Should you use an exact match domain for your website?
Having a keyword matched domain has helped with Google ranking, but maybe not for much longer
For many years now some website owner’s have taken advantage of the the fact that if they can build a keyword phrase into their domain name, generally speaking the site will have a better ranking in the search engines for that and related keywords.
So in simple terms if someone runs a plumbing business in London called: John Smith Plumbing, the domain could be something like LondonPlumbingServices.co.uk, which obviously is a more likely search phrase than John Smith Plumbing.
Google has had exact match domains under the radar
However Google have had the whole area of exact match domains (EMD) under the radar for a while now, so it is not a huge surprise to those interested in SEO to see that they have recently tweaked their algorithms, to try and even out the advantage exact match domains have offered.
Are exact match domains still a good idea?
The big question is: are exact match domains still a good idea? Obviously every situation is different. In my experience in the overall context of Google Panda/Penguin and now exact match domains, the exact match domains changes is having less of an impact than Panda or Penguin did.
Time will tell how this will work for business websites in the future
When trying to make a judgement whether you’ve been affected by the exact match domain changes, it’s important to bear in mind that the real target of the changes is poor or low quality sites that have been developed entirely around ranking well for high traffic keyword phrases. Quality sites, with real businesses that happen to use an exact match or keyword related domain, may not have so much to worry about, but obviously time will tell.
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Exact match keyword domains shouldn’t be the focus in the first place. Keywords are important to page rank, but you shouldn’t sacrifice the branding opportunity that a domain name provides. You should use your brand as your domain name and use keywords elsewhere on your website. To find out why go here. http://www.localresults.com/a-keyword-domain-name-is-nothing-to-sing-about/
Can’t help feeling that this will make exact match domains far less valuable than they used to be. As I’m sure you are aware, the boost that Google gave exact match domains was fairly significant. This allowed even some small ‘micro-sites’ to rank well if built on exact match domains. Now the party’s over. However, EMD’s are easy to remember and instantly explain what a site is about, so still have value, but they are certainly not as valuable now as they were in the past.
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the comment. I agree. I think they still have their place, but can’t be relied upon as much as previously.
An interesting and emerging area in SEO. As you rightly point out, if Google can take a balanced approach of websites with good unique and relevant content, along with keyword relevant or rich domain names, they could effectively weed out the less credible sites and further enhance the relevance of their search engine results.