16
Hey guys,

Sorry if this is a basic question. I'm new here, and I've found the advice on here invaluable. Hopefully, as I gain more knowledge/experience, I can be of similar to help to others here.

My question is the following: how much does exact match domain name impact SEO, if at all? I read an article on Google saying that changes in the algorithm have made any benefits obsolete, but I've seen others argue that it can still be helpful. I currently have an exact-match domain for my business, but I think it makes me look shady, and, if it won't hurt SEO, I'd like to change it to a more professional sounding domain name. Would love your help on this!
 
Advertise on BHW
My question is the following: how much does exact match domain name impact SEO
Click to expand...

A very valid, good question. Paint this picture...

Site #1: 6 years old EMD, DA 25, TF 18 and 50,000 words that serves a specific
audience with good solution with content and conservative optimized keywords.

Site #2: 6 years old 'branded domain', DA 25, TF 18 and 50,000 words with close
competitive authority in all other SEO remaining aspects as site #1.

My years of tests (and others% here as well should be able to agree as well) that site #1 will win with
the specs/site performance in a head to head comparison if they
were targeting the same Google keywords.

I think it comes to mindset. Instead of thinking 1 year cool millennial right now
entitlements like a lot of folks, seeing it long term (3+ years) from the moment your project
checks-in at Google, should have the EMD winning by a long mile. Just decide
if you want to build a quality project or just 'another project' like most people
do at the beginnings.

I'm getting older and older I guesso_O
 
That's the impression I get, but there's so much conflicting advice out there. Lol. Anyone here do any trial runs with this in mind?
 
I don't know much about SEO but here is my opinion:

Why does it matter to you?

To reach a situation where it matters is already a respectful goal (being ranked highly enough)
I dont like keyword domains for the most part, because they look like spam sites. Sometimes i wont click on the link in google if the domain sounds too keyword like.

Like: bestlaptops2017.com (and i have seen dome domains like that)

Go with brandable domains.
 
EMDs don't work as they used to. It depends on your project. If you wish to build a brand over the years, ignore EMDs. If it is a quick churn and burn kind of project, EMDs might slightly help. I, personally, ignore EMDs no matter what kind of project I build.
 
EMDs will get you a leverage only in Churn and Burn projects in short term.

But dont think about that concept in the "black-hat" way.
Churn and burn could be a good 1-2-3 year project with some trending stuff nowdays.

For example, think about that "Fidget Spinner" hype. Started in this year, and will die this year.
Someone with a little seo knowledge could made a gigantic amount of money with the fidgetspinner.com domain.
Now some fucker completely wasted that power with a redirect...

So regarding the example, if you sell "fidget spinners", and you can choose between
- fidgetspinner.com or
- brand.com

Go for the EMD! If you want to live longer than 1-3 years, go branded for costumers.
 
It really impacts very much?
Site gets indexed quickly it gets ranked quickly it exact match domains are good.
 
I always go after exact match domains,
when building links and using a naked url, i feel like there's some keyword weight behind it
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone. Basically, I have a business whose brand is different from the domain. I rank highly on important keywords, and i don't want to jeopardize that by changing my domain name, but it seems that changing my domain name won't be too much of an issue.
 
@bubba_babba as others have said, EMD does not have the benefits that it used to. If I was starting from scratch I would probably avoid EMD for anything but a churn and burn project. To build a longterm site it's likely to be much easier to build a brand - and Google does like sites which are branded. I think the major issue with EMD tends to be over-optimisation. With the keyword already in the URL and all internal links, it can be really easy to spam the keyword far too much across the site - this is a great post to read for info on this - https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/phpbuilts-idiot-proof-guide-to-authority-site-building.631067/

That being said, if you have a site that is already ranking I would give some serious thought as to whether you want to fuck with that formula. At the very least you're probably going to lose some equity by (presumably) 301'ing the old domain to the new. I'm curious as to what you think the benefits of a switch in domain would be when you're already ranking?
 
@kickthat

first off, thanks for the detailed reply. basically, my site is along the lines of "sattutorla.com". but i'm expanding and, while i want to maintain my pagerank in la, i don't want people from other cities to see the domain and find it spammy. i just read this page on redirects: https://moz.com/blog/301-redirection-rules-for-seo

according to that page, it's a minimal risk to just 301 redirect everything (note: I don't have a ton of backlinks and will launch an effort to increase backlinks if/when i change domains). given that post about the relationship between 301 redirects and pagerank, what do you guys think?
 
a related question for anyone who has the time: if i 301 redirect, notice a drop in my rankings, and undo the redirect and restore the old domain, will my rankings go back to what they were?
 
respecht the advice I give to my clients:
"is it ranking top 10?"
client says yes, I say:
"then dont do STUPID SHIT!"

what you plan, if it rank woudl be doing stupid shit.
 
@bubba_babba 301 passes *most* of the authority. Especially if you don't have many backlinks it's probably not going to lose you a ton of equity.

However, I'm with @darulez. Aside from issues of equity you could fuck something else up in changing domains. Accidentally using a domain with a spammy history, forgetting to 301 a specific pages or pages, incorrectly setting up the redirect etc. Why take the risk?

Have you considered just setting up another site using a branded domain? Replicate the success that you have already had with the current site and then when the new site is already ranking, decide whether to keep both or 301 the current one to the new one.
 
If you are able to bump up your EMD's TF/DA/PA, it should provide you with some ranking boost, but not necessarily having the 1st spot on the SERP. It looks like Google has somewhat plugged the loophole on EMDs, whereby there are simply so many EMDs not ranking easily, as the EMD power has somewhat diminished over time. But if you are able to put some TF/DA/PA onto that EMD, it should give you a little boost onto its SERP power.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top